PETITION TO HALT THE SALE OF THE HISTORIC HANCOCK COUNTY JAIL PROPERTY

To the Hancock County Mayor and Hancock County Board of Commissioners:
We, the undersigned citizens, residents, taxpayers, descendants of Hancock County families, members of the historical community, and others who value the preservation of Hancock County's history, respectfully call upon the Hancock County Mayor and Board of Commissioners to immediately halt any proposed sale, transfer, auction, or disposal of the property formerly occupied by the historic Hancock County Jail and Hancock County Historical Society.

The historic Hancock County Jail, located at 120 Jail Street in Sneedville, Tennessee, was built in approximately 1860 and stood for generations as an important part of Hancock County's history. The building later housed the Hancock County Historical Society and irreplaceable pieces of our community's past.

Tragically, the historic jail building was destroyed by fire on April 14, 2025.

But the loss of the building does not erase the history of the property.

Portions and remains of the historic jail site survive, and the land itself continues to have historical, cultural, and potentially archaeological significance to Hancock County.

At a recent meeting of the Hancock County Board of Commissioners, the possibility of declaring this county-owned property surplus and selling it was discussed.

We are deeply concerned that a decision involving one of Hancock County's historic public properties could move forward without sufficient opportunity for the Hancock County Historical Society and the citizens of Hancock County to participate in determining its future.

We are also concerned about the manner in which information concerning the proposed sale has been distributed.

Information concerning the property was provided through a privately operated Facebook group. Private Facebook groups are controlled by private administrators, may exclude or block individual citizens, require internet and Facebook access, and are not accessible to every resident of Hancock County.

Regardless of whether social media is used as an additional way to distribute information, decisions involving the sale of publicly owned property—particularly historically significant property—should be conducted with the greatest possible transparency and through all legally required public-notice procedures.

WE ARE ASKING HANCOCK COUNTY TO PAUSE — NOT TO DESTROY AN OPPORTUNITY
This petition does not ask the county to abandon the property indefinitely.

It asks county officials to halt the sale long enough to ensure that the law has been followed, the public has been properly informed, and reasonable preservation alternatives have been considered.

Before this historic county property is permanently transferred out of public ownership, we respectfully request that Hancock County:

Immediately suspend any sale, auction, bidding process, contract, transfer, or conveyance of the former Hancock County Jail property.
Provide full public disclosure of the process used to declare the property surplus and the legal authority and county policies governing its proposed sale.
Provide documentation showing when, where, and how legally required public notice of the proposed sale was provided.
Provide the public with any appraisal, valuation, survey, proposed purchase agreement, bid, offer, or other document concerning the proposed disposition of the property, subject to Tennessee public-records law.
Allow the Hancock County Historical Society a meaningful opportunity to participate in discussions concerning the future of the property.
Determine whether the surviving property, foundations, remains, artifacts, or archaeological features possess historical significance or are subject to any historic-preservation designation, covenant, grant condition, restriction, or other protection.
Consult with appropriate Tennessee historic-preservation authorities before disposing of the property.
Consider preservation alternatives, including continued public ownership, use as a memorial or historic site, transfer for preservation purposes, or other uses that would protect the history associated with the property.
Place the future of the historic jail property on the agenda of a properly noticed public meeting and provide Hancock County citizens an opportunity to speak before any final decision is made.
ONCE IT IS GONE, WE CANNOT GET IT BACK.
Hancock County's history belongs to more than one administration, one commission, one organization, or one generation.

It belongs to the people who came before us, the people who live here today, and the generations who will come after us.

The historic jail building may have been lost to fire.

We do not have to lose the site with it.

There may ultimately be legitimate reasons for Hancock County to sell this property. But a decision that permanent deserves more than haste.

It deserves transparency.

It deserves public participation.

It deserves consideration of preservation.

And it deserves a process in which every citizen of Hancock County has an opportunity to be heard.

THEREFORE:
We, the undersigned, respectfully petition the Hancock County Mayor and Hancock County Board of Commissioners to immediately HALT THE SALE OR TRANSFER of the historic Hancock County Jail property until all applicable legal requirements have been satisfied, the proposed sale has been fully disclosed to the public, historic-preservation options have been evaluated, and the citizens of Hancock County have been provided a meaningful opportunity to participate in deciding the future of this important piece of our county's history.

Preserve the site. Protect the process. Let Hancock County be heard.