Wilson County Black History Committee receives $250K for Pickett Chapel restoration

The Wilson County Black History Committee’s goal of restoring the historic Pickett Chapel recently took another significant step forward after the group received $250,000 grant for the project.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund awarded the grant from its Preserving Black Churches program totaling $250,000.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation awarded $8.5 million to 30 historically black churches across the nation to support preservation projects.

Pickett Chapel, Lebanon’s oldest church and brick building, was built by slaves and completed in 1827. White and black members worshipped in the building for the first three decades as slaves worshipped from a balcony.

The white congregation moved to a larger building in 1856 and 30 freedmen purchased the church for $1,500 just two years after the Civil War. Pickett Chapel served as a worship center and community center for the next 107 years.

Pickett Chapel was used in the 1960s as a meeting place for Civil Rights activists and training center for non-violent resistance.

The congregation moved to a new location on Glover Street in 1973 and Pickett Chapel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

The Wilson County Black History Committee purchased the building in 2007 with hopes of restoring it and making it the home of the Roy Bailey African-American Museum and History Center. 

The group has raised about $300,000 in recent years for the restoration, which has already included structural and ceiling repairs, as well as a restored annex in the rear of the facility. The entire restoration is estimated to cost about $550,000.

The committee wants a completed restoration is 2026, prior to the 200th anniversary of the church in 2027.

For more information go to pickettchapel.com.