NASHVILLE, Tenn. – State Rep. Mary Littleton, R-Dickson, announced $26,500 in grant funding was awarded to the Promise Land Heritage Association for capital maintenance and improvements.
The funds are part of a $5 million appropriation approved by the General Assembly in the 2024-25 state budget for Tennessee State Museum Capital Maintenance and Improvement program.
“The Promise Land Heritage Association is doing important work in preserving the remnants of the Promise Land community to help educate future generations,” Littleton said. “I applaud the organization for their hard work and thank the leaders at the Tennessee State Museum for supporting their efforts.”
The organization’s mission is to preserve the historic Promise Land Community, which was settled by African Americans shortly after the Civil War.
Promise Land was a ‘thriving community’ and encompassed around 1,000 acres with more than 50 homes, several stores, three churches and an elementary school, according to their website. Today, only one church and one-room school house remain standing.
Grantees are able to use these funds for projects like building or land improvements, roof repairs, HVAC projects and accessibility updates.
There were over 150 grant applications in 2024, totaling $10.5 million in funding requests, according to the Tennessee State Museum.
As of this release, the Museum has made full or partial awards to 83 museums across the state, representing 46 counties. Over the last two years, the Museum has administered grants in 68 counties across the state.
For a full list of grantees, counties and amounts, visit https://tnmuseum.org/grants.
Mary Littleton represents District 78 which includes Cheatham and part of Dickson Counties.
