OUR  HISTORY

When Sallie Barry Peyton Fessenden died in 1983, she willed her mid-nineteenth century home at 236 West Main Street in Lebanon to the History Associates of Wilson County, stipulating that it be opened as a museum for the use and benefit of the people of Lebanon and Wilson County.   Soon thereafter, civic groups and civic-minded individuals in Lebanon, bolstered by a grant from the state of Tennessee, joined the History Associates in restoring the home.  In 1985, the home was placed on the National Historic Register and by 1987 was welcoming museum visitors.  To meet the changing needs of a growing community, in 2019 the History Associates and the Margaret Gaston Chapter NSDAR began working together to update and repurpose Fite-Fessenden House, promoting the home as not only a museum but also a community gathering spot.