Mark Dudney, Historic Preservation Planner

The following was published by the Herald-Citizen and can be found by clicking here. The City of Algood is exploring new options for the future of the White Plains house.

At a city council work session Monday [January 12, 2026], Upper Cumberland Development District Historic Preservation Planner Mark Dudney said he is currently working to find funds to improve the house’s flooring, but he is also looking for long-term solutions to address ongoing maintenance concerns.

“We are definitely going to apply for a grant on (Jan. 20) that does not require a match,” Dudney said. “It’s just a straight-up $20,000 if we get it, and it will be toward the restoration of the flooring. There’s a second historic preservation grant that is due at the end of February, and it does require a 40% match.”

Dudney said he had met with the Friends of White Plains organization and they have told him they would pay as much toward the match as possible, but funds from Algood may be necessary to cover the costs. Both grants will help repair the flooring, which is currently the house’s biggest safety concern.

“They may be off a little bit,” Dudney said. “It wouldn’t be a big grant. It’s 40%, so the total match might be $12,000. If they can cover it on their own, great, but if they might need some assistance, it wouldn’t be much.”

Algood began discussing options for the future of the historic home in 2025. Among other possibilities explored last year were the Friends of White Plains purchasing the property from the city or putting the house on the real estate market for a potential sale. Dudney said there may be another option to highlight the house’s historical status.

“It’s called a state historic site,” Dudney said. “There are 19 across the state. Basically, you go straight to the legislature, and if they allocate the funds to do it, then the state owns it. They would work out an agreement about how it is maintained. We all know that an old house is going to continue to be (an expense), but if it is maintained well as you go, then you won’t have to play catch-up and do major projects.”

Dudney said he has not yet tried to get that designation from the state for any community he has worked with, but he said it is something he is willing to explore with the city.

“I think that might be a way to keep it preserved, and it might take some of the financial load off of the city,” Dudney said. “The city and the Friends group would all remain partners to keep it up and keep it promoted.”

Dudney said if the White Plains House was part of the program, the state would be responsible for the ongoing health of the site. He said he is still unsure how that partnership would look in reality, but those are discussions that could take place as the process begins to move forward.

“I was involved with White Plains years ago when Algood first acquired it,” Dudney said. “My first wish is for it to be preserved because I understand what it is and it’s really special.”

“Nobody wants it to go away,” Vice Mayor Luke Hill said. ‘There’s history there, and once you lose it, it’s gone.”

According to the house’s page on the Algood website, White Plains was built in 1840 and was one of the largest plantation houses in the Upper Cumberland. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 and was occupied until 2012. The City of Algood purchased the home and 2.5 surrounding acres in 2018 and has used the site to host community events, including Algood’s annual Quilt Festival.

“Algood maintains its own identity, and I admire that,” Dudney said. “What we tell communities is to find that one thing that separates you and makes you unique, and for Algood, that is White Plains. If it ever goes away, it’s not coming back, and you’ve lost something other communities would kill to have as a cultural resource.”