Chickamauga leaders await approval on Gordon-Lee Mansion work

photo Chickamauga, Ga., leaders are awaiting approval to paint the historic Gordon-Lee Mansion.

CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. -- Chickamauga leaders are awaiting approval from the Appalachian Regional Commission to begin painting the historic Gordon-Lee Mansion downtown.

"The bid documents have been sent, and once we receive the notice we will go to work," City Manager John Culpepper said. "The mansion hasn't been painted in over 20 years. It's in good shape but needs a lot of work."

City leaders have kept the home true to its original form since its completion in 1847. It is the only structure in the city remaining from the Civil War Battle of Chickamauga, when it was used as a hospital for the wounded Federal troops.

The city received approval for a $25,000 grant for mansion renovations from the Appalachian Regional Commission in September 2009. It has a bid for $11,900 from local resident Steve Ashby for the painting. The city is matching the grant money for projects through its general fund.

The mansion renovations represent phase two of the grant, officials said. In addition to painting, the work will include replacing wooden lattice, windows, doors and glazing.

"We are keeping everything the same," Culpepper said. "Plastic lattice on an 1847 house won't work. It's going to stay wood."

Phase one of the grant, already completed, included refurbishing the 1830s-era log cabin next to the mansion and producing a 22-minute DVD on the history of its grounds.

"I've put 24 years of hard work and sweat into the mansion and am happy to see that the city is preserving and fixing it up," Chickamauga Tourism Director Richard Barclift said.

Timara Frassrand is based in Chickamauga. Contact her at t.frassrand@gmail.com.

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