Blount Mansion
Encyclopedia
The Blount Mansion, also known as William Blount Mansion, located at 200 West Hill Avenue in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee
, was the home of the only territorial governor of the Southwest Territory
, William Blount
(1749–1800). Blount, also a signer of the United States Constitution
and a U.S. Senator
from Tennessee, lived on the property with his family and ten African-Americans. Along with Blount's residence, the mansion served as the de facto capitol of the Southwest Territory, and in 1796 much of the Tennessee Constitution was drafted at the mansion. Tennessee state historian John Trotwood Moore once called Blount Mansion "the most important historical spot in Tennessee."
The house is a wood-frame home sheathed in wood siding, built with materials brought from North Carolina
in an era when most homes in Tennessee were log cabins. The two-story central portion of the home is the oldest section. The one-story east wing is believed to have been constructed next; archaeologists suspect the east wing was originally an outbuilding, which was then moved and attached to the main house, and there is some evidence the east wing was originally the servants' quarters. The one-story west wing was the final section to be constructed, perhaps as late as 1820. Blount's office, from which he governed and conducted his business affairs, was built along with the house and is a one-story, free-standing building with a modest front porch.
By 1925, the house had deteriorated, and the City of Knoxville threatened to demolish it and replace it with a parking lot. The Blount Mansion Association was chartered the following year, and after a massive publicity campaign by the Bonnie Kate Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
and the East Tennessee Historical Society
, the Association raised enough money to purchase the house in 1930. The Blount Mansion Association has since maintained the house as a museum, and has made numerous renovations to restore the house and property to its late 18th-century appearance. In the 1960s, the mansion was designated a National Historic Landmark
.
on the west and Hill's intersection with State Street on the east. The area rests atop an embankment overlooking the Volunteer Landing riverfront along the Tennessee River
to the south. The Craighead-Jackson House
, also managed by the Blount Mansion Association, is located across State Street to the east.
The United States created the Territory South of the River Ohio, usually called the "Southwest Territory", in 1790, and President George Washington
appointed North Carolina surveryor William Blount as the territory's first governor. Blount initially governed from Rocky Mount
(in the Tri-Cities area
), but began searching for a permanent capital for the territory. After Blount selected White's Fort for the site of the capital, James White
, the owner of the fort and adjacent lands, and his son-in-law Charles McClung
drew up a grid of 64 half-acre lots that would eventually become the city of Knoxville, and in 1791 held a lottery for parties interested in purchasing a lot. Lot 18, the future site of Blount Mansion, was originally sold to John Carter. Blount purchased the lot from Carter in 1794, although it's believed they had a verbal agreement for sale of the lot much earlier, and thus construction of Blount Mansion began sometime around March 1792 when Blount relocated to Knoxville.
While the mansion was being built, the Blount family probably lived in a cabin atop Barbara Hill, now known as "The Hill
" by University of Tennessee
students. Blount's reasons for building an elaborate frame house on the frontier were twofold. First, the house would act as a capitol of the Southwest Territory, and thus would need to command the respect of visiting delegations. Second, Blount wanted to fulfill a promise he made to his wife, Mary Grainger Blount, to build a home comparable to their lavish North Carolina home. The first phase of construction was completed around 1796, although work continued until well into the 19th century. The detached kitchen was likely completed in subsequent years. Blount's friend John Chisholm built Chisholm Tavern
somewhere along the south side of the lot in 1792. Andrew Jackson
and John Sevier
were frequent visitors to the mansion, and early guests included botanist André Michaux
and various Cherokee
chiefs.
Blount transferred ownership of the mansion to his younger brother Willie Blount
in 1797. Willie Blount deeded the mansion to Blount's son William Grainger Blount
in 1818. The Blount family sold the mansion to the McClung family in 1825, and by the 1840s Knoxville mayor Samuel Boyd had obtained ownership of the property. The Boyd family maintained ownership of the mansion until the early 20th century, renting it out to various private and commercial interests. The Boyds also made several additions to the mansion, including a large Victorian-style
porch.
By 1925, Blount Mansion had badly deteriorated. The City of Knoxville made plans to demolish the mansion to make room for a parking lot for the Andrew Johnson Hotel
. In response, Mary Boyce Temple
of the Bonnie Kate Chapter of the DAR purchased an option on the property, and the following year the Blount Mansion Association was chartered. By 1930, with the help of the DAR, the East Tennessee Historical Society, and the University of Tennessee, the BMA had raised enough money— just over $31,000— to purchase the mansion. The Association immediately initiated efforts to restore the house to its 18th-century condition, removing the Victorian additions and adding period furniture. The Knoxville Garden Club assumed the maintenance of the grounds around the mansion.
In 1955, the BMA received a grant from the Tennessee Historical Commission that allowed them to restore Blount's office. The kitchen was rebuilt in 1960 after archaeologists discovered its original foundation. That same year, the discovery of a vault in the rear of the house reignited old rumors about an early escape tunnel that supposedly passed under the Tennessee River, but an investigation by the National Park Service
determined the vault to be a cooling room used for storage of wine and perishable foods. In subsequent years, paint tests on the exterior and interior walls determined the walls' original color, and the walls were repainted accordingly. Archaeological excavations in 1973 and 1984 uncovered other outbuilding foundations and an assemblage of late 18th-century artifacts. An architectural analysis in the 1990s identified six phases of construction, and suggested that the mansion didn't acquire its full form until around 1815.
Blount Mansion is a frame and clapboard
structure consisting of a two-story central block and one-story wings on the east and west ends. The first floor of the main structure contains a parlor, dining room, and hallway with a quarter-turn staircase. The second story contains two bedrooms. The west wing contains a single bedroom. The east wing contains a drawing room, and has a basement accessible by trap-door. Chimneys are located on the east end of the main block and at the outside ends of both wings. The frame was probably built using locally-cut timber, but the house's finished woodwork, paneling, flooring, and weatherboarding material's were shipped from North Carolina.
Blount's office, often referred to as the Governor's Office, stands behind the west wing of the mansion. The office is a one-story frame-and-clapboard structure with a brick chimney on its south side, and a pair of sash window
s with louver
ed blinds along the east and west walls. The interior includes wide-board paneling and a carved mantel.
The mansion's kitchen had originally been a detached structure located behind the east wing. At an unknown date, this kitchen was dismantled and its materials used to construct an attached rear-wing kitchen. In 1958, archaeologists discovered the foundation of the original kitchen. The rear-wing kitchen was then dismantled and used to rebuild the detached kitchen on its original foundation behind the east wing. The kitchen has a design similar to the office.
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, was the home of the only territorial governor of the Southwest Territory
Southwest Territory
The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was admitted to the United States as the State of Tennessee.The Southwest Territory was...
, William Blount
William Blount
William Blount, was a United States statesman. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention for North Carolina, the first and only governor of the Southwest Territory, and Democratic-Republican Senator from Tennessee . He played a major role in establishing the state of Tennessee. He was the...
(1749–1800). Blount, also a signer of the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
and a U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Tennessee, lived on the property with his family and ten African-Americans. Along with Blount's residence, the mansion served as the de facto capitol of the Southwest Territory, and in 1796 much of the Tennessee Constitution was drafted at the mansion. Tennessee state historian John Trotwood Moore once called Blount Mansion "the most important historical spot in Tennessee."
The house is a wood-frame home sheathed in wood siding, built with materials brought from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in an era when most homes in Tennessee were log cabins. The two-story central portion of the home is the oldest section. The one-story east wing is believed to have been constructed next; archaeologists suspect the east wing was originally an outbuilding, which was then moved and attached to the main house, and there is some evidence the east wing was originally the servants' quarters. The one-story west wing was the final section to be constructed, perhaps as late as 1820. Blount's office, from which he governed and conducted his business affairs, was built along with the house and is a one-story, free-standing building with a modest front porch.
By 1925, the house had deteriorated, and the City of Knoxville threatened to demolish it and replace it with a parking lot. The Blount Mansion Association was chartered the following year, and after a massive publicity campaign by the Bonnie Kate Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
and the East Tennessee Historical Society
East Tennessee Historical Society
The East Tennessee Historical Society , headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of East Tennessee history, the preservation of historically significant artifacts, and educating the citizens of Tennessee...
, the Association raised enough money to purchase the house in 1930. The Blount Mansion Association has since maintained the house as a museum, and has made numerous renovations to restore the house and property to its late 18th-century appearance. In the 1960s, the mansion was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
Location
Blount Mansion occupies a lot in downtown Knoxville situated along Hill Avenue between Hill's intersection with Gay StreetGay Street (Knoxville)
Gay Street is a street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, that traverses the heart of the city's downtown area. Since its development in the 1790s, Gay Street has served as the city's principal financial and commercial thoroughfare, and has played a primary role in the city's historical and cultural...
on the west and Hill's intersection with State Street on the east. The area rests atop an embankment overlooking the Volunteer Landing riverfront along the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
to the south. The Craighead-Jackson House
Craighead-Jackson House
The Craighead-Jackson House is a historic two-story, brick house in Knoxville, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The home was constructed by John Craighead in 1818 across the street from the William Blount Mansion. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places.The Craighead family lived...
, also managed by the Blount Mansion Association, is located across State Street to the east.
History
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
appointed North Carolina surveryor William Blount as the territory's first governor. Blount initially governed from Rocky Mount
Rocky Mount, Tennessee
Rocky Mount, in Piney Flats, Tennessee, was the first territorial capital of the Southwest Territory.The property of William Cobb, the original residence at Rocky Mount served as the territorial capital from 1790 to 1792...
(in the Tri-Cities area
Tri-Cities, Tennessee
In Tennessee and Virginia the name "Tri-Cities" refers to the region comprising the cities of Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol and the surrounding smaller towns and communities in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia...
), but began searching for a permanent capital for the territory. After Blount selected White's Fort for the site of the capital, James White
James White (general)
James White was an American pioneer and soldier who founded Knoxville, Tennessee, in the early 1790s. Born in Rowan County, North Carolina, White served as a captain in the county's militia during the American Revolutionary War...
, the owner of the fort and adjacent lands, and his son-in-law Charles McClung
Charles McClung
Charles McClung was an American pioneer, politician, and surveyor best known for drawing up the original plat of Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1791. While Knoxville has since expanded to many times its original size, the city's downtown area still roughly follows McClung's 1791 grid...
drew up a grid of 64 half-acre lots that would eventually become the city of Knoxville, and in 1791 held a lottery for parties interested in purchasing a lot. Lot 18, the future site of Blount Mansion, was originally sold to John Carter. Blount purchased the lot from Carter in 1794, although it's believed they had a verbal agreement for sale of the lot much earlier, and thus construction of Blount Mansion began sometime around March 1792 when Blount relocated to Knoxville.
While the mansion was being built, the Blount family probably lived in a cabin atop Barbara Hill, now known as "The Hill
The Hill (Knoxville)
The Hill is the colloquial name for the location of various academic buildings on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's campus. It comprises the oldest part of the university, and is located at the eastern side of the campus. There are two concentric roads around the Hill. University...
" by University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
students. Blount's reasons for building an elaborate frame house on the frontier were twofold. First, the house would act as a capitol of the Southwest Territory, and thus would need to command the respect of visiting delegations. Second, Blount wanted to fulfill a promise he made to his wife, Mary Grainger Blount, to build a home comparable to their lavish North Carolina home. The first phase of construction was completed around 1796, although work continued until well into the 19th century. The detached kitchen was likely completed in subsequent years. Blount's friend John Chisholm built Chisholm Tavern
Chisholm Tavern (Knoxville)
Chisholm Tavern was a historic building at Front and Gay streets in Knoxville, Tennessee. It stood on the same block as William Blount Mansion. Construction was completed circa 1792, and it remained for almost 200 years until it was demolished as a part of urban renewal in the 1960s...
somewhere along the south side of the lot in 1792. Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
and John Sevier
John Sevier
John Sevier served four years as the only governor of the State of Franklin and twelve years as Governor of Tennessee. As a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1811 until his death...
were frequent visitors to the mansion, and early guests included botanist André Michaux
André Michaux
André Michaux was a French botanist and explorer.-Biography:Michaux was born in Satory, now part of Versailles, Yvelines. After the death of his wife within a year of their marriage he took up the study of botany and was a student of Bernard de Jussieu...
and various Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
chiefs.
Blount transferred ownership of the mansion to his younger brother Willie Blount
Willie Blount
Willie Blount served as Governor of Tennessee from 1809 to 1815. He was the younger half-brother of William Blount, representative of North Carolina to the Continental Congress and governor of the Southwest Territory....
in 1797. Willie Blount deeded the mansion to Blount's son William Grainger Blount
William Grainger Blount
William Grainger Blount was a statesman from Tennessee, the son of William Blount and the nephew of Thomas Blount. He was born near New Bern, North Carolina in Craven County and attended the New Bern Academy....
in 1818. The Blount family sold the mansion to the McClung family in 1825, and by the 1840s Knoxville mayor Samuel Boyd had obtained ownership of the property. The Boyd family maintained ownership of the mansion until the early 20th century, renting it out to various private and commercial interests. The Boyds also made several additions to the mansion, including a large Victorian-style
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
porch.
Restoration and preservation
Andrew Johnson Building
The Andrew Johnson Building is a high-rise office building in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Completed in 1930, the structure was Knoxville's tallest building for nearly a half-century. The building was originally home to the Andrew Johnson Hotel, and is now used for office space by Knox...
. In response, Mary Boyce Temple
Mary Boyce Temple
Mary Boyce Temple was an American philanthropist and socialite, active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was the first president of the Ossoli Circle, the oldest federated women's club in the South, and published a biography of the club's namesake,...
of the Bonnie Kate Chapter of the DAR purchased an option on the property, and the following year the Blount Mansion Association was chartered. By 1930, with the help of the DAR, the East Tennessee Historical Society, and the University of Tennessee, the BMA had raised enough money— just over $31,000— to purchase the mansion. The Association immediately initiated efforts to restore the house to its 18th-century condition, removing the Victorian additions and adding period furniture. The Knoxville Garden Club assumed the maintenance of the grounds around the mansion.
In 1955, the BMA received a grant from the Tennessee Historical Commission that allowed them to restore Blount's office. The kitchen was rebuilt in 1960 after archaeologists discovered its original foundation. That same year, the discovery of a vault in the rear of the house reignited old rumors about an early escape tunnel that supposedly passed under the Tennessee River, but an investigation by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
determined the vault to be a cooling room used for storage of wine and perishable foods. In subsequent years, paint tests on the exterior and interior walls determined the walls' original color, and the walls were repainted accordingly. Archaeological excavations in 1973 and 1984 uncovered other outbuilding foundations and an assemblage of late 18th-century artifacts. An architectural analysis in the 1990s identified six phases of construction, and suggested that the mansion didn't acquire its full form until around 1815.
Design
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
structure consisting of a two-story central block and one-story wings on the east and west ends. The first floor of the main structure contains a parlor, dining room, and hallway with a quarter-turn staircase. The second story contains two bedrooms. The west wing contains a single bedroom. The east wing contains a drawing room, and has a basement accessible by trap-door. Chimneys are located on the east end of the main block and at the outside ends of both wings. The frame was probably built using locally-cut timber, but the house's finished woodwork, paneling, flooring, and weatherboarding material's were shipped from North Carolina.
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s with louver
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
ed blinds along the east and west walls. The interior includes wide-board paneling and a carved mantel.
The mansion's kitchen had originally been a detached structure located behind the east wing. At an unknown date, this kitchen was dismantled and its materials used to construct an attached rear-wing kitchen. In 1958, archaeologists discovered the foundation of the original kitchen. The rear-wing kitchen was then dismantled and used to rebuild the detached kitchen on its original foundation behind the east wing. The kitchen has a design similar to the office.
See also
- Alexander Bishop House
- James Park HouseJames Park HouseThe James Park House is a historic house located at 422 West Cumberland Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. The house's foundation was built by Governor John Sevier in the 1790s, and the house itself was built by Knoxville merchant and mayor, James Park , in 1812, making it the second-oldest...
- Ramsey House
- StatesviewStatesviewStatesview, or States View, is a historic house located on South Peters Road off Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Built in the early 1800s by early Knoxville architect Thomas Hope and rebuilt in the early 1820s following a fire, Statesview was originally the home of surveyor Charles...
- History of Knoxville, TennesseeHistory of Knoxville, TennesseeThe History of Knoxville, Tennessee, began with the establishment of James White's Fort on the Trans-Appalachian frontier in 1786. The fort was chosen as the capital of the Southwest Territory in 1790, and the city, named for Secretary of War Henry Knox, was platted the following year...
External links
- Blount Mansion — official website
- Library of Congress - Historic Buildings Survey: Blount Mansion