NASHVILLE, Tenn.: Friends of Two Rivers is a recipient of a $69,520 grant for Capital Maintenance and Improvements from the State of Tennessee as administered through the Tennessee State Museum. The grant award will be used for the repair and restoration of the interior windows and floorboards of Two Rivers Mansion, the 1859 Italianate home at 3130 McGavock Pike in Nashville's Donelson neighborhood.
The award comes on the heels of the most extensive exterior restoration in the mansion's history, a two-year effort completed in 2025 that left Two Rivers Mansion in the best shape it has known since construction ended in 1859. With the outside of the house secure, Friends of Two Rivers is now pushing forward on the critical restoration needs inside the mansion as it continues the conversion of Two Rivers into an interpretive house museum.
“This grant represents the next major investment the Friends of Two Rivers is facilitating at the mansion since our inception in 2010. We are so thankful for the partnership and support of the Tennessee State Museum that this grant opportunity exists and that we were awarded almost $70,000 to continue our preservation work. We are focused on creating one of Nashville's next great museums, and this will help propel that vision forward."
JEFF SYRACUSE · PRESIDENT, FRIENDS OF TWO RIVERS
As Friends of Two Rivers continues implementing its 2016 Master Plan, this investment in the interior windows and floorboards is a significant step toward protecting the original art, furniture, and collection that Two Rivers Mansion holds. Friends of Two Rivers will coordinate the work with Metro Parks and schedule it to keep disruption to tours, events, and rentals as low as possible.
A Competitive Statewide Program
The Tennessee General Assembly made available $5 million in funding from the 2026-2027 Appropriations Act, "for the sole purpose of providing grants to museums with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or affiliated with a governmental entity for capital maintenance and improvements."
In the fourth year of the grant program, it remains a highly competitive process. In total, the Tennessee State Museum received 160 applications, totaling $10,434,851 in requests. The Museum has made full or partial awards to 102 museums across the state, representing 49 counties. In the four years the Museum has administered the grant program, it has served museums in 76 counties across the state. A complete list of 2026-27 grantees, counties and amounts is posted at TNMuseum.org/grants.
"The Tennessee State Museum's Capital Grant program continues to support the infrastructure of Tennessee museums. It is an honor to support the incredible work of our strong network of Tennessee museums. This grant is an extension of how the State of Tennessee can further support their efforts and the preservation of local and state history. We thank the Tennessee General Assembly for their support for Tennessee museums."
ASHLEY HOWELL · EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TENNESSEE STATE MUSEUM
The Capital Maintenance and Improvements grant had a minimum request amount of $5,000 and a maximum request amount of $100,000. All projects must be completed by June 30, 2027.
$13,500 NEXT PHASE GOAL | Help Finish the Job: UV-Protective Shades
The windows are only half the story. Friends of Two Rivers is raising funds to replace every blind in the mansion with UV-protective shades, the final piece in shielding the collection from sunlight. Give or become a member at friendsoftworivers.com.
About Two Rivers Mansion
Two Rivers Mansion is an 1859 antebellum Italianate home at 3130 McGavock Pike in Nashville's Donelson neighborhood, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the earliest and best preserved Italianate houses in Middle Tennessee, it once anchored a plantation on the land between the Cumberland and Stones rivers. The property includes the 1802 House and sits within Two Rivers Park.
About Friends of Two Rivers
Friends of Two Rivers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to restore, preserve, and protect Two Rivers Mansion, the 1802 House, and Stone Hall, while promoting their use as historic and cultural treasures that enrich, educate, and connect the community. The organization offers guided tours, educational programs, community events, and private event rentals. Learn more at friendsoftworivers.com.
About the Tennessee State Museum
The Tennessee State Museum, located on the corner of Rosa L Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, is your home to thousands of years of Tennessee history, art, and culture. Through six permanent exhibitions titled Natural History, First Peoples, Forging a Nation, The Civil War and Reconstruction, Change and Challenge and Tennessee Transforms, the Museum takes visitors on a journey, through artifacts, films, interactive displays, events and educational and digital programing, from the state's geological beginnings to the present day. Additional temporary exhibitions explore significant periods and individuals in history, along with art and cultural movements. The Museum is free and open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on exhibitions and events, please visit TNMuseum.org.
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