Knollwood (Bearden Hill)
Encyclopedia
Knollwood is an antebellum
house at 6411 Kingston Pike in Knoxville
, Tennessee
, United States
. It is also known as Knollwood Hall, Major Reynolds House, the Tucker Mansion and Bearden Hill. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Construction was supervised by Major Robert Reynolds' sister, Rebecca, while he was serving in the U.S.-Mexican War. The house was completed in 1851. The home and plantation
were developed on land purchased from James White
, the founder of Knoxville. The home was originally built in the Federal style, but neoclassical
details were added in the late 19th century. A later owner, Charles W. Griffith, added the distinctive front porch in 1919.
Confederate
General James Longstreet
used the home as his headquarters in late 1863; he is reputed to have planned the Battle of Fort Sanders
, part of the Knoxville Campaign
, in the dining room.
Knollwood was one of several antebellum
plantations located along Kingston Pike in what was then western Knox County
. Others included the Baker Peters House
, Armstrong-Lockett House (Crescent Bend
), Bleak House, and the Mabry Hood House (now demolished). Architecturally, Knollwood has a more significant presence than the Baker Peters House and Mabry Hood House.
The Harvey Tucker family, wealthy Knoxvillians involved in the hospitality industry (i.e., Quality Courts, now part of Choice Hotels
, Inc.), owned the house in the mid-to-late 20th Century. Through the era when the Tucker family lived at Knollwood, the sweeping front lawn remained undeveloped. The house was known informally as the Tucker Mansion in this era. The plantation itself and the front lawn no longer exist, due to surrounding development. The mansion, itself, survives and has been renovated, but it now serves as the headquarters for Schaad Companies. It is not open to the public, but has been used by Knox Heritage for a social event.
Antebellum architecture
Antebellum architecture is a term used to describe the characteristic neoclassical architectural style of the Southern United States, especially the Old South, from after the birth of the United States in the American Revolution, to the start of the American Civil War...
house at 6411 Kingston Pike in Knoxville
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...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is also known as Knollwood Hall, Major Reynolds House, the Tucker Mansion and Bearden Hill. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Construction was supervised by Major Robert Reynolds' sister, Rebecca, while he was serving in the U.S.-Mexican War. The house was completed in 1851. The home and plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
were developed on land purchased from 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 founder of Knoxville. The home was originally built in the Federal style, but neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
details were added in the late 19th century. A later owner, Charles W. Griffith, added the distinctive front porch in 1919.
Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
General James Longstreet
James Longstreet
James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
used the home as his headquarters in late 1863; he is reputed to have planned the Battle of Fort Sanders
Battle of Fort Sanders
The Battle of Fort Sanders was the decisive engagement of the Knoxville Campaign of the American Civil War, fought in Knoxville, Tennessee, on November 29, 1863. Assaults by Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet failed to break through the defensive lines of Union Maj. Gen...
, part of the Knoxville Campaign
Knoxville Campaign
The Knoxville Campaign was a series of American Civil War battles and maneuvers in East Tennessee during the fall of 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside occupied Knoxville, Tennessee, and Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. James Longstreet were detached from Gen...
, in the dining room.
Knollwood was one of several antebellum
Antebellum architecture
Antebellum architecture is a term used to describe the characteristic neoclassical architectural style of the Southern United States, especially the Old South, from after the birth of the United States in the American Revolution, to the start of the American Civil War...
plantations located along Kingston Pike in what was then western Knox County
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
. Others included the Baker Peters House
Baker Peters House
The Baker Peters House is an antebellum house located on the south side of Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee, near the intersection of Peters Road and Kingston Pike. The house is a two-story Greek Revival structure. It has a porte-cochere on the east side for carriages, and a rear wing that...
, Armstrong-Lockett House (Crescent Bend
Crescent Bend
Crescent Bend is a historic home at 2728 Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee. The building is known as Crescent Bend because of its location on a bend of the Tennessee River. It is also known as the Armstrong-Lockett House, Longview and Logueval...
), Bleak House, and the Mabry Hood House (now demolished). Architecturally, Knollwood has a more significant presence than the Baker Peters House and Mabry Hood House.
The Harvey Tucker family, wealthy Knoxvillians involved in the hospitality industry (i.e., Quality Courts, now part of Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels International is a hospitality holding corporation which is affiliated with several hotel brands and is based in Silver Spring, Maryland...
, Inc.), owned the house in the mid-to-late 20th Century. Through the era when the Tucker family lived at Knollwood, the sweeping front lawn remained undeveloped. The house was known informally as the Tucker Mansion in this era. The plantation itself and the front lawn no longer exist, due to surrounding development. The mansion, itself, survives and has been renovated, but it now serves as the headquarters for Schaad Companies. It is not open to the public, but has been used by Knox Heritage for a social event.
External links
- National Register of Historic Places
- http://www.discoveret.org/kcwrt/sites/sitesmap.jpg
- Tucker Hospitality Bio
- Metro Pulse Article Online: Reynolds House
- Schaad Companies