Athenaeum Rectory Receives $17K State Grant for Historic Home Repairs

Issue #859

November 13, 2026

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

☀️ Columbia’s Saturday Weather - Sunny w/ high of 51, low of 29

📰 Athenaeum Rectory Receives $17K State Grant for Historic Home Repairs

🎁 CPWS To Host Annual Toy Drive

🗓 List of Upcoming Events - Just Updated!

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

🗓 Know of Some Local Events Not Listed? Send us the Details!

Athenaeum Rectory Receives $17K State Grant for Historic Home Repairs

From the Athenaeum’s recent post…

The Athenaeum Rectory is a recipient of a $17,064 grant for Capital Maintenance and Improvements from the State of Tennessee as administered through the Tennessee State Museum. The grant award will be used for foundation repairs to the eastern elevation of the home.

The Tennessee General Assembly made available $5 million in funding from the 2026-2027 Appropriations Act, “for the sole purpose of providing grants to museums with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or affiliated with a governmental entity for capital maintenance and improvements.”

In the fourth year of the grant program, it remains a highly competitive process. In total, the Tennessee State Museum received 160 applications, totaling $10,434,851 in requests. The Museum has made full or partial awards to 102 museums across the state, representing 49 counties. In the four years the Museum has administered the grant program, it has served museums in 76 counties across the state. A complete list of 2026-27 grantees, counties and amounts is posted at TNMuseum.org/grants.

“The Tennessee State Museum’s Capital Grant program continues to support the infrastructure of Tennessee museums,” said Ashley Howell, Tennessee State Museum Executive Director. “It is an honor to support the incredible work of our strong network of Tennessee museums. This grant is an extension of how the State of Tennessee can further support their efforts and the preservation of local and state history. We thank the Tennessee General Assembly for their support for Tennessee museums.”

“This grant will enable us to complete badly needed repairs on the Athenaeum,” said Kayla Southern, President of the Maury County APTA, the governing body of the Athenaeum Rectory. “The Athenaeum has such an important history, and this grant helps us in our preservation efforts to ensure the home is around for future generations to discover and appreciate.”

The Capital Maintenance and Improvements grant had a minimum request amount of $5,000 and a maximum request amount of $100,000. All projects must be completed by June 30, 2027.

The Athenaeum Rectory is all that remains to two famous all-girl schools that operated in Columbia from the 1830s into the twentieth century. The Athenaeum was the home, or rectory, for the school’s headmaster, Rev. Franklin Gillette Smith, and his family. The home remained in the Smith family until the 1970s when it was donated to the Maury County APTA for use as a historic home museum.

Today, the Athenaeum Rectory is open by appointment for tours and private events. For more information about the Athenaeum, please call (931) 797-3316.

CPWS To Host Annual Toy Drive

Columbia Power & Water Systems (CPWS) invites the Maury County community to come together for lunch and local giving at the Second Annual Giving Tuesday drive-thru cook-out on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the entrance on Highland Avenue.  

The cook-out serves as the anchor event for CPWS’s holiday giving campaign, where drivers can help “Stuff the Bucket” by filling a CPWS utility bucket truck with donations to ensure local children and teens have gifts under the tree this holiday season.  

Anyone who drives through and donates a new, unwrapped toy or makes a cash donation will receive a free 1 lb. all-beef hot dog sack lunch as a thank-you from CPWS. Cash and toy donations collected during the cook-out directly support The Family Center and The Salvation Army in providing holiday assistance to area families.  

For community members unable to attend the Tuesday lunch hour, the opportunity to give runs throughout the week leading up to the cook-out. CPWS is hosting a dedicated collection drive accepting new, unwrapped donations through Tuesday, Dec. 1. Donations can be dropped off during normal business hours in the collection bins located inside the CPWS lobby.  

Donation guidelines for the ongoing drive include items for children and teens ages 0 to 18:  

Infants & Young Children: Baby dolls, Barbie dolls, stuffed animals, educational toys, building blocks, Legos, Play-Doh, puzzles, tool sets, toy cars/trucks, and dress-up clothes  

Older Youth & Teens: Board games, art supplies, sports equipment, blankets, hair accessories, jewelry, watches, makeup, cologne, wallets, purses, tumblers, apparel, belts, and gift cards  

“Community support has been at the center of what we do,” CPWS President and CEO Jack Baxter said. “When the holidays come around, our crews and staff look forward to teaming up with neighbors, The Salvation Army, and The Family Center. Whether you stop by our drive-thru on Highland Avenue for a hot dog on Tuesday or drop an unwrapped toy in our collection bins earlier in the week, every contribution directly helps a Maury County family.”

Making friends as an adult is weirdly hard. Maybe this will help… 

Join the What’s Up Columbia! Dinner Club on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 6:30 PM. We’ll match you with five people for dinner at a downtown restaurant, then all the tables meet up at a surprise after-party. Book your seat here. 

Upcoming Local Events

🗓 Have an event to add? Send us the Details!

Friday, November 13th

Saturday, November 14th

Sunday, November 15th

Monday, November 16th 

Tuesday, November 17th

👇 Click the Links to Learn About our Local Business Sponsors! 👇

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

Friday, November 13
Chief Smiley Ricks & the C-Town Specials - Khao-Wan Thai Kitchen, 6:00 PM
Jason Stout - River Terrace, 6-8 PM
StevieRock - Acapulco Mexican Grill, 6:30-8:30 PM
Nick Bentley - Grinder’s Switch Winery, 7-9 PM
Rett Stocstill - Whiskey Alley Saloon, 7:30-9 PM
Troy Castellano - Puckett’s, 7:30-9 PM

Saturday, November 14
Don McKinnon - River Terrace, 6-8 PM
Johnny Jameson & The Empty Pints - McCreary’s Irish Pub & Eatery, 7-9 PM
Curated Writers Round - The Bourbon Gospel, 7:30 PM
Josey Clay - Puckett’s, 7:30-9 PM

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