Yesterday a request came across my desk for a historic home tour by car for those of us self-isolating due to the Coronavirus. What a fun project! I'll create several!!!
According to my dear friend Kathie Fuston, former resident of Maury County, our home county, Maury County, Tennessee, is the home to more than 1500 antebellum structures, more than any other county in the south except Natchez, Mississippi.
I'll post photos here with a short history and address. Most of the photos I've taken and those that I didn't will be replaced with new photos as soon as it's warm and sunny and decent photos can be snapped. Other photos have been saved from a Google search, and I'll credit them best I can.
The brief history noted below may have been excerpted from Historic Maury County: Places and People published by the Maury County Historical Society and edited by Alice Algood. This book is illustrated by lovely watercolor paintings by Mildred Hartsfield. The paintings represented in this post are mine. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of this book, follow the link to Amazon. If you are local, simply email me at [email protected], and I can arrange for the sale and local pick-up. The book is priced at $35, plus shipping.
If you would like to become a member of the Maury County Historical Society, you will receive discounts when purchasing our publications. You will also receive our quarterly magazine Historic Maury, and every other month our membership meetings are held at beautiful and interesting historic homes, museums, farms, and other sites. Annual Membership is $25 for an individual, $35 for a couple, and I can send you a form to join.
When you take this tour by car, please know most of these homes are private residences. Be respectful. The homes that are open to the public normally are closed during the pandemic. Make notes and plan to return this summer to tour the public historic homes when they reopen.
Maury County Historic Site Tour by Automobile - Downtown Columbia
The Historic District of West 6th Street is one of my favorite places in the county.
The Doctor's House - 701 N. High Street
The Doctor's House my be the oldest residence still standing in Columbia. It was built before 1821, confirmed by Nathan Vaught in his memoirs, Youth and Old Age. Dr. Dorrell N. Sansom (1791-1854) built the original log structure. He came to Columbia in 1810 and wed Jeannette White in 1815, which might explain the new house built on the site. They later moved to Mt. Pleasant and built a beautiful home there in 1830, the Sansom-Acuff house. Sansom is buried at Zion Presbyterian Church Cemetery.
Halcyon Hall - 212 W. 6th Street
Halcyon Hall was built in 1845 by Joseph Walker. He married Adaline Nelson.
Mayes-Frierson House - 305 W 6th Street
The Mayes-Frierson House was built in 1833 by Patrick Maguire as a wedding gift for his daughter Eleanore (Ellen) and her husband Roger Bradley Mayer. The bricks are the original slave-made bricks. Because they were so soft, the bricks had to be painted sometime early last century.
In 1880, Ellen Mayer deeded the home to her granddaughter who deeded it to her granddaughter thus it was owned by the Mayes-Frierson women until it was sold in the 1970s.
Mayes Place - 306 W 6th Street
Mayes Place was built in 1854 by Samuel Mayes. Tradition says that during prohibition an underground passage way lead to the Duck River, where illegal alcohol was transported.
Several years ago I enjoyed assisting my friend Kathie paint a special painting for her neighbors, The Hills, who had just purchased Mayes Place.
Mayes Court - Cul de Sac next to Mayes Place
This short street next to Mayes Place is full of adorable houses. One of these houses was the home of Gram Parsons grandparents, where he would visit and perform impromptu concerts on the front porch.
Moore-Hendley-Church House - 307 W 6th Street
The Moore-Hendley-Church House was built in 1920-21.
Looney-Fleming-Jackson House - 207 W 6th Street
The Looney-Fleming-Jackson House was built in 1835. The is a two-story brick originally a Federal style townhouse with a gable roof, featuring Flemish bond brickwork. The ornate porches were added when the house was enlarged in 1839 by Nathan Vaught. (a more thorough history is available in Historic Maury People and Places)
The West 7th Corridor
Carmack-Dunnigton House, aka Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home - 320 W 7th Street
The Carmack-Dunnigton House was built in 1856. The original home burned and was replaced with this lovely building. It is named after its best known resident, Senator Edward Ward Carmack, who lived in it during the time he was an attorney in Columbia (late 1870's to early 1880's).
Bethel House Hotel & Grand Opera House (later the Princess Theater) - No longer here, the Hotel was located on the corner of W.7th and Garden Streets
The Bethel House Hotel and Opera House was built in 1882 by brothers W.D. and P.C. Bethel. It burned to the ground November 27-28, 1949.
Columbia First Methodist Church - 222 W 7th Street
The First United Methodist Church's history goes back to the beginning of Maury County. The first minister came in 1818 and served Franklin and Columbia. The Church was then located on Main Street near Ninth. In 1836 they moved to the current location. This "new" building burned in 1874. It was replaced with the current one in 1876.
First Presbyterian Church - 801 S. High Street
First Presbyterian Church is the oldest Christian Church in Columbia. It was organized in 1811.
Barrow-Sweeney House - 312 W 7th Street
Built in 1872, it was recently completely renovated.
St. Peter's Episcopal Church - 311 West 7th Street
St Peter's Episcopal Church in Columbia was the second Episcopal Church in Tennessee. It was organized in 1828. The current sanctuary was completed in 1871. During the Civil War, it served as Union headquarters during the siege of Columbia.
Mercer Hall - 902 Mercer Court off Trotwood
The center portion of this building was raised prior to 1820. In 1829 it was owned by future President of the USA, James K. Polk. He owned it of 7 years when he transferred ownership to his sister Ophelia Polk Hayes.
In 1848, Rev. James Harvey Otey, the First Episcopal Bishop of Tennessee made it his home. Soon, he turned it into a boy's school and named it Mercer Hall after it benefactor Dr. William Mercer.
During the Civil War, Mercer Hall served as headquarters for Union General Jacob Cox where he stabled horses in the basement. (excerpt from Jim Hawkins Blog, and a more thorough history is available in Historic Maury People and Places)
Mercer Hall is an example of Greek Revival Architecture.
The James K. Polk Home - 301 W. 7th Street
James K. Polk was the 11th President of the United States of America. His father built the house when James was away in college. After graduation, he lived with his parents for a about 6 years until he married. The property included in the current museum also includes a second house know as Sister's House because his sisters occasionally lived there.
Polk Presidential Hall - 810 S. High Street
Constructed in 1882 as the first location of W. 7th Church of Christ, the building later housed a phosphate company office, a business college, and a printing company. The Polk Home acquired the building in 2006 and began a three-year restoration project to preserve the historic exterior and renovate the interior as a state-of-the-art museum gallery.
The Columbia Arsenal - Columbia Military Academy, Now Columbia Christian Academy - 1101 W. 7th Street
The nine buildings of the Columbia Arsenal were built from 1890 to 1891 by the United States federal government and closed after the Spanish-American War. Columbia Military Academy opened for classes on August 28, 1905.
West 8th Street
The Athenaeum Rectory - 808 Athenaeum Street
The Athenaeum served as the rectory for two popular girl schools from the 1830s until the Great Depression. Construction of the Athenaeum began in 1832 by Samuel Polk Walker, a nephew of President James K. Polk.
Walker, however, never lived in the home. The first residents were the family of Reverend Franklin Gillette Smith. Rev. Smith came to Columbia to oversee the Columbia Female Institute. Smith would continue to work at the Institute until 1851. Then, he started his own girl's school, the Athenaeum.
Historic look at the Columbia, TN, Athenaeum. I’m not sure when this photo was taken.
Illustration of the Athenaeum Campus
And the Columbia Female Institute is no longer standing, but it was on the west side of the Athenaeum where the US Post Office is now.
Rally Hill - 319 W 8th Street
Rally Hill was built by James and Maria Polk Walter in 1848. They called it Rally Hill since troops had mustered here before they marched to Louisiana during the War of 1812.
The Old Union Station Depot - S. High Street at South Main Street
The station was build in 1905 and was part of the Louisville & Nashville and Duck River Valley Narrow Gauge Railroad (L&N). The station was abandoned in 1945.
West 9th Street
The Galloway House - Corner of W. 9th and School Streets
Originally known as the house where Nathan Bedford Forrest recuperated after the "Forrest-Gould Affair," in recent years it was the home of Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers fame. This home is now administration offices of the King's Daughters school located across the street.
Center of Town
The Columbia Courthouse - Public Square
Maury County, Tennessee was formed in 1807 and named for Major Abram P. Maury, who served with General Andrew Jackson and was the uncle of Matthew Fontaine Maury. The settlement of Columbia became the seat of the county government and the first court was convened in Columbia on December 21, 1807 in the home of Colonel James Brown. The first permanent courthouse was built in 1809 and served until 1847 when a second courthouse was completed. This building was used for 56-years before being replaced by the current courthouse which was constructed between 1904 and 1906.
Nelson House Hotel - N. Main Street
The Nelson House, also known as the Columbia House Hotel was built in 1828 with Pleasant Nelson as the proprietor. For many years, it was the area's premier hotel including stays by President Andrew Jackson and future President Andrew Johnson.
During the Civil War, Confederate Lt. Andrew Wills Gould died here after a clash with Nathan Bedford Forrest. After an ambush and defeat, Forrest held Gould responsible for the defeat. When they met at the Masonic Hall down the road, Gould shot Forrest, who stabbed Gould. Forrest quickly recovered but Gould died at the hotel after a massive infection.
Bike Shop - Duck River Books, - Mike Wolfe's AirBB
In May 1861, 21 year old Sam Watkins of Maury County, Tennessee, rushed to join the army when his state left the Union. He became part of Company Aytch, 1st Tennessee Infantry regiment, and was one of only seven men who remained in the company when it was in April 1865. Company Aytch mustered upstairs in this corner building, now an Air B&B owned by American Picker Mike Wolfe.
