Step back in time at Cumberland County’s Homestead Towers Museum

CROSSVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Taking a look at the history of Cumberland County, one time period stands out: the mid-1930s. At this time, many people lost their jobs when coal mines shut down and hundreds moved to the region as part of the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933.

We got a close-up look at one of 252 homes crafted with sturdy Crab Orchard stone 90 years ago. 212 of those original homes still stand today. They are part of Cumberland’s Historic Homesteading Community, the only one of its kind in Tennessee.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal from 1933 – 1938 gave people an opportunity for a new start in Cumberland County. Part of the National Recovery Act created 100 different communities throughout the country to attract industry and jobs.

In our region, people from stranded mining towns crippled by the Great Depression were able to get home and land.

“Two-thirds of their wages would go to one of the homes, maybe (becoming) a farmer afterward,” said Ren Sexton, Manager of the Homesteads Towers Museum. “So not only did it give you an opportunity to have a deed to a house, but also gave you an opportunity to have a career going forward.”

The museum began as a meeting place for those running the Homesteaders program. It became a museum in 1980 and is filled with actual furnishings from the original homes.

“It’s all original,” Sexton said. “We tried to keep the building itself authentic. That way, people walk in and they feel like they’ve traveled back in time a little bit.”

Visitors can see photographs of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, on the back of a truck during a trip to this area. Her ideas made a lasting impact in Cumberland County.

“She came down here twice to advocate for indoor plumbing in all the homes,” Sexton explained. “So that’s why there was a well underneath the kitchen and you pumped water to a tank in the attic and it was gravity fed, so I’d say that’s probably one of the most things that speak to me at least. She was a very influential woman and gave people indoor plumbing in their homes.”

The homes were also pre-wired for electricity. About a decade later, the Tennessee Valley Authority flipped the switch.

When you visit the museum, you may be curious about the tower. It’s even taller than it appears. In fact, it’s eight stories tall.

We climbed all eight stories to get to the top of the observation area. The stairs are wooden for some of the trip while the ones leading to the top are made of metal. They surround a huge water tank that was once primarily used by the nearby fire department.

Once at the top, you will have climbed 97 steps and you will have quite a view– looking out over lush trees and a shadowy mountain backdrop through new protective screens and windows on the deck, thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Tennessee State Museum as efforts continue to protect and preserve this historic part of Cumberland County.

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By the way, Sexton said she often has 30 visitors come by to soak up the history at the museum.

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