Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities (APTA)
Our Mission
Our mission is to promote and encourage active participation in the preservation of Tennessee’s rich historic, cultural, architectural and archeological heritage through restoration, education, advocacy and statewide cooperation.
The Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities (APTA) is the oldest statewide nonprofit historic preservation organization in the State of Tennessee and is the fourth oldest in the nation. Chartered by the State of Tennessee in 1951, the Association was patterned after a similar statewide organization in Virginia.
Organization of the APTA
The Association is operated by a volunteer Board of Directors which is composed of an Executive Committee, Directors from each of four regions and the Chapter Presidents, who by virtue of their office become members of the Association Board of Directors. There is a Board of Trust that acts in advisory capacity by providing professional assistance in evaluation of old or proposed new properties. Since many of our sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, all resoration work must comply with the Secretary of the Interior.