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| James White's Fort kitchen window |
This photo tour will include each historical site in the order of their event/when I toured, in December, 2017. I will share some information about each event and some history of the place/people/customs, but will refrain from sharing all the interesting historical tidbits in hopes that you will visit each location and take a tour yourself soon.
1. Blount Mansion (Dec. 1, 2017)
2. Historic Westwood (Dec. 3, 2017)
3. James White’s Fort (Dec. 9, 2017)
4. Marble Springs (Dec. 9, 2017)
5. Mabrey-Hazen House (Dec. 10, 2017)
6. Ramsey House (Dec. 10, 2017)
(I apologize to Crescent Bend for not making their "Holiday Open House" on Dec. 2, 2017.) www.crescentbend.com
Blount Mansion
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| Back of Blount Mansion (river side) Kitchen & Main House |
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| Blount Mansion main family room |
I attend many events here and bring my Colonial History students here every summer for camp.
As a former docent here, I wish all of the interpreters were dressed in 1790s attire and had planned talks as visitors walked through.
The informal walk-through is nice in this setting. Unlike the daytime tours, the upstairs was closed for this event.
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| Blount Mansion detached kitchen |
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| Kitchen sugar chest |
Since a fire was constantly burning for cooking, laundry, etc., kitchens, were mostly detached during this time to decrease the chances of your entire house burning and to keep the heat out in the warmer months.
William Blount was the first territorial Governor of the Territory South of the River Ohio, before we were Tennessee, and signer of the U.S. Constitution from North Carolina.
William Blount was the first territorial Governor of the Territory South of the River Ohio, before we were Tennessee, and signer of the U.S. Constitution from North Carolina.
He promised his wife a "proper wooden house" in exchange for moving from her North Carolina comforts to the log cabin frontier and was finished in 1792.
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| Kitchen door greenery |
As a UT Historian I am most interested in William Blount's role in partially funding Reverend Samuel Carrick's Blount College in downtown Knoxville in 1794 that later became UT.
The Presbyterian minister taught Blount's children inside this home upstairs in the loft. Blount's daughter, Mary, and her four friends were the first female students to attend Blount College, but as younger teens, it was pre-college curriculum.
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| Main family room fireplace |
Above the fireplace in the main family room of the original portion of the Blount Mansion, is the reverse-image painting of George Washington.
When you visit, notice that his eyes seem to follow you through the room.
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| Willie Blount portrait |
This portrait is of Willie Blount (pronounced Wiley) who was William's half-brother and 3rd governor of Tennessee.
On your tour, you will find this and other belongings to the family in the bedroom addition on the main floor of the house, added after William's untimely death in 1800.
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| Liquor chest and trunk, Blount office |
As a history nerd who frequents Colonial Williamsburg, VA, I can tell you that this liquor chest in the and flag are very rare. Take the tour in his outbuilding office to learn why.
While you are there, notice the stand-up secretary desk that the Tennessee Constitution was signed on in a downtown office in 1796. It was written in this very room.
Historic Westwood
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| Historic Westwood |
The "Historic Westwood Holiday Open House" was a free event on Sunday, Dec. 3 from 1:00-5:00PM on Kingston Pike.
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| Porch, Historic Westwood |
It was a nice warm day with parking next door at Laurel Church of Christ with a quaint path to the front entrance.
The Queen Anne style house was completed in 1890 for Adelia and John Lutz by Baumann Brothers Architects.
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| Fresco Parlor, Historic Westwood |
It features contrasting brick and stonework, instead of wood, towers and balconies, and terra cotta ornamentation resembling a Richardsonian Romanesque style.
Adelia Armstrong Lutz and her twin were born in 1859 and grew up in Bleak house, close by, during the Civil War.
She shared her father's interest in painting and her cultural upbringing led her to many prestigious art schools.
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| Dining Room Fireplace |
By age 25, her paintings earned her nationwide fame. After studying in Paris, she returned to Knoxville, teaching art in the Kern Building in Market Square.
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| Lutz family circling a table top Christmas tree |
As a wife and mother of two young children, Adelia traveled as a successful flower painter in 1890s Victorian America.
Even though Civil War troops had only marched across the land that became Westwood thirty years before, newspapers focused on her home's location.
One noted, "Many of the roses and honeysuckles in which Mrs. Lutz delights to fine subject for her brush have grown in soil watered by blood of both the blue soldiers and the gray."
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| Foyer Fireplace |
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| Grand Staircase |
Adelia became as well known as a hostess in Knoxville as she did as a painter, welcoming people into her home.
During this holiday open house, there were docents in most rooms to recount the family history and to answer questions.
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| Painting Studio Fireplace |
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| Painting Studio Skylight |
In the long room (Studio) was a
Lutz descendant discussing how the family used the space and the
natural light that allowed the gifted artist, Adelia, to paint.
On the fireplace tiles, Adelia painted her favorite literary authors of the time including Shakespeare, Longfellow, Emerson, the Brownings, Dickens, and others.
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| West Parlor |
After Adelia's death in 1931 at the age 72 at Westwood, her daughter, Louise's family, occupied the house.
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| West Parlor |
Since the property was donated to Knox Heritage for preservation, it houses the Regional Center for Preservation Education and is the headquarters for Knox Heritage and the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance.
James White’s Fort
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| James White's Fort well, smokehouse, & weaving cabin |
James White’s Fort welcomed all for free to their “Christmas Open House” on Saturday, December 9th from 11:00AM-3:00PM.
I attended before the UT Men’s basketball game on a chilly day.
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| Costumed volunteer |
There were many costumed interpreters in most buildings to make you feel like you stepped into the late 1700’s frontier.
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| Main House Upstairs |
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| Main House Upstairs |
Every summer, I bring my Colonial History students here to learn how hard life was on the frontier and of course to get photos in the pillory outside the fort.
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| Musicians play in Main House Downstairs |
Greenery was arranged by White decendant and the fort's docent, Robert McGinnis. Additional fruit was donated by Town & Country Garden Club.
Musicians from the Knoxville Area Dulcimer Club played in the main house for visitors.
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| Costumed family in adjoining kitchen |
In 1785, Captain James White built a two-story log house in Indian Territory as the first settler of what would become Knoxville five years later and the state of Tennessee, ten years later.
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| Inside Adjoining kitchen |
From a 1,000 acre land grant for his service, he enclosed the house and outbuildings in 1788 with an 8-10 foot stockade wall for protection against Indians and wild animals.
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| Smokehouse |
This "fort" housed several families of nearly 100 people.
White sectioned his land into blocks in 1791, which was the birth of Knoxville.
He gave a building to Reverend Carrick to use for Blount College classes, previously taught out of Carrick's home.
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| Costumed Interpreter, Guesthouse |
He gave a building to Reverend Carrick to use for Blount College classes, previously taught out of Carrick's home.
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| Costumed Interpreter, Guesthouse |
When you tour the fort, you will receive a detailed description of each building and it's contents.
Marble Springs
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| Entrance to Marble Springs Farmstead |
The “Christmas Candle Light Tours” at Marble Springs State Historic Site was Saturday, Dec. 9th from 4:00-9:00PM for a $3 admission. It was presented by the Governor John Sevier Memorial Association (GJSMA).
I attended after a UT men’s basketball game when it was spitting snow/sleet. There were several demonstrations and crafts to interest every family member.
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| Diane & Chip Bailey play for visitors, Tavern |
In the tavern, Diane & Chip Bailey played the fiddle and rhythm instruments for visitors as a cake was being made on the hearth.
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| Food Demonstration, Tavern Hearth |
John Sevier was a Revolutionary War hero, Colonel of the frontier militia, first governor or the short-lived State of Franklin, and 2nd Governor of Tennessee, serving six terms.
He settled here c1797 and Marble Springs was Sevier's last farmstead from 1801-1815 with wife Catherine "Bonny Kate."
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| Tavern |
He named it after the Rose Marble that was quarried on site and the natural springs that flow on the property.
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| Sevier Cabin |
The restored two-story log cabin still stands as the original on the now 35 acres with a detached kitchen. Inside you will see original family pieces.
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| Rifle demonstration by costumed interpretor |
This reenactor said that a rifle was one of the most expensive purchases your family had so you bought the flint lock (mechanism that fires), the stock (shoulder wood piece), and the barrel in pieces.
This is where the saying you bought it all “lock, stock, and barrel” came from.
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| John Sevier reenactor and other officer, rifle demonstration |
Game was plentiful on the frontier but expensive and time consuming to shoot and skin.
Every deer hide that was skinned could be sold for a dollar which is why we call it “a buck.”
This John Sevier reenactor is explaining how to use a 1700’s long rifle for hunting.
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| Reenactors at Campfire |
When you cast a lead ball, air can get trapped inside the lead, making it uneven in weight. The spinning in the grooved barrel projects the ball more accurately.
Over time you learn how far your rifle will shoot. Therefore, you would pre-measure your powder so you use the same amount each time. The more powder, the further your shot will project up to 300 yards.
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| Making Pine Cone Bird Feeders in Kitchen |
In the kitchen, this costumed interpreter makes bird feeder pine cones with lard.
I had never been to Marble Springs in winter, I'm glad I did.
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| Detached Kitchen |
Mabry-Hazen House
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| Mabry-Hazen House |
This “Annual Christmas Tour,” was held the night of Saturday, Dec. 9 and the day of Sunday, Dec. 10 (when I attended) for a suggested $5 donation.
The greenery was by Stanley’s Greenhouse.
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| Right Front Parlor |
Costumed interpreters were very knowledgeable about the history of the family and house and the historic timeline wall was thoughtfully put together.
Photos of family members and locations discussed below can be seen by taking a tour of the house.
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| Dining Room |
This home was finished by Joseph A. Mabry, president of Knoxville and Kentucky Railroad, for his wife Laura in 1858 on a hill in east Knoxville.
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| Back Sitting Room |
They previously owned a plantation passed down to him west of Knoxville.
After heavily supporting the Confederate army monetarily and logistically, he pledged an oath to the Union in September of 1863 and his property and home was used as a fort for the Union Army.
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| Back Sitting Room Fireplace |
After several financial difficulties, a bad land deal, and the death of his son on Christmas Eve of 1881, Joseph was killed in a gun battle on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville the following October along with a second son and business partner.
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| Left Front Parlor |
The bullet holes can still be seen in two downtown buildings.
Their daughter Alice, and her new husband, Rush Strong Hazen, purchased the home from her live-in mother, Laura, in 1883 and expanded the home throughout the years.
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| Grand Staircase |
Their youngest of three living daughters, Evelyn, was born in 1898.
She entered UT at age 15, only 21 years after the first female class was admitted to UT.
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| Back Right Bedroom |
After graduating, she worked for the New York Times and returned to teach English at Knoxville High School.
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| Back Left Bedroom |
She later assisted Dr. John C. Hodges in UT’s English Department write his famous “Harbrace College Handbook.”
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| Evelyn's Front Right Bedroom |
This year was Hodges Library 30th year, named after her colleague.
She never married, continuing to live in her home on Mabry Hill.
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| Front Left Bedroom |
At the time of her death in 1987, Evelyn was 88.
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| Front Left Bedroom where Laura's 14 children |
She ensured that the 3 generation home would be preserved by the Hazen Historical Museum Foundation.
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| Upstairs Sitting Room |
Now on the National Historic Register, the public began touring the house in June 1992.
During my tour, the live music was provided by the West Valley Middle School Wild Wolves Orchestra.
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| West Valley Middle Orchestra plays Christmas tunes |
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| I visited on my birthday. |
I was familiar with the history of this family but surprisingly had never been on a house tour. It was a wonderful way to spend a portion of my birthday Sunday.
Ramsey House
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| Ramsey House Candlelight Tours |
The Ramsey House free “Christmas Candlelight Tours” were very busy on Sunday night, Dec. 10th.
When arriving, the visitor center was packed full of people.
The person giving timed entry tickets for a tour said it would be an hour until we could tour the house. When I told her that I was taking photos for a blog and it was my birthday she was gracious enough to give me a sooner tour.
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| Lynn Fox reads poem about Christmas night 1776 |
We walked outside to the campfire where our reenactor friend, Lynn Fox, was starting to read a poem by lantern light.
He read a poem by Lori Price, teacher in Anderson County schools, by the campfire. The poem recounts the crossing of the Delaware before the battle of Trenton, NJ on Christmas night 1776 by General George Washington and his troops.
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| 1st Tour Guide |
The Hessians (German mercenaries) hired by the British Army during the Revolutionary War were sleeping after a drunken holiday night and were caught by surprise.
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| Kitchen Tour |
Colonel Frances A. Ramsey was one of the first families to settle Knoxville after living in current Greene County as early as 1783. The first stone house in Knox County was finished in 1797.
He was married three times, had 13 children, and was one of the founding trustees of Blount College that became UT.
Ramsey House has more original furniture and items than any of the other colonial historic sites in Knoxville.
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| Secretary desk in Parlor |
The handout you receive when you tour, and your guide, will tell you about each original piece.
The costumed interpreters were fantastic, well trained, and had a planned presentation in all four main rooms.
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| Docent in Central Passage |
They didn’t rush you out but encouraged questions and photos without a flash. It was very organized and informative.
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| Parlor (fire screen on left) |
The interpreter in the Parlor (not pictured) told us about the use of the fire screen in the left side of the photo.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, people would put bee’s wax on their faces either to cover scares from smallpox, like George Washington contracted in 1751 while in Barbados, or women who wanted to smooth the appearance of their skin as make-up.
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| Portrait, Col. Ramsey's 3rd Wife Margaret |
With the fire screen, they could sit in front of the fire to keep warm without the wax melting and running down their face. Hence, this is how the saying “Mind your own bee’s wax” came about.
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| Ramsey's Bedroom |
Upstairs, a family of interpreters explained how the Ramsey's would sleep when they had guests. Visitors would stay in the same room with Mr. Ramsey. He used bed curtains for privacy.
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| Children's Bedroom |
The second upstairs bedroom was for the children. During the tour, costumed children played 18th century games, toys, and dolls.
Overall, each of the tours were wonderful for different reasons. In past years I have been out of town during these tours. I am so happy I was able to finally share my experiences there with you.
If you have any questions about the historical information written here or possible corrections, please contact me at larnett@utk.edu.
Finally, if you want to know more about our Christmas past in Knoxville, please buy “A Knoxville Christmas” by Jack Neely, local historian and executive director of the Knoxville History Project.
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