Plan to restore David Crockett monument moving forward

A plan to restore the David Crockett monument on the Lawrenceburg Public Square is in the works, and city leaders voted Thursday to apply for grant funding to offset the cost of that restoration.

Ryan Egly with the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce addressed the Lawrenceburg Board of Mayor and Council at their meeting Thursday morning, discussing the project.

The monument was erected some ninety-five years ago, in 1922, and has since been subject to the elements and sustained a bullet hole. “We’ve got a quote from Old World Restoration,” he explained, “and they have let us know that it is in dire need of maintenance. In fact, it is at risk of not being there anymore.”

Egly said that they have received a quote on both repair work and a complete repair and restoration. “The issue with just doing the repair is you would have this splotch on his chest where the bullet hole is. And that would look just like it did in 1922 when it was placed, while the rest of it would have this green color.”

Egly said that the statue would be shipped to the company in Ohio. “Once it gets up there we’re looking at sixty to ninety days of the process of the repair itself. What they will do is strip off the corrosion and re-layer it with a special wax and lacquer, and it will look just like it did the day it was placed in ’22.”

Council members approved a resolution to make application for a Federal Historic Preservation Grant from the Tennessee Historical Commission and National Park Service. The total amount of the grant is estimated to be $30,000. It would require a forty percent match on the part of the city, or around $12,000. The application deadline is January 31. Egly said that they should know whether they receive the funding sometime in March or April.

Lawrenceburg Mayor Keith Durham said that the city is committed to the project whether they are awarded the grant funds or not. “We’re going to follow through with the restoration because of the significance it is to our community,” he said.