Lewis Buckner
Encyclopedia
Lewis Buckner was an American house builder and carpenter. Born and raised a slave, Buckner went on to become one of several successful African-American construction entrepreneurs in late-19th century Sevier County, Tennessee
. At least fifteen homes that were either built by Buckner or are believed to have been built by Buckner are still standing, two of which are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
in 1856. He is believed to have been the son of a caucasian father and an African-American mother. In the 1870s, Buckner learned the trade of furniture-making while an apprentice to a Sevierville
furniture-maker named Christian Stump. Buckner married his first wife, Jane Bryant, in 1875, and by 1880 had established his own cabinet-making business.
Buckner built his first house— the Darius and Mary Robertson House— around 1880. Buckner's subsequent houses included the Wayland-Patterson House (1886) near the Fair Garden community, the Riley H. Andes House (ca. 1890) in Sevierville, the Trotter-Waters House (1895) in downtown Sevierville, the Sam Dixon House (1914) near the Shady Grove Community, and the Mullendore House (1921) near Pigeon Forge
. He built his own house in the Mullican Grove community in 1894. In 1886, Buckner teamed up with African-American bricklayer Isaac Dockery (1832-1910) to help build the New Salem Baptist Church in Sevierville, with Dockery doing the church's brickwork and Buckner doing much of the interior design.
"I-frame" designs. Buckner often did much of the houses' exterior detailing— which included bargeboard
s, porches, and scrollwork
— as well as the houses' interior elements, including mantels, cabinets, and newell posts.
Sevier County, Tennessee
Sevier County is a county of the state of Tennessee, United States. Its population was 71,170 at the 2000 United States Census. It is included in the Sevierville, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. The...
. At least fifteen homes that were either built by Buckner or are believed to have been built by Buckner are still standing, two of which are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Biography
Buckner was born in Strawberry Plains, TennesseeStrawberry Plains, Tennessee
Strawberry Plains is an unincorporated community straddling the boundary between Jefferson and Sevier and Knox counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The United States Geographic Names System classifies Strawberry Plains as a populated place....
in 1856. He is believed to have been the son of a caucasian father and an African-American mother. In the 1870s, Buckner learned the trade of furniture-making while an apprentice to a Sevierville
Sevierville, Tennessee
Sevierville is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. Its population was 11,757 at the 2000 United States Census; in 2004 the estimated population was 14,101. Sevierville is the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee....
furniture-maker named Christian Stump. Buckner married his first wife, Jane Bryant, in 1875, and by 1880 had established his own cabinet-making business.
Buckner built his first house— the Darius and Mary Robertson House— around 1880. Buckner's subsequent houses included the Wayland-Patterson House (1886) near the Fair Garden community, the Riley H. Andes House (ca. 1890) in Sevierville, the Trotter-Waters House (1895) in downtown Sevierville, the Sam Dixon House (1914) near the Shady Grove Community, and the Mullendore House (1921) near Pigeon Forge
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 5,875....
. He built his own house in the Mullican Grove community in 1894. In 1886, Buckner teamed up with African-American bricklayer Isaac Dockery (1832-1910) to help build the New Salem Baptist Church in Sevierville, with Dockery doing the church's brickwork and Buckner doing much of the interior design.
Buckner's techniques
While most of Buckner's designs were not entirely original— most were taken from circulated pattern books— Buckner did create his own unique renditions of these basic patterns. Buckner's houses were typically 2-story Italianate or Queen AnneQueen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
"I-frame" designs. Buckner often did much of the houses' exterior detailing— which included bargeboard
Bargeboard
Bargeboard is a board fastened to the projecting gables of a roof to give them strength and to mask, hide and protect the otherwise exposed end of the horizontal timbers or purlins of the roof to which they were attached...
s, porches, and scrollwork
Scrollwork
Scrollwork is an element of ornamentation and graphic design using a spiral. The name comes from by the supposed resemblance to the edge-on view of a rolled parchment scroll. "Scrollwork" is today mostly used in popular language for two-dimensional decorative flourishes and arabesques of all...
— as well as the houses' interior elements, including mantels, cabinets, and newell posts.
Structures built by Buckner
At least fifteen houses currently standing in Sevier County are believed to have been built by Buckner, although some have not been verified by any source other than oral tradition or the fact that certain designs strongly resemble Buckner's known works. Houses built or renovated by Buckner include:- Riley H. Andes House, on Douglas Dam Road in Sevierville, Tennessee, built around 1890; added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
- Sam Dixon House, built in 1914 near the Shady Grove community.
- William Cal Jones House, built circa 1886 in the Fair Garden community, usually attributed to Buckner.
- Lafollette-Patterson House, a two-story house in the Fair Garden community east of Sevierville.
- Mullendore House, built in 1921 near Pigeon Forge.
- Darius and Mary Robertson House, a 2-story I-frame house built circa 1880 in the Harrisburg community outside of Sevierville. Buckner did most of the house's original interior design work.
- Trotter-Waters House, at 217 Cedar Street in downtown Sevierville, built in the Queen Anne style in 1895; added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
External links
- Lewis C. Buckner — entry at Smokykin.com