SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) —
A house that nearly disappeared into the woods of Sumner County may finally have a future.
The Latimer house sits off the beaten path, its windows kicked in, its doors forced open, and nature slowly reclaiming what was once a piece of living history. Beneath a layer of later brickwork, the original hand-hewn logs remain and some nearly 2 feet wide cut from the very land on which the house stands.
"The logs that you're looking in behind right here and seeing are the original logs that the house was built out of," Jim Latimer said.
The structure dates to the Revolutionary War era and is tied to the founding of Sumner County itself.
"I think that this house was in the process of being ignored into oblivion," Latimer said.
Jim Latimer has spent years fighting to keep that history alive. The original property belonged to his seventh great-grandfather, Colonel Jonathan Latimer.
Sumner County and its school board have now transferred the property to the Friends of the Latimer House, along with a financial challenge.
"That's the big, that's the 800 pound gorilla in the room, you know, $500,000," Latimer said.
A decade ago, the late William Brown gifted the house and $500,000 to the county to fund its restoration. But Latimer acknowledges the work ahead may cost even more.
"We're going to try to pinch every penny until it screams," he said. WHO SAID THIS QUOTE?
The goal of the Friends of the Latimer House goes beyond preservation. The group wants to give future generations a place to step inside history.
"When you reach out and touch this log right here, you're touching history," Latimer said. "There's a huge sense of history when you walk in that house bearing down on you."
After years of neglect and uncertainty, the Latimer house may finally have a chance to endure.
Have you ever visited a historic site in Sumner County — or do you know of a piece of local history that deserves to be saved? We want to hear from you. Watch the full story above and share your thoughts with reporter Kim Rafferty at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
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