Marble Springs
Encyclopedia
Marble Springs, also known as Gov. John Sevier Home, is a state historic site in south Knox County, Tennessee
, in the southeastern United States. The site was the home of John Sevier
(1745–1815)— a Revolutionary War
and frontier militia commander and later the first governor of Tennessee— from 1790 until his death in 1815. A cabin at the site was once believed to have been Sevier's cabin, although recent dendrochronological analyses place the cabin's construction date in the 1830s, well after Sevier had died.
Along with the "Sevier" cabin, several out-buildings have been moved from elsewhere in East Tennessee and several have been reconstructed to simulate a typical pioneer farm from Sevier's time. The 38 acre (0.15378068 km²) site also includes a visitor's center and an outdoor stage. The site is managed for the Tennessee Historical Commission by the Governor John Sevier Memorial Commission.
to the south. These two mountains are part of the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley Physiographic Province
. The area is drained by Stock Creek, which empties into the Fort Loudoun Lake
impoundment of the Tennessee River
roughly 10 miles (16.1 km) to the west.
The Marble Springs site is located just off Tennessee State Route 168 (Governor John Sevier Highway), which connects U.S. Route 129
(Alcoa Highway) to the west with U.S. Route 441
(Chapman Highway) to the east. The site is entirely within Knox County
, although the Blount County
line is just over 5 miles (8 km) to the southwest and the Sevier County
line is just over 5 miles (8 km) to the southeast.
John Sevier arrived in Tennessee from his native Virginia in the early 1770s. He quickly earned a reputation as a competent frontier militia commander, helping the American cause at the Battle of King's Mountain (1780) and defeating the Cherokee
at the Battle of Boyd's Creek (also in 1780). Sevier served as the only governor of the short-lived State of Franklin
(1785–1788) and later as governor of Tennessee
for six terms, 1796–1801 and 1803-1809. Sevier served as a state senator from 1809–1811 and as a U.S. Congressman from 1811 until his death.
Sevier officially obtained the Marble Springs area in 1796, although he was living there as early as 1790 (the site was within a days' journey of Knoxville, which at the time served as capital of the Southwest Territory). He named it after two springs on the property that flowed continuously throughout the year. Structures on the farm included a barn, springhouse, corn crib, smokehouse, ash hopper (used for making lye soap), and several other cabins.
Sevier's children sold Marble Springs to an attorney named James Dardis in 1818. Dardis leased the property to the family of George Kirby, who was living at Marble Springs in 1840. Kirby purchased the property from the Dardis family when Dardis died in 1847. In 1941, the state of Tennessee appropriated funds to purchase and restore Marble Springs. The Tennessee Historical Commission and the John Sevier Memorial Commission oversaw the site's restoration.
Along with Sevier's cabin, several outbuildings have been added to Marble Springs to give visitors an idea of life on an 18th-century Tennessee Valley farm. In Sevier's time, numerous barns, smokehouses, and other buildings would have been scattered across the 375 acres (1.5 km²) tract.
1. The John Sevier Cabin, built around 1835. It is the only structure original to the site. The cabin's dog-trot
kitchen — a common sight on pioneer cabins in the region— was a later addition. The cabin currently contains several artifacts donated by the Sevier family.
2. The Walker Cabin, built around 1828. This building was moved intact from a farm just off Walker Springs Road in Knox County. The Walker cabin is used by the site to represent a frontier tavern
. The cabin's construction date was confirmed by dendrochronological analyses of its logs in 2007.
3. The McCall Smokehouse, built ca. 1850. This building was donated by the McCall family, whose farm lay a few miles south of Marble Springs.
4. The Loom House, built in 1970. This building was constructed from logs taken from an old log building on the McCall farm, and contains looms and wheels for spinning both wool and flax.
Other buildings include a springhouse, a corn crib and half-cantilever barn, and several work areas.
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...
, in the southeastern United States. The site was the home of 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...
(1745–1815)— a Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and frontier militia commander and later the first governor of Tennessee— from 1790 until his death in 1815. A cabin at the site was once believed to have been Sevier's cabin, although recent dendrochronological analyses place the cabin's construction date in the 1830s, well after Sevier had died.
Along with the "Sevier" cabin, several out-buildings have been moved from elsewhere in East Tennessee and several have been reconstructed to simulate a typical pioneer farm from Sevier's time. The 38 acre (0.15378068 km²) site also includes a visitor's center and an outdoor stage. The site is managed for the Tennessee Historical Commission by the Governor John Sevier Memorial Commission.
Geographical setting
Marble Springs is situated in a valley between a low ridge known as Brown Mountain to the north and the hills that comprise the southwest flank of Bays MountainBays Mountain
Bays Mountain is a ridge of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, located in eastern Tennessee. It runs southwest to northeast, from just south of Knoxville to Kingsport.Its southern segment is relatively low in elevation...
to the south. These two mountains are part of the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley Physiographic Province
Ridge-and-valley Appalachians
The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from southeastern New York through northwestern New...
. The area is drained by Stock Creek, which empties into the Fort Loudoun Lake
Fort Loudoun Lake
Fort Loudoun Lake is a reservoir in east Tennessee on the upper Tennessee River, extending about along the river upstream from Fort Loudoun Dam, at Lenoir City, to Knoxville....
impoundment of 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...
roughly 10 miles (16.1 km) to the west.
The Marble Springs site is located just off Tennessee State Route 168 (Governor John Sevier Highway), which connects U.S. Route 129
U.S. Route 129
U.S. Route 129 is an offshoot route of U.S. Route 29, which it intersects near Athens, Georgia. US 129 currently runs for 582 miles from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Chiefland, Florida, at U.S. Route 19 and U.S. Route 98. It passes through the states of Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida...
(Alcoa Highway) to the west with U.S. Route 441
U.S. Route 441
U.S. Route 441 is a spur route of U.S. Route 41. It currently runs for 939 miles from U.S. Route 41 in Miami, Florida to U.S. Route 25W in Lake City, Tennessee. Between its termini, US 441 passes through the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee...
(Chapman Highway) to the east. The site is entirely within 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...
, although the Blount County
Blount County, Tennessee
Blount County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its population was 123,010 at the United States Census, 2010. The county seat is at Maryville, which is also the county's largest city....
line is just over 5 miles (8 km) to the southwest and the Sevier County
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...
line is just over 5 miles (8 km) to the southeast.
History
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
at the Battle of Boyd's Creek (also in 1780). Sevier served as the only governor of the short-lived State of Franklin
State of Franklin
The State of Franklin, known also as the Free Republic of Franklin or the State of Frankland , was an unrecognized autonomous United States territory created in 1784 from part of the territory west of the Appalachian Mountains that had been offered,...
(1785–1788) and later as governor of 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...
for six terms, 1796–1801 and 1803-1809. Sevier served as a state senator from 1809–1811 and as a U.S. Congressman from 1811 until his death.
Sevier officially obtained the Marble Springs area in 1796, although he was living there as early as 1790 (the site was within a days' journey of Knoxville, which at the time served as capital of the Southwest Territory). He named it after two springs on the property that flowed continuously throughout the year. Structures on the farm included a barn, springhouse, corn crib, smokehouse, ash hopper (used for making lye soap), and several other cabins.
Sevier's children sold Marble Springs to an attorney named James Dardis in 1818. Dardis leased the property to the family of George Kirby, who was living at Marble Springs in 1840. Kirby purchased the property from the Dardis family when Dardis died in 1847. In 1941, the state of Tennessee appropriated funds to purchase and restore Marble Springs. The Tennessee Historical Commission and the John Sevier Memorial Commission oversaw the site's restoration.
Dendrochronological research
In April 2007, the University of Tennessee conducted a dendrochronological analysis of logs in both the Sevier cabin and the Walker cabin. Researchers determined that the oldest logs in the Sevier cabin were harvested around 1835, placing its construction date well after the death of Sevier. The cabin's likely builder was George Kirby, who lived as a tenant at Marble Springs during this period.Historical structures at Marble Springs
1. The John Sevier Cabin, built around 1835. It is the only structure original to the site. The cabin's dog-trot
Dogtrot house
The dogtrot, also known as a breezeway house, dog-run, or possum-trot, is a style of house that was common throughout the Southeastern United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Most theories place its origins in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Some scholars believe the style...
kitchen — a common sight on pioneer cabins in the region— was a later addition. The cabin currently contains several artifacts donated by the Sevier family.
2. The Walker Cabin, built around 1828. This building was moved intact from a farm just off Walker Springs Road in Knox County. The Walker cabin is used by the site to represent a frontier tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
. The cabin's construction date was confirmed by dendrochronological analyses of its logs in 2007.
3. The McCall Smokehouse, built ca. 1850. This building was donated by the McCall family, whose farm lay a few miles south of Marble Springs.
4. The Loom House, built in 1970. This building was constructed from logs taken from an old log building on the McCall farm, and contains looms and wheels for spinning both wool and flax.
Other buildings include a springhouse, a corn crib and half-cantilever barn, and several work areas.
External links
- Marble Springs Website
- Governor John Sevier Home — Tennessee Historical Commission site
- Sevier Site Gives Glimpse of 18th century Life — article at knoxnews.com