Published: October 25, 2009 09:22 pm      

Historical buffs hope more area districts will be added to Register

The Pleasant Valley District is the third district in Murray County to be named to the National Register of Historic Places, and historical enthusiasts are hoping more districts will soon be added.

Pleasant Valley joins Spring Place and downtown Chatsworth districts, as well as the Vann House, the Wright Hotel, Carter’s Quarters and Fort Mountain, which are individual listings.

Nominations for the the Oakwood Plantation and the city of Eton are pending, said Tim Howard, Murray County’s historian.

“We’ve been looking for several years now at Highway 2, centering around the Oakwood-Colvard House,” Howard said. “Most of that is still used for agriculture. It has family cemeteries and several old homes, the old Colvard store building, the Bryant home, and the Wheat home. It hasn’t been heavily developed.”

The Oakwood-Colvard House was built by Euclid Waterhouse in the mid 1800s. It stands at the intersection of current-day Highway 225 and Halls Chapel Road.

The city of Eton, which was chartered in 1909, includes many older homes and some stores. The Old Federal Road passed through the city, as well as a railroad.

Howard hopes to have the Chief Vann House named as a National Landmark, which is a higher honor than the National Registry.

“Being named a National Landmark would further protect the home, as well as greater emphasize its importance to the nation,” Howard said. “Other sites named National Landmarks include Mount Vernon, the White House, the Alamo and New Echota.”