First place, adult professional division

Photographer: Joe Allen, Nashville (joeallenphotography.com)

Photographer's Statement: Built in 1873 as a cotton and woolen factory near Winchester in Franklin County, Falls Mill was later converted for use as a cotton gin, then as a woodworking shop. Today the water wheel drives millstones that produce cornmeal, grits and stoneground flour. The mill, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, is the centerpiece of the Falls Mill Historic District. It is open to the public (www.fallsmill.com). 

Second place, adult professional division

Photographer: Randy Ball, Rogersville

Photographer's Statement: Hale Springs Inn, built in the 1820s on the Courthouse Square in Rogersville, was the oldest continuously-operating inn in Tennessee unitl it closed in 1998. The inn, which hosted presidents Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson and James K. Polk, is now being renovated by the Rogersville Heritage Association. The inn is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Third place, adult professional division

Photographer: Lucinda Turbeville, Powell*

Photographer's statement: This barn, which is used by the National Park Service to store hay, was included on a "history hike" led by the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club ... as part of our regular Wednesday morning hikes. It was February and there was a dusting of snow.

*Ms. Turbeville notes that she is considered a professional only by the hiking club, having placed first in their photo contests.  

Honorable mention, adult professional division

Photographer: Emily Timm Elliston, Union City

Photographer's statement: Entered on the National Register of Historic Places on August 5, 1995, this 1887 Victorian brick house has been the home of Mr. and Mrs. Allen Nohsey since 1986. Each year they entertain their friends at an old-fashioned Christmas Open House. People come from miles around to enjoy this festive occasion. I always go unless I'm out of town. It just doesn't seem as much like the holiday season without attending this particular party!

First place, adult amateur division

Photographer: Dick Dougall, Franklin

Photographer's Statement: An iconic symbol of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, this 1935 farm was purchased by the city of Franklin in 2004 to preserve the area's agrarian heritage as well as the scenic northern approach into the city along US 31. The property, which continues to function as a working farm, is slated to open as a public park in September 2007. 

Second place, adult amateur division

Photographer: Jenny Orten, Nashville

Photographer's Statement: This 347-foot-long bridge and dam, constructed of local Crab Orchard stone between 1935 and 1938, is the largest masonry structure built by the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). When it was finished, the federal government deeded the property and surrounding acres to the state to form Cumberland Mountain State Park. 

Third place, adult amateur division

Photographer: arry Anderson, St. Louis, MO

Photographer's Statement: We're not sure how old this iconic cabin is, but according to some folks who once owned adjacent property on Walter Davis Road in Blount County, it was the original dwelling of a homestead that has long since been divided. The cabin is often the subject of photographers, and at least one local family has used it as the setting for a Christmas card. Descendants of the original homesteaders are said to still live on the farm property.

Honorable mention, adult amateur division

Photographer:  Larry Anderson, St. Louis, MO

Photographer's Statement: George Washington "Carter" Shields bought this land and cabin from John Sparks in 1910. The cabin dates to the 1830s or '40s.

Scenic Tennessee's note: The jury was hopelessly deadlocked between this image and the preceding one. Since they are by the same photographer, we decided to feature them both. 

Honorable mention, adult amateur division

Photographer: Dick Dougall, Franklin

Photographer's Statement: From the mid-19th century until the Civil War, Boiling Spring Academy served as a prep school for the privileged sons of Williamson County. Unused for many years, it was donated to the city of Brentwood by the Primm family in 2003. Today, as part of Primm Historic Park, the building has become a living-history lesson for school groups and others. 

First place, high school division

Photographer: Corey Seaton, Knoxville
11th grade, South Doyle High School
(Lee Ann Jenkins-Freels, teacher)

Photographer's Statement: Built in 1927, Knoxville's grand downtown theatre welcomed such icons as Helen Hayes and Glenn Miller during its heyday; it also screened scores of films and premieres as well as Saturday morning "meetings" of "the Popeye Club." Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and named the Official State Theatre of Tennessee in 1999, the theatre was extensively renovated in 2003-2005. Today it is considered the jewel of Knoxville's arts and entertainment community.

Second place, high school division

Photographer: Seth Shaffer, Collegedale
10th grade, home school

Photographer's Statement:Erected in 1902 to serve the growing number of Methodists in Cades Cove, this church featured a two-door entrance and a physical divider to segregate males and females. Along with the earlier Missionary Baptist and Primitive Baptist churches, this structure has received attention from the Cades Cove Preservation Association. 

Third place, high school division

Photographer: Michael Charles Vineyard, Greenback
11th grade, Greenback School
(Mrs. Kelly Sampely, teacher)

Photographer's Statement:In the first part of the 19th century, the Blair family built a steamboat landing on the Tennessee River, at what is now Loudon. James Blair added this storehouse in 1834, and soon more steamboats were landing at Blair's Ferry. The structure is sometimes called the Pathkiller storehouse, because a Cherokee Indian named Pathkiller soon claimed the property under the terms of the Hiwasee purchase. After a 15-year court battle, the property was returned to James Blair.

In 1977, the storehouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Honorable mention, high school division

Photographer: Alle Harrison, Knoxville
12th grade, Central High School
(Ms. Betty Maloy, teacher)

Another view of the historic theater. 

First place, middle school division

Photographer: Caitlin Taylor, Powell
8th grade, Powell Middle School
(Mr. Tom Jursik, teacher)

Photographer's Statement: This 1798 grist mill, formerly located in the reservoir area behind the TVA's Norris Dam along Lost Creek, was operated by four generations of the Rice family. At various times the mill was rigged to power a sawmill, a cotton gin, a trip hammer, and even the Rice's electrical lights. When TVA flooded the area to create Norris Lake in the 1930s, the mill was disassembled and rebuilt in its present location by the CCC.

Second place (tie), middle school division

Photographer: Corey Lynn Vineyard, Greenback
8th grade, Greenback School, Greenback
(Mr. Jeffrey Patty, teacher)

Photographer's statement: This 1865 Greek Revival plantation house, now a bed-and-breakfast, is located at 600 Commerce Street in Loudon. If you look closely at the top railing, you will notice that it is in the shape of the Confederate "Stars-&-Bars" flag. When originally built, it sat on 1,200 acres of land. During the Civil War, both the Northern and Southern armies occupied the home. My great-grandfather used to live here, so it has an historic link to my family. 

Second place (tie), middle school division

Photographer: Rachel Livsey, Nashville
8th grade, Martin Luther King Magnet School, Nashville

Photographer's Statement:Bobbie's is one of the oldest and best ice cream places in Nashville.

Third place, middle school division

Photographer: Jessie Bruce, Knoxville
7th grade, West Valley Middle School, Knoxville
(Ms. Suzanne Wedekind, teacher)

Photographer's Statement:Red Clay State Historic Park commemorates the last council of the Cherokee in Tennessee in 1837 before they were forced westward along what is now known as the Trail of Tears. The historical park today contains only replica structures, as a way to educate present and future generations about this sad chapter in Tennessee's history. However, according to at least one historian, the flame that burns continuously at the park came from the original fire pots that survived the journey. 

Photographer: Dale E. Smith, adult amateur, Knoxville        

Photographer's statement: This image shows the lack of historic preservation. It is of the fire that burned down most of the McClung warehouse buildings on Jackson Avenue in Knoxville. These were shot the morning of February 7, 2007. The city has been trying for years, unsuccessfully, to get the owner of the buildings to renovate and protect them. Obviously, he didn't. He was illegally living in one of the buildings when this fire started.

Photographer: Stoy Bailey, adult amateur, Memphis

Photographer's statement: Front Street was the center of Memphis' cotton industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with riverboats unloading into the back of the buildings, and cotton factors buying and selling cotton from their offices along the Front Street side. When this picture was taken, it was still a common sight to see "snakes" of cotton in front of the offices, waiting to be graded before a price was established. Today, though the cotton houses are gone, the Cotton Row Historic District helps recall this bustling, bygone era.

Photographer: John D. Tipton, adult amateur, Powell

Photographer's Statement:Originally established in 1908 as a base for logging operations, Elkmont had become a flourishing retreat for well-to-do families by the time the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created in 1934. Today, the area belongs to the National Park Service; NPS is debating what to do with the five dozen bedraggled buildings and structures that remain, including this one. The district was placed on the National Register in 1994; in 2006 it was named one of the "Most Endangered Places" in America by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Photographer: Lucinda Turbeville, adult professional*, Powell

Photographer's Statement:Opened in 1912, the rambling Wonderland Hotel was the centerpiece of the Elkmont resort, as many of the sportsmen who stayed there decided to build private cabins of their own. By the time the National Park Service took over ownership in 1992, however, the building was sadly derelict; in 2005 part of it collapsed; and in late 2006, after months of debate over the feasibility and costs of renovation, a contractor began the task of salvage and demolition. 

*Ms. Turbeville clarifies that she is a professional only insofar as she has won awards from her local photography club.

Photographer: Alle Harrison, Central High School, Knoxville

Photographer's Statement:Encroachment--the creeping pressure from surrounding commercial and residential development, rising property values and sprawling population centers--is one of the greatest threats to historic integrity. (Even historic cemeteries are not immune!) And even though there might be a certain charm in the juxtaposition of past and present, it's ultimately the future we must think about. That's why there's historic preservation--and groups like the Tennessee Preservation Trust! If you would like to help save properties and vistas like the ones pictured here, please visit www.tennesseepreservationtrust.org.