Are Pieces Of Tennessee History On Shaky Ground?

Full story here.

News Channel 5

By Adam Ghassemi

July 6, 2011

CASTALIAN SPRINGS, Tenn. – At the Wynnewood there is no questioning history. Site Director Rick Hendrix watches as crews fix the last hurdle, tornado damage from 2008.

"Now we're faced with something that there's no recuperating from," Hendrix said.

What he calls a "nightmare" could be moving less than a mile away. A quarry with blasts some worry could pose a major problem

"You could physically take the rocks off one at a time," said Brad Olds about the Wynnewood's chimney that's built with nearly 200 year old lime based mortar. "When this place shakes that's going to move because there is no adhesion between the stones," Olds said.

Olds works for Wieck Construction and has 25 years of experience restoring historic buildings. He predicts the Wynnewood would be heavily damaged and other structures even more so.

"The brick house at Hawthorne Hill will probably collapse," Olds said.

But some people don't buy it.

"We think that it's totally unrealistic to think that there could be any impact," said Attorney Tom White who represents quarry company Hoover, Incorporated.

White points to Summit Hospital and a number of homes that have surrounded a Davidson County quarry in Hermitage in the last 25 years. He says in that situation there was no impact, so there's nothing showing historic sites, like the Wynnewood, would be in danger.

"If we want to be objective we can dissuade those thoughts. We can't dissuade someone that just doesn't want a quarry in Sumner County," White said.

But Hendrix simply isn't comfortable risking history. "200 year old structures aren't designed constant blasting and rock quarry activity," he said.

White says Hoover, Inc. is willing to pay for a pre-blast survey, even though it isn't required. That means homes within 1,000 feet of the property as well as historical sites further away, Wynnewood and Hawthorne Hill, would be checked.

Hoover, Inc. hosted a town hall meeting last week for upset residents. Both sides will go before the Sumner County Board of Zoning Appeals on Thursday, July 14^th. The board will decide if the company will get a permit to operate the quarry.

Next month the Sumner County Board of Zoning Appeals will decide if they get a permit to operate the quarry.