Smith-Trahern Mansion Restoration Collection

Built in 1858 by Christopher Smith, the mansion was home to the Smith family until it was sold in 1919. After this time it served primarily as a rental property until it was purchased by the City of Clarksville in 1936 with the intention of turning it into a hospital, but that plan never materialized. Joseph and Margaret Trahern later purchased the home in 1947. Having fallen into disrepair by that time, the Traherns worked to restore the house, and spent many years living there before it passed to another party.

In 1983 the City of Clarksville purchased the property a second time for use as a community center. The Montgomery County Extension Homemakers, a community program originating with the University of Tennessee, reached out to the city to use the house for classes and demonstrations. During the effort to clean-up the property for use some of the members of the club took an interest in restoring the home. Sharon Duncan appears to have taken the lead on the project, contacting former property owners and residents for information on the history of the home and guidance for restoring it to close to original condition. A large portion of the collection consists of correspondence between Duncan and Joseph B. Trahern, the son of Joseph and Margaret. Trahern provided Duncan with information on the property, his family and other previous residents to help with the restoration efforts. This included pictures of the property when his parents first purchased it and it was in need of restoration, along with pictures of his family living in the mansion. As a part of the restoration process, the Montgomery County Historical Society prepared an application to add the Smith-Trahern Mansion to the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1988 the application was approved. Today the home is still used as a community center, run by the Family and Community Educators in Montgomery County, and is available for tours and event rentals.