Blount Mansion has received a prestigious Historic Preservation Award from the Garden Club of America, recognizing the Association’s work to restore the ca-1818 Craighead-Jackson House adjacent to Blount Mansion and the Edith Henderson Garden behind the Craighead-Jackson House.
The successful joint restoration projects began seven years ago and were completed in fall 2021. The work on the house was funded by a grant from the Boyd Foundation and the garden restoration was paid for with donations from more than one hundred individuals honoring former Blount Mansion Association president Dorothy Stair.
The Garden Club of America Commendation for Historic Preservation is awarded to one or more non-GCA club members or an organization, which have made a significant contribution to historic preservation in the community. The Knoxville Garden Club has been awarding the recognition to local preservation leaders since 1985. Blount Mansion is only the eighth non-Garden Club member to be honored in that thirty-seven-year period.
“The Knoxville Garden Club is thrilled that the Garden Club of America agreed with our proposal to award The Blount Mansion Association with the Historic Preservation Commendation for its dedication to the revitalization of the Craighead-Jackson House and Garden,” said Knoxville Garden Club Awards Chair Ginger Gibbons. “Knoxville is so fortunate to have this beautifully preserved spot in the heart of the city for all to enjoy.”
Blount Mansion Executive Director David Hearnes added, “Restoring the Edith Henderson Garden was a passion project for Blount Mansion and our supporters. It took seven years of hard work to clean up and restore the garden and a full year of effort to restore the Craighead-Jackson House. To be recognized by the Knoxville Garden Club and the Garden Club of America for these projects means the world to us.”
The Knoxville Garden Club has a decades-long relationship with Blount Mansion, having cared for the Colonial Revival gardens at the National Historic Landmark site continuously since 1934.
