Somerville Historic District - Somerville, TN - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

County of district: Fayette County
Location of district: bounded by Market St. West St., down Main St. & Somerville St.
Date entered on NRHP: 1982

Building 67 is no longer viable, been razed and new facility built and attached to bank building
The East-West streets have been renumbered or re-identified by the Post Office since the NRHP Form was approved. Market St. & Fayette St. address are changed and Fayette Street is now called US Hwy 64 in official address.

"Somerville is the county seat of Fayette County, which is located near the southwestern corner of the state. The Somerville Historic District contains 101 buildings. The majority of these are located around the court square and along South Main Street. All of the commercial buildings around the court square were constructed after 1880 with the exception of three: Wilder and Associates Building (#75) built ca. 1850, Walter's Grocery (#103) built ca. 1870, and Minor's Market-Smith Dry Goods (#89) built ca. 1875. Dr. Josiah Higgason's house, "Frogmore," (#46) built ca. 1829 is the oldest building in town. Eleven other structures which remain in excellent condition were built between 1835 and 1865. Greek Revival Period influences are reflected in most of these buildings. The exceptions to this are found in the Cooper House (#26) which was influenced by both the Greek Revival, in shape and massing, and the Gothic Revival in exterior decoration; St. Thomas Episcopal Church (#92), which conforms stylistically to the Gothic Revival Period; and the W. H. Blake House (#43), which is characteristic of the regional style most often called Tennessee Vernacular.

"The Fayette County Courthouse, located in the center of the town square, is the only governmental building located within the historic district. Built in 1925, this is the fourth courthouse to serve Fayette County.

"Building materials used throughout the historic district were based on the structure's proposed use; residential (frame), commercial or religious (brick). The size of the lots and the setback in the residential area seemed to conform more to the architectural period during which the building was constructed, with the largest lots and deepest setbacks found during the Greek Revival Period. One unifying theme found throughout the district is the use of porches on the residential buildings as well as two of the earliest commercial buildings.

"The majority of the contributing buildings, both commercial and residential, are from the Victorian Period and reflect the influence of the Victorian Gothic and Italianate styles. Twenty of the twenty-seven properties which do not contribute to the character of the district have been built since 1940, six were built between 1870 and 1920 but have been extensively altered, and one is a vacant lot." ~ NRHP Nomination Form