Free Day in May to tour The Athenaeum - Columbia, Tennessee

The Athenaeum in Columbia, Tennessee to host “Free Day in May”.

Columbia’s hidden jewel, the Athenaeum, will host a free day of tours on Saturday, May 12 from 10am until 4pm. This “Free Day in May” has become an annual tradition at the Athenaeum that features, not only tours, but also sweet treats on the veranda.

What is known as the Athenaeum today is all that remains of the Columbia Athenaeum School for Young Ladies. This all-girl school was famous throughout the region as a preeminent educational facility, at its height chartered with full college powers. Of the twenty acres and numerous buildings that once made up the Athenaeum campus, all that remains today is the rectory—the home of the headmaster and school owner, Rev. Franklin G. Smith.

Sold to the City of Columbia in the early 1900s, the former Athenaeum property was used as a public school and, later, was the location of the first Columbia Central High School. The Smith family retained and lived in the rectory until the 1974 when it was donated to the Maury County Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities (APTA).

Since then, the rectory, built in 1835, has been open for tours and available as an event and wedding venue. In 2014, the Athenaeum was named to the “Ten in Tennessee” list, a list of the ten most endangered historic sites in the state. Since that time, through tremendous fund-raising efforts and a grant from the Tennessee Historic Commission, the Athenaeum has now been designated as “Saved” and is no longer on the Ten in Tennessee list. Still, there is much work to be done.

While touring the home during “Free Day in May,” visitors can hear about the restoration efforts in progress and plans for the future of the site.

For more information about the May 12th event or the Athenaeum, please call Adam Southern at (931) 626-8368.