The historic 'White Church" near the Town Square'was recently donated o the City of Colierville to be used as a musium. It would be ideal to include Civil War history as part of this facility. It may be within walking distance to  the origional "Fort Site". The possible Fort Site needs to be investigated and verified soon.  

Family hopes gift to Collierville will memorialize mom

White Church to be restored for town use

By Cathryn Stout (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Sunday, November 25, 2007

A lifelong member of Collierville Christian Church, religion and family were her pillars. Gardening her passion. Homemade rolls her signature.

The Collierville High School alumna and more than 35-year employee of the former People's Bank of Collierville died in April at the age of 94. And when her son and daughter decided to memorialize their mother, they bought a building that -- like the matriarch -- was classically Collierville.

"Because of my mother and her attachment to the (Collierville) Christian Church I began to say, 'That could be neat,' " said Morgan Morton, who purchased the building commonly called the White Church in October for $475,000.

"In terms of our mother and that particular building it was the perfect thing," he added.

This month, the Morton family and the Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen reached a preliminary agreement to transform the iconic structure into a tourist center, museum or "place of public gathering" named for Bess Crawford Morton. The family will donate the building. In exchange, the city will cover the restoration cost that is estimated between $400,000 and $600,000.

"It needs some TLC. It has had a hard life since it was sold by the church," said Morton.

He remembers attending Sunday school there with his mom in the church's glory days. Collierville Christian Church worshiped at the Gothic white building at Poplar and Main from 1873 until the congregation relocated in 1992.

Shortly thereafter, the building became the White Church Antiques & Tea Room. In 2001, it was reincarnated as the upscale eatery Seasons at the White Church that recently closed.

Morton, who now resides in Far Hills, N.J., said he will leave most of the renovations and design details to his sister, Beverly Morton McCormack of Collierville, and a committee appointed by the town.

McCormack remembered her mother enjoying an occasional splurge at Goldsmith's and Gerber's Tea Room in Downtown Memphis.

A widow raising two young children, her mother usually sewed their clothes and cooked vegetables from the family garden, said McCormack.

So the thrifty woman who most called 'Ingo' (a nickname bestowed on her by a grandson who couldn't pronounce grandma) would be tickled by the nearly $1 million plan to convert the White Church, said McCormack.

"I think she might be in some ways embarrassed, but then again she would be honored," said McCormack. "I don't think she would ever imagine that something would be in her name forever in Collierville."

-- Cathryn Stout: 529-2320

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Collierville passes fiscal budget

But meeting wasn't without some politicking

By Kevin McKenzie (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Tuesday, June 10, 2008  

(Story condensed)

The town's acceptance of the donation of the White Church, at Poplar and Main, for use as a visitor's center and museum drew some additional scrutiny.

The family of Bess Crawford Morton, who died in April at age 94, purchased the property and and offered it to the town for renovation and public use.

Alderman Buddy Rowe questioned accepting an agreement that doesn't cap the cost of renovations and doesn't allow the town to back out.

The board cut initial funding to $325,000 from a proposed $400,000 for structural work, but approved the agreement.

Contact Kevin McKenzie at 529-2348.

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Collierville officials see lucrative opportunity during baseball tournament

By Kevin McKenzie (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Sunday, July 13, 2008

(Story condensed)

Collierville also has a Civil War history that can attract tourists, Allen said. A new state grant, for example, will fund a kiosk as part of a national Civil War trail.

The town also will be collaborating with other local and regional tourism development agencies.

"We're much stronger as a region than we are as individual communities," Allen said.

Development of a museum and tourist center of the donated White Church building at Poplar and Main also is key, Clark said.

" I think once it does come on line, that will be the flagship of our tourism program," he said.

Contact Kevin McKenzie at 529-2348.

Progress made on preserving history 
Published  January 22, 2009 by The Collierville Herald

The parsonage of the former Collierville Christian Church, a.k.a. the White Church, was torn down Jan. 9. The church was most recently used as a restaurant, Seasons at The White Church, and the parsonage had housed a gift shop.
The Town of Collierville entered into an agreement with the family of Bess Crawford Morton to accept the church, located at the corner of Poplar Avenue and Main Street, as a donation in June 2008. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen allocated $325,000 for structural improvements.
Plans include renovating the building consistent with its original design and appearance. The sanctuary will be used for displaying artifacts of Collierville history and as a public gathering place for receptions and small gatherings. As part of the agreement with the Morton family, the parsonage site will be used for parking, and a garden and glass-enclosed memorial are planned to honor Morton, who had been a member of the church.
– Michael Ward / The Collierville Herald  

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Bell Tower, Other Improvements Discussed for White Church
By: By Michael Ward, michael@colliervilleherald.net
Published May 1 2008 by The Collierville Herald

Collierville’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen heard about possible plans to renovate the old Collierville Christian Church on Poplar Avenue during a work session Monday night.
The board originally agreed, in principle, to accept the church, also known as the White Church, as a donation from Morgan Morton in November. Morton, a former resident of Collierville, bought the building last year for $475,000 and wanted to use it as a way to honor his mother, the late Bess Crawford Morton. Bess Morton was a member of the church for more than 80 years.
Michael Walker of WalkerArch presented the board with possible improvements to the building and a cost estimate. Town administrator James Lewellen noted a committee was put together to help come up with ideas for the building.
Walker said to make the building usable on the inside, some work would need to be done to the bathroom areas to make them more accessible. Other plans included removing the parsonage next door to make room for parking and a meditation garden area, putting a bell back in the bell tower of the church, opening the bell tower back up as an entrance into the church and adding meeting areas, a lecture hall area, exhibit space, office space and a back entrance to the facility.
Walker noted that the building is in pretty good shape for the most part, but there is an area that has been hurt by water damage that needs to be fixed to make the building structurally sound. He provided an estimate of approximately $750,000 for the improvements to the building.
When questions about fund-raising efforts were brought up, Lewellen said there has been some interest from people about donating to the cause, but that the board members needed to see what they were facing before any fund-raising begins. Lewellen also noted that the main function of the building would be as a visitor’s center for the town, but could also be used as a place to showcase the history of the town.
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Time To Step Up for White Church
By: By Michael Ward, michael@colliervilleherald.net

Published May 1 2008 by The Collierville Herald

With the future of Collierville’s historic White Church on the Town Square is still being discussed, now is the perfect time for citizens to get together and help restore one of the town’s many historical treasures.
When the $750,000 price tag was brought up earlier this week at a work session for the Board of Mayor and Alderman, improvements to the church included fixing the building’s foundations, returning a bell to the church and turning the building into a type of Collierville visitor center.
The six-figure price is definitely not a drop in the bucket, but if any donors or goodwill ambassadors take it upon themselves to lead a fund-raising campaign for the White Church, it would obviously lighten the burden for the town government. And beyond that, those people would forever be remembered for restoring great pride into one of the Town Square’s most important addresses.
The White Church is one of the more regionally known locations in town. It serves as a point of reference when giving directions to someone who has lost their way. Now it’s time for us to step up and preserve “that little white church on the corner."