Main Street's Evening on Main fundraiser is Oct. 17

Sep 19, 2017 at 05:45 pm by bryan


Main Street's annual Evening of Main is known communitywide as a chance for supporters to tour one of Murfreesboro's beautiful, historic homes. This year's event, scheduled for Oct. 17 from 5-7 p.m., is an opportunity to check out 446 East Main Street, the lovely home of Blake and Priscilla Smith.

Known as the Leiper Clayton Dill home, it was built in 1869 for James A. Leiper, a Murfreesboro attorney, and his wife, Alice Kimbro Leiper. The home was purchased by Capt. James H. Clayton Sr. and his wife, Hadassah Cowan Clayton, in 1881. Their son, James H. Clayton Jr., and his wife, Eliza Doty Keeble Clayton, inherited the home in 1910. The younger Clayton was in partnership with William M. Draper in a shoe store, located on the west side of the square in the early 1900s. He served as city alderman from 1896 to 1901. The home remained in the possession of the Clayton family until 1968, when it was purchased by Dr. Madison Dill and his wife, Charlotte Ezell Dill. James and Judy Cantrell purchased the home in 1994. It has been owned by the Smiths since 2016.

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The two-story brick house is a Reconstruction-era dwelling. Modern plumbing and Victorian details were added by the second owner, Capt. Clayton. His son added the Neoclassical porch with square Ionic columns. The current owners have restored the house with great attention to maintaining its historic integrity.

Evening on Main is a fundraiser for Main Street Murfreesboro, a nonprofit organization that cherishes, supports and works to preserve the community's charming downtown district. The suggested minimum donation for the event, which includes appetizers and beverages both alcoholic and nonalcoholic, is $25.

Need Tickets?

For more information, call 615-895-1887 or email michelle@downtownmurfreesboro.com. Donations will be accepted at the door. And don't forget, all donations to Main Street are tax-deductible.

Information on Main Street:

The Main Street Program is affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center and follows the tenets of that program. Main Street capitalizes on the unique character of the courthouse square and the surrounding business district with the goal of transforming it into the cultural, social, professional and retail center of Rutherford County ... in essence, the hub of community life.

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