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An act of preservation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2018, Townsend alumni and Franklin County resident Ed Hill was made aware that the school building was potentially going to be sold. Taking notice of the historical significance of the building, Hill made contact with former Townsend students and informed them of the possible sale of the building. A few of the contacts were former students and local residents, Karen Morris, Patricia Nimox, and Sylvia Hill. Morris stated that when Hill contacted them, a group of former students came together and set the wheels in motion to preserve the building that meant so much to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe began to call people and build interest to see what we could do about saving the building,\u201d explained Morris. \u201cSo we came up with the Townsend Cultural Center. The information we found on Anderson Townsend and the history of this school was amazing. We were looking to procure and preserve the rich history of not only Townsend school, but the educational process that black children went through in Franklin County. We felt that it was worth saving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A board of directors was also formed, and the group put out the word to former students to submit any photos or documents they had of Townsend School over the years. They also teamed up with the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) Center for Historic Preservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe started out by contacting the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, and they worked with us helping to delve into the history of the school. The response from former students was also good. We were told that it would take five to six years to get it going, but once we got it started and people trusted us enough to copy photos and get them back to them, we began to take off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n About \u201cDoc\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most important character in this whole story of Townsend school is its namesake, \u201cDoc\u201d Anderson Townsend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, Anderson was a United States veteran of the Civil War, educator, and local preacher who lived much of his life in Winchester. He had a huge impact on Winchester and Franklin County\u2019s education system. Commonly referred to as \u201cDoc\u201d or D.A. Townsend, he was born enslaved in Franklin County in September 1848.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the preservation center, Townsend After his retirement, he played a large role, along with other local African American leaders, in securing support for the construction of what would become Townsend. The building was finished about one year before Townsend passed in December 1927, according to The Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Center<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Center houses pictures, documents, and other historical memorabilia of the school that has been donated f rom the public. The museum leads you through the history of the school with displays of the state championship football team, women\u2019s and men\u2019s basketball teams, and the school\u2019s all- female drum corps that Morris said drew attention wherever they played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The museum also displays items from a period of time that the school was used as a training school where students were taught to quilt, use farm tools, and more. Also, as a training school, the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation stated that, as was the tradition with African American school buildings, the school also served as a community building where plays, fundraisers, and even funerals were held.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The future<\/p>\n\n\n\n The building continues to serve as a hub for the community, offering a variety of services and activities just as it has in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe cafeteria is used as a multipurpose room where conferences, birthday parties, anniversaries, and various other get-togethers are held,\u201d said Morris. \u201cWe hosted a STEM program over the summer. We also held an \u2018Art for the Sake of the Community\u2019 event where children were able to come in and paint Christmas ornaments. It\u2019s really taken off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Center has also received grants that will help them to expand their offering to the public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s growing, and we\u2019re loving this TownsendCultural Center,\u201d said Morris. \u201cI hope that it will thrive, and people will continue to use The Center for events. I hope that one day we will sponsor the chamber mixer that the city has. I want people to see it as an integral part of Franklin County\u2019s history. I hope that people who never knew where Townsend was will come through here and be slightly amazed by all the history that is here.”GN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Townsend School for African American students served as a community hub and also housed the county\u2019s board of education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":9196,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-1375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-december"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06138-1-683x1024.jpg\")
ran away and enlisted in the United States Army in Huntsville. At the time of his discharge in 1866, he\u2019d been promoted to 1st Sgt.15. After his discharge, Townsend entered the Nashville Normal and Bible\/Theological Institute. He returned to Winchester in 1869 and began teaching. Townsend taught school throughout the county until he retired in 1919. During his nearly 50-year tenure as an educator, Townsend taught hundreds of students and also advocated for better education and better school facilities for African American children in Franklin County. As a local education leader, he also played a major role in county institutes for African American teachers where they obtained training, certification, and networked with other educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06180-683x1024.jpg\")