Sabine Hill Property Elizabethton, Tennessee

History, Conditions Assessment, & Maintenance Recommendations

Report

Sabine Hill Elizabethton, Tennessee

History, Conditions Assessment, &

Maintenance Recommendations Report

Prepared for: The Tennessee Historical Commission

Nashville, Tennessee

Prepared by: Amber Clawson, Graduate Research Assistant

Jessica Lauren White, Graduate Research Assistant Dr. Spurgeon King, Project Supervisor, and

The Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area

Spring 2012

2

Contents

Project Methodology

Property History House and Resource Descriptions:

- Exterior Architectural Description

- Interior Architectural Description

- Grounds and Outbuildings Description

Needs Assessment and Recommendations

Bibliography

17

42

57

59

63

1

Project Methodology This History, Conditions Assessment & Maintenance Recommendations Report is the result of a project partnership between the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC), and the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (NHA). The State of Tennessee owns Sabine Hill, located in Elizabethton, Tennessee. The Tennessee Historical Commission asked the NHA to develop this report for the house and its property. After meetings between Martha Akins, State Sites Director, THC, E. Patrick McIntyre, Jr., Executive Director, THC, Dr. Spurgeon King, Assistant Director of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Amber Clawson, graduate research assistant at the Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation, and Jessi White, graduate research assistant at the Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation, work was begun on the report. Amber Clawson and Jessi White, with the assistance of Dr. Spurgeon King assessed the preservation needs of the various structures located at the site. Jessi White and Amber Clawson also measured the interior and exterior of the house. White also put together detailed Auto CAD drawings, and 3-D renderings of the building. While Amber Clawson researched the history of the family associated with the house, and documented changes made to the house. White, with the guidance of Dr. King, evaluated the building and site and developed the needs assessment of the site. Thanks to Patrick McIntyre, Executive Director of the Tennessee Historical Commission; Dr. Carroll Van West, Director of the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University; Dr. Spurgeon King, Associate Director of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area; Jennifer Bauer, Sycamore Shoals State Park; and Mr. Benjamin Harrison Taylor for their contributions to the project. ,

1

2 

Historic Overview: Sabine Hill and the Taylor Family

Sabine Hill was the primary residence of Carter County’s prominent Taylor family from c. 1818 until 1949. Andrew, the first Taylor to migrate to the Sycamore Shoals area, brought his family from Virginia sometime during the late 1770s. Andrew and his sons became prominent leaders in the community, and the eldest, Nathaniel, fought in the War of 1812 as a brigadier general. Nathaniel started construction on Sabine Hill around 1814, but did not live to see its completion in c. 1818, having passed away three years earlier. Subsequent generations of Taylors served as lawyers and political leaders, with two becoming governors of Tennessee. In 1886, Robert L. Taylor (Democrat) and Alfred A. Taylor (Republican), great-grandchildren of Nathaniel Taylor, ran for the Governor’s chair against one another in what became known as the “War of the Roses,” a colorful contest characterized by fiddle playing and story-telling on the part of the two brothers. Robert won that contest and served three terms (1887-1891; 1897-1899), with Alfred later serving a single term as governor from 1921-1923. Settlement of Washington County, North Carolina

The family of Andrew Taylor played a significant role in the settlement of Washington County (or Washington District), the easternmost region of Tennessee that attracted early settlers primarily because of its geographic location on the other side of the Unaka Mountains from western North Carolina. During the early settlement years beginning in 1770, no road connected the eastern Washington County area with the Cumberland settlements in what would later become Middle Tennessee.1 This was because the Cumberland Plateau, a rugged mountainous area of high ridges and deep winding valleys, separated East Tennessee from Middle Tennessee. For a time, communities in the two sections developed independently of one another because of geographic barriers.

Prior to the American Revolution, East Tennessee was contested land as French and British interests vied for control of regional trade. During the French and Indian War (1756-1763), the area witnessed clashes among French, British, and Native American forces. A major massacre occurred at Fort Loudoun in 1760 when Cherokees attacked a retreating column of British troops. Following French defeat and withdrawal from North America, the British government in London sought to protect Native American lands west of the Appalachians by forbidding settlement west of what came to be known as the “Proclamation Line of 1763,” a conceptual boundary drawn through the Appalachians. Essentially ignoring the unenforceable line, settlers continued to push relentlessly westward, encroaching upon Native                                                         

1 East Tennessee Historical Society, First Families of Tennessee: A Register of Early Settlers and Their Present-Day Descendants (Knoxville, TN: The East Tennessee Historical Society, 2000), 24.

3 

American territory. When ordered to acknowledge the Proclamation Line and vacate the land, settlers such as John Carter refused.2 Instead, the newcomers solved the vexing legal problem by simply leasing land and property rights from local Native Americans. British officials and Native Americans believed the transactions to be both illegal and disingenuous: first, on account of colonial government regulations such as the Proclamation Line and second, despite the so-called “lease” agreements, the settlers planned to stay indefinitely.

In 1770, colonists established a permanent community known as the

Watauga Settlement. These early settlers were mostly Scotch-Irish Regulators from Virginia and North Carolina, the most prominent being John Carter, James Robertson, Robert Lucas, and John Sevier, who leased land from the Cherokees.3 In 1772, the settlers established the Watauga Association, a system of courts to manage leases and maintain law and order.4 Although the articles of the Association have not survived, they do represent early self-government in the Carolina backcountry. Settlers purchased thousands of acres along the Watauga River on March 19, 1775 in what was known as the Watauga Purchase.5 A growing network of road systems and economic relationships ended the early isolation of original settlements in eastern Tennessee.6

Frustrated with the permanent nature of these settlements, a younger

generation of Cherokees, led by Dragging Canoe, disagreed with the lease scheme and decided on war. Allying themselves with Tory factions, the Cherokee waged war throughout the southeast during the American Revolution. As a result of setbacks such as those at Fort Lee and Fort Watauga in 1776, the Cherokee migrated southward to the vicinity of Chickamauga Creek, near Chattanooga. Although intermittent hostilities would continue until 1796, the Cherokee migration helped ensure permanence of upper East Tennessee settlements as immigrants like Andrew Taylor continued to enter Washington County in search of land.

Andrew Taylor was born in Ireland in 1730 and emigrated to the Watauga Settlement from Rockbridge, Virginia, sometime between 1774 and1778. 7 Taylor was part of the streaming migration of Irish, a people characterized by their willingness to settle beyond the frontier.8 He married Irishwoman Elizabeth Wilson, and the couple had four children: Matthew, Isaac, Andrew, and Elizabeth. Upon Elizabeth’s death, Andrew Taylor married her sister Anne Wilson. Together they had three children: Nathaniel, Rebecca, and Rhoda.

                                                        2 Dixon, 11. 3 Hal T. and Muriel C. Spoder, “Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area,” Tennessee Historical Quarterly 36 (1977): 5. 4 Max Dixon, The Wataugans (Nashville: Tennessee American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, 1976), 36. 5 Spoder, 7. 6 David Hsiung, “How isolated was Appalachia: Upper East Tennessee, 1780-1835,” Appalachian Journal 16, no. 4 (1989): 344. 7 Ibid., 278. 8 Ibid., 28.

4 

With little protection or assistance from North Carolina authorities,

Washington County settlements were vulnerable to Native American attack. Despite the Cherokee defeat at Fort Watauga, violence over land encroachment continued between Native Americans and settlers in East Tennessee. Early in his military career, Nathaniel Taylor, son of Andrew and Anne Taylor, served as captain of a local militia regiment. He and his troops pursued a band of Native Americans who murdered the Lewis family of Indian Creek.9 Taylor’s troops pursued the perpetrators across the French Broad River and captured them.10 Although records of ensuing action against the captured Native Americans have not yet come to light, it is probable that retribution was swift and final. Taylor also led expeditions against other tribes across the Nolichucky River.11

In 1780, during the Revolutionary War, East Tennesseans rallied against the British at the Battle of King’s Mountain. These militiamen gathered without orders and crossed the Appalachian Mountains to join the Patriot cause. The East Tennesseans would be remembered as the “Overmountain Men” for their trek to join Sullivan County, North Carolina militia against British Major Patrick Ferguson and his small army of regular troops and Loyalists. Andrew Taylor and two of his sons, Andrew Taylor, Jr., and Isaac Taylor, accompanied the Overmountain Men who defeated the British.12

Following the Revolution, the Articles of Confederation allotted most political power to the states. This meant that backcountry communities like Washington County were generally excluded due to physical and political isolation. Following cession of the land in 1784 to the new national government by North Carolina, a faction of Tennessee Valley men petitioned for the creation of a fourteenth state to be called the “State of Franklin.” Andrew Taylor served as a delegate to the 1784 State of Franklin convention in Jonesboro.13 Unfortunately, when it realized that the United States government could not properly administer the ceded territory, North Carolina rescinded the cession law and reclaimed the land of East Tennessee. Eventually, North Carolina troops entered the region to reestablish state authority.

The State of Franklin managed to last four years. Prominent men such as Landon Carter and William Cocke supported the proposed state and its first governor, John Sevier. Evan Shelby and John Tipton opposed the nascent state in

                                                        9 Ramsey, J. G. M., William H. Masterson, and Stanley J. Folmsbee, The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century (Johnson City, TN: Overmountain Press, 1853), 182. 10 Ibid. 11 Samuel Cole Williams, Brigadier-General Nathaniel Taylor (Johnson City, TN: The Watauga Press, 1940), 3. 12 Rootsweb, an Ancestry.com Community, “Battle of King’s Mountain Patriot Roster,” http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~scyork/RevWar/KingsMtnRoster.html (accessed March 1, 2012). 13 State of Tennessee and Pollyanna Creekmore, “Sycamore Shoals State Park and Colonel John Carter House Study, 1974,” 6 (Knoxville, TN: State of Tennessee), 620.

5 

East Tennessee.14 Although the Franklinites established a government and court system, they never won enough support for the state in Congress, in North Carolina, or within their own proposed boundaries. The decisive event spelling the demise of Franklin was a skirmish at the Tipton-Haynes Farm in present-day Johnson City on February 28, 1788, won by North Carolinians sent over the mountains to reestablish control.15

In 1791, Nathaniel Taylor married Mary Patton, the daughter of a prominent Irishman, James Patton, who had settled in Virginia.16 Mary’s sister-in-law, Mary McKeehan Patton, is remembered for having manufactured gunpowder for the King’s Mountain battle. Nathaniel Taylor and Mary Patton Taylor had 8 children: James Patton, Ann, Elizabeth, Alfred W., Lorena, Saraphina, Mary, and Nathaniel J.K.17 The family lived for decades on the Andrew Taylor homestead.

Nathaniel Taylor’s children married into other prominent East Tennessee families. Lorena, for instance, married General Jacob Tipton and Saraphina married General A. E. “Mudwall” Jackson, a Confederate officer from Jonesboro.18 Beginnings of Carter County, Tennessee

“A Map of the Tennassee Government formerly part of North Carolina (1795)”

Courtesy Tennessee State Library and Archives

In 1790, the United States formed the Southwest Territory, the region comprising what is now the State of Tennessee. National leaders saw an opportunity to retire Revolutionary war debt through land sales in western territories. Using the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 as a model (and adding a few touches of his own),

                                                        14 Kevin T. Barksdale, The Lost State of Franklin: America's First Secession (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2008), 38. 15 Ibid., 136. 16 W. Eugene Cox, and Joyce Cox, An American Saga: Some East Tennessee Taylors (Bloomington, IN: iUniverse, Inc., 2011), 14. 17 Carter County History Book Committee, East Tennessee and its People 1796-1993, (Knoxville, TN: Carter County History Book Committee, 1993), 190. 18 Ernest W. Goodpasture, “General Nathaniel Taylor and some papers relating to his service in the War of 1812,” American Historical Magazine 9, no. 2 (1904), 194.

6 

William Blount, the territorial governor, petitioned Congress for statehood, which was granted in 1796. The new Tennessee General Assembly, meeting in Knoxville prior to the statehood vote in Congress, created a new county in East Tennessee named for Landon Carter. 19 As one of the two surveyors charged with determining county boundaries, Nathaniel Taylor came under scrutiny for wrongful surveying relative to county borders.20 Surviving evidence does not indicate further suit or punishment. However, his work determined the boundaries and shaped the landscape of Carter County.

Taylor served in various military and civic positions throughout his life. He was commissioned a major in 1796, one of the first military officers of the new state of Tennessee and, by 1803, was a state militia colonel.21 He also served as Carter County’s first Sheriff and as a Justice of the Peace.22 During this period, sheriffs collected taxes in their respective counties, while Justices of the Peace tended to be socially elite citizens who met quarterly to hear court cases.23 From 1803 to 1805, Taylor served as a state legislator. 24 In 1806, he became a Trustee of Duffield Academy, the first institution of higher learning in Carter County.25

By the time of Carter County’s creation, Nathaniel Taylor owned approximately 1,500 acres of land.26 For the next two decades, he continued to increase his holdings centered at “Happy Valley” in Elizabethton, which included land along Buffalo Creek, east to Gap Creek, and on to the ‘old’ Tipton Plantation.27 He also owned land in Virginia. Deeds indicate that Taylor, like many of his contemporaries, was heavily involved in land speculation as the state continued to grow.28

Nathaniel Taylor purchased the first iron forge east of the Appalachian Mountains in 1803 from Godfrey Carriger, Jr. The forge was located on the Holston River to harness its water power. At the Taylor forge, most artisans and workers were probably enslaved people. In these forges, artisans pounded pig iron into                                                         

19 Samuel Cole Williams, “The Tennessee/North Carolina Boundary Survey, 1799,” Tennessee Historical Magazine 6 (1920): 46. 20 Ibid., 4. 21 Ibid., 14. 22 Pollyanna Creekmore, Early East Tennessee Taxpayers (Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press, 1980), 141. 23 William Toomey, “'Doing Justice to Suitors': The County Courts in the Southwest Territory,” The Journal of East Tennessee History (1990): 35 & 40. 24 Jerry Wooten, “Sabine Hill Property Acquisition Proposal” (Nashville: Tennessee Historical Commission, 2007), 1. 25 Frank Merritt, Early History of Carter County, 1760-1861 (Knoxville, TN: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1950), 125. 26 Creekmore, Early East Tennessee Taxpayers, 147. Nathaniel Taylor’s brothers at the time owned smaller tracts – Andrew Taylor Jr. 226 acres in Washington County, Isaac Taylor 600 acres in Carter County. 27 Fred Brown, Marking Time: East Tennessee Historical Markers and the Stories Behind Them (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2005), 58. 28 Barbara Crumpton, Carter County Tennessee Deed Book (Signal Mountain, T.N.: Mountain Press, 2002), multiple entries.

7 

“anchonies,” transportable bars that, upon reheating, were fashioned into final products.29 This complex process required workers of various crafts including blacksmiths, millwrights, hammermen, and woodworkers.30 The forge generated consumer products such as tools, a necessity for growing backcountry communities. Taylor sold most items locally; however, his excess production traveled by horse to the Nolichucky River and then by boat to Knoxville. Such economic links increased family wealth and extended the southern trading network.31 The industry provided income for the family until 1816.32

Nathaniel Taylor may also have profited from slave trading.33 Jonesboro, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, all operated slave markets.34 Like other prominent southern families, the Taylors were slave owners; Nathaniel owned 4 slaves in 1796.35 Surviving statements of sale indicate that Taylor purchased Samuel English and his family (Ester 23 years of age, Luvice three years of age, and Hampton only two) from North Carolina in 1808 for $665.36 Additionally, records indicate Taylor purchased Ruth, an eight-year-old girl, for $261 and later sold Rhoda, a 19-year-old female, for $400.37 Taylor may have purchased slaves from Charleston, South Carolina and traded slaves with other Carter County families involved in the iron industry, such as the Carters and O’Briens.38 However, evidence of large-scale slave trading has yet to surface. At his death, Taylor owned 20 slaves, which qualified him for planter status.39 Clearly Taylor was among the economic elite when he died, since only one in fifty East Tennessee slave owners held as many as twenty slaves.40 The median slave ownership rate for the region was three slaves.41

                                                        29 Charles B. Dew, “Sam Williams, Forgeman” in John C. Inscoe, Appalachians and Race: The Mountain South from Slavery to Segregation (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2001), 80. 30 Spurgeon King, “The Triphammer Forge,” in Rochester History LLX no. 2 (1997): 7. 31 Hsiung, 345. 32 Robert Tipton Nave, A History of the Iron Industry in Carter County to 1860 (Johnson City, Tenn: Master’s Thesis, East Tennessee State University, 1953): 3. James Patton Taylor (eldest son) purchased his brothers’ business shares before his father’s stipulations permitted. Shortly thereafter, Taylor sold the forge. 33 See Williams, 12. See also, Merritt, 155. 34 Richard B. Drake, “Slavery and Antislavery” in John C. Inscoe, Appalachians and Race: The Mountain South from Slavery to Segregation (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2001), 19. 35 Creekmore, Early East Tennessee Taxpayers, 147. 36 Merritt, 155. 37 Crumpton, 49. 38 Merritt, 155. 39 State of Tennessee and Pollyanna Creekmore, “Sycamore Shoals State Park and Colonel John Carter House Study, 1974,” 639. 40 Robert Tracey McKenzie, One South or Many? (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), 17. 41 Ibid., 16.

8 

The War of 1812

In addition to economic pursuits, Nathaniel Taylor continued his military

career, winning appointment as a state militia brigadier general over John Tipton, another prominent citizen of Elizabethton.42 Called to service on August 4, 1814, during the War of 1812, Taylor took his slave, Martin, along when he answered the call to serve his country.43 Taylor’s first duty was to muster troops from East Tennessee.44 His newly formed brigade, which included the Third Regiment of the East Tennessee militia, traveled through Camp Ross, Fort Jackson, Fort Claiborne, and Fort Montgomery before arriving at Mobile, Alabama.45

During this march, most of Taylor’s inexperienced troops suffered shortages of food and basic military equipment. Correspondence between Taylor and John Williams of Knoxville indicate a conflict over supply procurement.46 Despite this, Taylor ordered his troops to march. In response, he received the following from his high-ranking officers Anderson, Spoor, and Duffield who would later marry Taylor’s daughter, “considering these circumstances we humbly represent that we think it highly imprudent to march an army with only nine days’ provisions for a distance of two hundred and forty miles through a country where nothing can be had for its supply, and beg that you would devise means for subsistence before we leave the place where it can be had.”47 Lack of resources slowed Taylor’s troop movements,

                                                        42 Williams, 14. 43 Goodpasture, 193. 44 Ibid., 194. 45 Tom Kanon, “Regimental Histories of Tennessee Units in the War of 1812,” Tennessee State Library and Archives http://www.tennessee.gov/tsla/history/military/1812reg.htm (accessed October 2, 2011). 46 Cox, 26. 47 Spoor, Duffield, Russell, Anderson, Magee, and Van Dyke to Nathaniel Taylor (Oct 13, 1814) transcribed in Goodpasture, 196.

Brigadier General Nathaniel Taylor Courtesy Tennessee State Library and Archives

9 

as they were forced to collect requisite supplies on the march. Correspondence indicates that the troops later received limited rations.48

Taylor and his East Tennessee brigade were posted principally at Camp Mandeville (near Mobile) and Fort Montgomery from 1814 to 1815.49 Major General Andrew Jackson, fearing that Chickasaw and Cherokee warriors might join the British, needed a reliable force at Mobile, especially since it was unknown where the British might land an invasion force.50 Entrusted with the post at Mobile, Taylor’s leadership came under question when soldiers registered multiple complaints against him regarding his habitual drunkenness.51 This scandal, like the previous surveying incident, did not result in punishment or a suit against him of any kind.

Days before the Battle of New Orleans, Brigadier General James Winchester ordered Taylor to immediately send lightly provisioned troops to Jackson’s aid, presumably as support for the impending battle. Winchester stated, “You will give this detachment every possible facility to get in motion.”52 There is no evidence to suggest they arrived in time to contribute to the Battle of New Orleans, a resounding American victory that aroused patriotic pride and catapulted Jackson to instant renown within the United States.

Upon war’s conclusion, boarding records indicate Taylor had left Fort Montgomery by February 2, 1815.53 He died on June 20, 1815, somewhere in Elizabethton.54 Pension records indicate Mary Patton Taylor received a Bounty Land Warrant.55 In addition, Taylor family biographers, W. Eugene and Joyce Cox, suggest Mary Patton Taylor received $657.87 from the Office of War of 1812 Veterans in 1816.56

Three of Nathaniel Taylor’s great-grandchildren went on to become state governors. Two of Nathaniel G. Taylor’s children, Robert L. (Democrat) and Alfred A. Taylor (Republican) competed against each other in what came to be known as the War of the Roses for the governorship of Tennessee in 1886. Jocular myths surrounding the race between the Taylor brothers include practical jokes and fiddle playing at the rallies. The race at first appeared outrageous, but the enduring

                                                        48 Duffield: General Order, transcribed in Goodpasture, 196. 49 Goodpasture, 195. These dates illustrate that Brigadier General Taylor could not have been present at the battle of New Orleans. 50 Frank Lawrence Owsley, Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands: The Creek War and the Battle of New Orleans, 1812-1815 (Gainesville: University Presses of Florida, 1981), 101. 51 Ibid., 34. 52 Brigadier General J. Winchester to Brigadier General Nathaniel Taylor (January 3, 1815) transcribed in Goodpasture, 198. 53 Goodpasture, 199. 54 Cox, 34. 55 Virgil D. White, Entry “N Taylor,” Index to War of 1812 Pension Files (Waynesboro, TN: National Historical Publishing Co., 1989). 56 Cox, 35.

10 

symbols of roses generated a lasting state symbol of good will. 57 Both brothers went on to notable careers as congressmen in addition to stints as Tennessee governor.

Additionally, Nathaniel E. Harris, a great-grandson of Nathaniel, helped found

Georgia Tech University (originally the Georgia Institute of Technology).58 Harris served as Governor of Georgia (1915-1917), promoting a social welfare agenda that included prohibition. 59

                                                        57 Robert Love Taylor Jr., Entry: “War of the Roses” Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, Web Edition, http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1463 (accessed October 6, 2011). 58 Rozella Hardin, “Historical Association searches for funds to purchase Taylor House,” Elizabethton Star, 2003. 59 Barton Myers, Entry: “Nathaniel E. Harris” The New Georgia Encyclopedia, Web Edition, http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2802&sug=y (accessed February 1, 2012).

Alfred A. Taylor and Robert L. Taylor “War of the Roses” Engraving

Lincoln County Courthouse, Tennessee War of the Roses Rally

Courtesy Tennessee State Library and Archives

11 

Sabine Hill

According to family tradition, construction on Sabine Hill began c. 1814, prior to Taylor’s death. The original designer of the house remains unknown. The family may have moved into a cabin already on-site.60 This temporary residence probably belonged to the Tipton family, since Eugene and Joyce Cox suggest the Taylors purchased the plot from the Tiptons.61 The house was not completed until 1818, well after Taylor’s death. It is believed that Mary then replaced the original cabin with a new structure and connected it to the main house to form the current “L” shape.62

In 1821, the heirs of Nathaniel Taylor deeded Sabine Hill and the surrounding property to the youngest son, Nathaniel J.K. Taylor, in exchange for land on Roans Creek.63 The heirs stipulated that Mary Patton Taylor be allowed to occupy the house for the remainder of her life.64 Mary Taylor continued to be active in the community after her husband’s death. In 1825, Mary, along with her children Nathaniel G. and A.W., were listed as members of the First Presbyterian Church.65 Mary Taylor lived at Sabine Hill until her death in 1853, and is interred with her husband and a few of their children at The Oldest Taylor Cemetery just two miles from Sabine Hill.66

The Taylor family was always active in community affairs. In 1822 James Patton Taylor, eldest son of Nathaniel and Mary Patton Taylor, wed Mary Carter, daughter of Landon Carter. The county was named for Carter due to his key role in its settlement.67 Taylor, an attorney, served as the first Attorney General of the First Judicial Circuit Court from 1814 to 1833, playing a pivotal role during the 1820s in improving the road that would become U.S. Highway 19 from North Carolina to Elizabethton.68 James Patton Taylor purchased land that is now a part of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park from his father in 1815. After his death in 1833, his wife inherited the land.69 The couple had nine children, including Nathaniel Green Taylor.

                                                        60 Benjamin Harrison Taylor, Interview with James Reynolds at Sabine Hill in Elizabethton, Tennessee, June 14, 1999. 61 Cox, 35. 62 Interview with James Reynolds. 63 Mary McIver, Abstracts of the Deeds of Carter County Tennessee 1796-1825 (Elizabethton, T.N.: M. McIver, 1985), 96. 64 McIver, 96. 65 Merritt, 160. First Families suggests Andrew Taylor may have had a Presbyterian background in Ireland, which his family promulgated. 66 Orville T. Fields, Cemeteries of Carter County Tennessee (Knoxville, TN: Fields 1976), 45. 67 Creekmore, 138. 68 Cox, 41. 69 State of Tennessee and Creekmore, 203.

12 

Reverend Nathaniel G. Taylor served as a Whig member of Congress from

1853 to 1857.70 Taylor led relief efforts during the Civil War on behalf of destitute citizens of East Tennessee. A Unionist to the core, he wrote Abraham Lincoln in 1863, “In the name of Christianity and humanity, in the name of God and Liberty, for the sake of their wives and children & everything they hold sacred and dear on Earth the loyal people of Tennessee appeal to you and implore you not to abandon them again to the merciless dominion of the Rebels by a withdrawal of the US forces from Upper East Tennessee.”71 President Johnson appointed Taylor Commissioner of Indian Affairs in return for his patronage.72 Based upon his recommendations for peace, Congress appointed Taylor to the Indian Peace Commission on Indian Affairs in 1867.

Nathaniel J.K. Taylor remained a bachelor and anecdotal evidence suggests that his brother, Alfred W. Taylor, acquired ownership of the home at a later date.73 In the 1850 census, A.W. Taylor is listed as a lawyer and farmer.74 Alfred W. Taylor married Mary Elizabeth Duffield, daughter of Colonel George Duffield, who was commissioned in Brigadier General Nathaniel Taylor’s regiment during the War of 1812.75 George D. Taylor, son of A.W. Taylor, was born in 1829. Edward Taylor, an

                                                        70 Ibid. 71 Nathaniel G. Taylor and John Williams, “Nathaniel G. Taylor and John Williams telegram to President Abraham Lincoln, October 14, 1863.” Ancestry.com http://www.ancestry.com (accessed January 4, 2012). 72 Cox, 68. 73 Carter County History Book Committee, Carter County, Tennessee and Its People, 1796-1993 (Elizabethton, TN: Carter County History Book Committee, 1993), 190. 74 United States Government, 1850 U.S. Census, Elizabethton, Carter County, Tennessee, digital image Ancestry.com http://www.ancestry.com (accessed November 10, 2011). 75 Pollyanna Creekmore and Robert Tipton Nave, Carter County, 1796-1850: Being Transcriptions from the Original Bonds and Licenses at the County Courthouse, Elizabethton (Knoxville, TN: Clinchdale Press, 1958), 143.

Nathaniel Green Taylor Courtesy Tennessee State Library and Archives

13 

enslaved person owned by George, escaped slavery in 1864, by joining the United States Colored Troops (USCT) in Knoxville.76

George Taylor died intestate in 1909 having presumably inherited the Sabine Hill property from his father, A.W. Taylor. George’s heirs sold their claim to the property in 1911 to his nephew and niece, Alfred W. Taylor Jr. and Caren M. Taylor, children of George’s brother Henry Harrison Taylor.77 According to the 1910 census, Caren and her brother A.W. lived together in a rented house in Knoxville, Tennessee.78 Caren is listed as single and working as her brother’s housekeeper. The residency of Sabine Hill during this ownership period is unclear. Caren and A.W. may have rented the property. Oral history suggests Bob Bollard farmed the site for 25 years on behalf of its absentee owners.79

In 1947, Caren M. Taylor sold the property to the Sabine Hill Realty Company.80 (This excluded 0.79 acres deeded to Carter County in 1924 for highway development.) The Plat for the Caren M. Taylor Farm states, “the old house [presumably Sabine Hill] located on this tract must either be razed or remodeled,” perhaps indicating a state of disrepair.81 The Sabine Hill Realty Company sold the Sabine Hill house and property to M.C. Bowers in 1948.82

Sabine Hill, circa 1940

Courtesy Tennessee State Library and Archives

M.C. Bowers and his wife Sylvia sold Sabine Hill to James L. Reynolds in the summer of 1949.83 It remained in the Reynolds family until 2003. After moving from

                                                        76 Cedar Grove Foundation Private Report. 77 Carter County, Tennessee: Deedbook 32, page 518. The 1900 census lists Henry Harrison as a widowed lawyer, 58 years of age. 78 United States Government, 1900 U.S. Census, Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee, digital image Ancestry.com http://www.ancestry.com (accessed November 10, 2011). 79 Interview with James Reynolds. 80 Carter County, Tennessee: Deedbook 144, page 463. 81 Carter County, Tennessee: Plat Book 3, page unlabeled. 82 Carter County, Tennessee: Deed Book 149, page 236. 83 Ibid., page 481.

14 

Englewood, Tennessee to Elizabethton, Reynolds worked at the North American Rayon Corporation as a mechanical engineer. However, he enjoyed fond memories of the house, having viewed it from afar in 1936, before moving to Elizabethton. Reynolds recounted that, when purchased, the house was indeed in need of renovations; for instance, the incredibly rusted roof, and of greater concern, an unstable foundation that caused the house to tilt. (For information concerning these repairs please see the Current Conditions History) During Reynolds’ tenure as owner, the state added Sabine Hill to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The will of James Reynolds could not be located at his death.84 Reynolds’ heirs John Thomas Reynolds, James Owen Reynolds, William Lyn Reynolds, Robert Jennings Reynolds, and Deborah Kay Killen chose to sell the property. They placed the home on the auction block to settle unresolved inheritance issues. 85 John Reynolds stated his father’s wishes, “Dad always wanted it [Sabine Hill] to go back to the Taylor heirs. To people that know its historical value, or a family that would enjoy the place.”86 City Manager Charles Stahl requested an exclusive offer of sale to the city on behalf of then Elizabethton Mayor, Sam LaPorte, from the heirs of James Reynolds. The offer was denied.87 Community Rally

According to Journalist Rozella Hardin of the Elizabethton Star, the Watauga Historical Association in 2007 attempted to acquire the Sabine Hill property. Watauga Historical Association President Larry Blalock stated, “We want to keep the property out of the hands of developers, and our goal is to preserve and restore the house, which is a very important piece of our community’s history.”88 Taylor descendants pledged $50,000 toward the purchase through the Andrew Taylor Foundation but quickly recognized this would not be enough to purchase the property, then valued between $130,000 and $150,000.89

In 2003, Arthur and Vivian Shipley Eckerson of Johnson City purchased the property (the house and surrounding 4.8 acres) for $202,500.90 Due to financial difficulties impeding the Eckersons’ hopes for renovation and ideas for a future historic site attraction, their plans to restore the home never materialized. After

                                                        84 Megan R. Harrell, “Historic Elizabethton Property up for Auction,” Elizabethton Star, 2003. 85 Carter County, Tennessee: Deedbook 474, page 501. 86 Harrell, 1. 87 Rozella Hardin, “Historical Association searches for funds to purchase Taylor House,” Elizabethton Star, 2003. 88 Ibid. 89 The Andrew Taylor Foundation preserves two family cemeteries. Rev. Benjamin Harrison Taylor, PhD instituted the Foundation. 90 Thomas Wilson, “Taylor House to keep Historical Integrity, say new owners,” Elizabethton Star, 2003. Also Carter County, TN: Deedbook 513, page 492.

15 

years on the market, John Molder of Elite Properties Development in Johnson City acquired an option to erect 46 condominium units on the property.91

Direct threat of development to Sabine Hill rallied the community once again. The Tennessee Preservation Trust placed Sabine Hill on the 2007 “Ten in Tennessee Endangered List.”92 This list draws attention to state sites in danger of demolition to garner statewide support. In hopes of providing the state more time to request necessary funds, former Mayor Sam LaPorte and Helen Wilson, previous leader of the Historic Zoning Commission, supplied their own funds to purchase the site in July 2007 for $295,000.93 Ultimately, the state reimbursed both LaPorte and Wilson in 2008 to cover the initial expense as well as the cost of taxes and insurance during their period of ownership.94

The Tennessee Historical Commission is responsible for overseeing the restoration project. Since 2008, Sycamore Shoals State Park has maintained the landscape. Later Generations of Taylors in the Public Arena

The fight for integration played out on a national stage; however, it was ultimately won in local courts. Judge Robert Love Taylor presided over the Clinton desegregation case in Anderson County, Tennessee. Taylor upheld the school board’s decision in McSwain et al. v. County Board of Education of Anderson County, Tennessee (1952) to prohibit African American students from attending Clinton High School. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) against segregation, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, overturned Taylor’s decision and the suit was returned to federal district court. Despite local efforts to delay desegregation, Taylor ordered the school board to integrate by the fall of 1956. The “Clinton Twelve,” twelve African American students, attended Clinton High School thereby desegregating the first state high school in Tennessee. They were the first to do so in the south. Segregationist rallies in town swelled to 1,500 people. Violent riots broke out September 1, 1956 and lasted until the next day when Governor Clement requested National Guard support.95 The struggle to fully integrate the public school system in Anderson County would not end until 1965.96

                                                        91 John Thompson, “Home Sweet Home: Historic Sabine Hill bought by state, to be restored,” Elizabethton Star, 2008. 92 Tennessee Preservation Trust, “2007 Top Ten in Tennessee,” http://www.tennesseepreservationtrust.org/ten (accessed November 2, 2011). 93 Rozella Hardin “Two local leaders buy Taylor House on Sabine Hill” Elizabethton Star July 17, 2007. 94 John Thompson, “Home Sweet Home: Historic Sabine Hill bought by state, to be restored,” Elizabethton Star, 2008. 95 Carrol Van West, Entry: “Clinton Desegregation Crisis” The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=279 (accessed January 4, 2012). 96 Ibid.

16 

Radio personality Ann Taylor of “All Things Considered” on National Public Radio is a Taylor descendant. 97 Peter Taylor, award-winning author, is also a descendant. His early career is characterized by short stories exploring southern identity, population displacement, and gender power struggles.98 In 1985 Peter Taylor won a Pulitzer Prize for his novel, A Summons to Memphis.99

                                                        97 Thompson, Elizabethton Star, 2008. 98 Hubert Horton McAlexander, Peter Taylor: A Writer’s Life (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2001), 198. 99 Hubert Horton McAlexander, “Peter Taylor Prize for the Novel” Tennessee Book Award http://www.knoxvillewritersguild.org/taylorbio.htm (accessed February 3, 2012).

House Exterior Description

Sabine Hill, constructed c. 1818, is situated on a five-acre plot within the city limits of Elizabethton, Carter County, Tennessee. Built by Mary (Polly) Patton Taylor, the main dwelling and ell sits at the top of a rise, with a wooden shed and small frame barn immediately contiguous to the west. Further to the west below the rise is a larger frame barn. The front of the dwelling faces northwest, overlooking State Highway 321 on the west side of Elizabethton. Beyond the highway to the north is a bend in the Watauga River southwest of Sycamore Shoals, and to the south, a golf course. Light commercial and residential infill is situated to the west and east. The property, which is covered with a grassy lawn, scrub brush and mature shade trees, is accessed from a drive at the end of West G Street. Dense woodlands cover the property to the southwest below the rise, and a small creek that defines the southwestern border empties into the Watauga River to the north. The property is surrounded by small mountains and ridges.

The Federal Style frame dwelling is a two-story, side gable, I-house design

featuring a symmetrical five-bay front façade with central entrance (Figure 1). The floor plan of the main block is two-over-two. The foundation consists of coursed rough-cut limestone, while the roof is clad in raised seam metal. The main block is flanked on either side by two single-shoulder brick chimneys. To the rear is a single story, side gable ell accessed from the main block through a hyphen (Figure 2). The single room ell rests on a limestone foundation, features a raised seam metal roof, and has a single-shoulder limestone chimney on the southeast façade.

17

Figure 1. Sabine Hill northeast Façade, 2011.

Figure 2. First Floor, Floor Plan. Not to scale

18

The dwelling has undergone various alterations over the years, particularly during the ownership of Mr. James Reynolds, who owned the property from 1949-1999. Mr. Reynolds confirmed during a recorded interview that he had replaced much of the dwelling’s weatherboard siding during the early 1950s (HABs photographs, when compared to those taken more recently, confirm this, see Figure 3), and that he later flipped and sanded weatherboard siding on the front of the house during the 1960s. Siding on the southeast façade and ell may also have been replaced or flipped (Figures 4 and 5).

Figure 3. 1936 HABs image of North façade and siding close up.

19

Figure 4. Photo from 2011, provides evidence that the south siding has been tampered with.

Figure 5. Image of the west façade of the ell addition clearly shows that the siding is modern.

20

Extensive cracking and shifts in the foundation of Sabine Hill can be seen in the 1936 HABs photographs (Figure 6). According to Mr. Reynolds, he reworked the foundation of the house to correct cracking and tilting issues in the 1950s. Most of the foundation problems have been caused by a basement addition to the 1818 section of the house. This addition was added some time before 1936 as HABs images clearly show a basement entry and window (Figures 7). The basement walls were not properly reinforced when the basement was constructed and has caused the walls to weaken and give way.

Figure 6. 1936 HABs photograph show damage to the foundation.

Figure 7. 2011 photograph shows the addition of a basement window.

21

Sabine Hill has three exterior chimneys, with two flanking the east and west facades, respectively, and a smaller chimney on the southeast end of the ell. The larger flanking chimneys feature single shoulders and are composed of brick in a common bond pattern (Figures 8 and 9). These brick chimneys have been re-pointed at various times, and rebuilt as required over the years. According to Mr. Reynolds, he repaired the chimneys almost immediately after purchase (a 1936 HABs photograph indicates chimney damage, see Figures 10-13). The east chimney shows signs of ghosting, indicating that brick was replaced over the soot line (Figure 14). There is evidence of water damage (Figure 15). Foundation issues may also have undermined the stability of the flanking brick stacks. The ell chimney is composed of rough cut, coursed limestone blocks, and has a single shoulder (Figure 16). This chimney, which at the very least has been repointed several times, almost certainly contains stone from the original nineteenth century stack.

Figure 8. West Chimney Figure 9. East Chimney

22

Figure 10. Close-up of west wall chimney, HABs 1936. Note the decorative banding along the top of the chimney. This no longer exists.

Figure 13. Close-up of east wall chimney, 2011.

Figure 11. Close-up of east wall chimney, HABs 1936.Note that the banding along the top is missing and part of the chimney is crumbling.

Figure 12. Close-up of west wall chimney, 2011

23

Figure 14. Left: Full view of the east wall chimney note the water damage marks starting at the shoulders. Figure 15. Above: Note the ghosting marks just above the shoulder where the top half of the chimney was reworked.

24

Figure 16. South Ell Chimney

25

Several exterior doors on Sabine Hill have been either replaced or altered. Mr. Reynolds replaced the original 1818 front door surround with an exact replica during renovation work in the 1950s and1960s (1936 HABs photographs show the original surround, see Figures 17 and 18). He saved remnants of the 1818 surround, which are stored in a front parlor of the dwelling.

Figure 18. 2011 photograph of the current door surround.

Figure 17. 1936 HABs photograph of the door surround.

26

27

There are a total of twenty-one nine-over-nine double-hung windows (Figure 19). All of the sashes have been replaced. The west façade of the ell addition features a set of 1950s era two-over-two double-hung sash between the two existing doors (Figure 20), and an image from the 1936 HABs report shows that these windows were installed sometime after 1936 (Figure 21).

Figure 19. Nine-over-nine double-hung window.

Figure 21. 2011 image of the two-over-two double-hung windows, and porch added by Mr. Reynolds.

Figure 20. 1936 HABs image of the west wall ell façade. Note that there is no porch or windows.

28

29

Mr. Reynolds added a poured concrete porch (c. 1955) to the rear (west) wall of the ell addition (Figure 20). An image from the 1936 HABs report shows no porch and indicates that there probably never was one (Figure 21). A foundation extension can be seen along the poured concrete porch located on the west façade of the ell. The use of later brick and river rock denote that this foundation was later construction added c. 1950, and is non-load bearing (Figure 22).

Figure 22. 2011 photograph of the veneer foundation located off the west ell addition.

30

Sabine Hill has three porches--an entry porch on the north façade of the house, a full porch on the west façade of the ell, and a third porch on the east façade of the ell. The c. 1960 metal frame entry porch features wood plank horizontal treads, a metal handrail, and balustrade, (Figure 23). The c. 1960 full porch on the west façade of the ell has a metal shed-roof awning supported by decorative metal columns (Figure 24). The c. 1960 porch on the east façade of the ell has a metal frame with wood plank treads, and a freestanding metal shed-roof awning extends over a portion of the porch (Figure 25).

Figure 23. Front Porch

Figure 24. West Ell Porch

Figure 25. East Ell Porch

Exterior Elevation Descriptions North

The north elevation of the main block features five bays on the first floor (Figure 26 & 27). Four of the bays are nine-over-nine double-hung wood sash with aluminum triple-track storms. The wooden entry door features six panels under a fanlight transom. The c. 1950 exterior door surround is capped by a decorative broken pediment supported by square pilasters. There are five symmetrical nine-over-nine double hung wooden sash with aluminum triple-track storms on the second floor. The roof is raised seam metal. The foundation consists of rough-cut limestone blocks laid in courses. The metal frame entry porch on the north façade of the main block has wood plank horizontal treads, a metal handrail and balustrade.

Figure 26. North Façade, 1818 house.

31

32

Fig

ure

27. N

orth

Faç

ade.

East

The east façade of the main block has four bays and a brick chimney. Both the first and second stories have two symmetrically spaced nine-over-nine double-hung sash (Figure 28& 29). The chimney on this side of the house is composed of brick laid in the common bond pattern, and has one shoulder. This chimney has been repointed and/or repaired as required. A soffit return appears on this section of the house as

Figure 28. East Façade, 1818 house.

33

34

Fig

ure

29.

Eas

t fa

çade

South

The south façade of the main block has six bays and an attached ell. The first floor features four nine-over-nine double-hung sash, while the first floor has one nine-over-nine double-hung sash and a six-panel wood entry door. The lack of symmetry on the south façade makes it probable that the builders anticipated adding the rear ell at a later time (Figure 30 & 31). Current images of the house suggest that the exterior weatherboard may not be original, or may have been flipped. In an inter-view with Mr. Reynolds in 1999, he stated that he had sanded and flipped the front fa-çade’s weatherboard but there is no mention or documentation that he did the same to the rear of the house.

Figure 30. South Façade, 1818 house.

35

36

Fig

ure

31. S

outh

Faç

ade.

West

The west façade of the main block has no openings other than a small wood

plank basement door located in the foundation (Figure 32 & 33). The chimney on this side of the house is composed of brick laid in the common bond pattern, and has one shoulder. This chimney has been refurbished at least once. A soffit return appears on this section of the house as well.

Figure 32. West Façade, 1818 house.

37

38

Fig

ure

33. W

est

faça

de

Rear Ell Addition- West The west façade of the ell and hyphen has four bays (Figure 34). The cabin portion of the ell features a central door flanked by two two-over-two double-hung sash. The set of two-over-two double-hung sash was added sometime after 1936. A shed-roof porch supported by decorative metal columns covers this part of the façade. The hyphen attaching the cabin to the main block has a single entry door.

Figure 34. West Façade, Ell Addition.

39

Rear Ell Addition- South

The south façade of the ell addition has one rough-cut limestone chimney with

one set of shoulders (Figure 35)

Figure 35. South Façade, Ell Addition.

40

Rear Ell Addition- East

The east wall of the ell addition features four bays (Figure 36). Three symmetrically spaced nine-over-nine double-hung sash are located on the cabin portion of the house. A wood paneled door with a decorative metal storm door is located on the hyphen extension. The metal awing and a metal frame porch additions date generally to the 1960s.

Figure 36. East Façade, Ell Addition.

41

House Interior Description The first floor of the main block features a central hall with flanking rooms. To the west is a parlor known as the “Red, White, and Blue Room.” The room to the east side has been converted into a den or family room, but may have previously served as a sitting room. The cabin ell and hyphen form the rear extension of the dwelling. The hyphen has been converted into a kitchen, while the cabin currently serves as a dining area. The second story of the main block has east and west bedrooms with a small bathroom on the landing. The square footage of the house is approximately 2,057 square feet. A floor plan for the basement addition is not included in this report. The basement lies directly beneath the main block.

42

First Floor Interior Entryway

The entryway (Figure 37) measures 7’9”x 22’4”. The walls are composed of horizontal wood planks approximately 6” in width. The main staircase features a dog-leg layout and is located on the west wall of the space. Risers are 9 ½” typical, while the treads are 12” typical. Parts of the stairs have been altered, including a decorative Victorian scroll design located on the stair stringer, and portions of the railing (Figure 38-39). A second staircase leading down to the basement level is concealed beneath the main staircase. The entryway has two exterior wood panel doors, and three interior doors. The west door leads to the “Red, White, and Blue Room.” The east door leads to the family room. The third door, located beneath the staircase, leads to the basement. The space has 6” wood plank floors, and 6” base-board. Crown molding located in this area is has reed detailing. It is not known if the molding in this space has been added and/or replaced.

Figure 37. Entryway, main house.

43

Figure 38. Handrail detail.

Figure 39. Decorative scroll-work on the main stairwell.

44

Red, White, and Blue Room

The “Red, White, and Blue Room” is located on the west side of the main block and is one of the better intact rooms (Figure 40-44), measuring 14’3” x 22’4”. The walls are composed of plaster which, in many places, is crumbling. The space has generally intact millwork including a large 6” baseboard, paneled wainscoting, a 3” chair rail, and 6” crown molding with reed detail. The floors are 6” poplar planks. The original mantel has been removed and may be stored among the other molding pieces in this room. The fireplace surround is composed of brick laid in common bond with a surmounting flat jack arch. The surround may have been plastered over at some point in the past.

Figure 40. Red, White, and Blue room.

45

Fig

ure

41.

Red

, Whi

te, a

nd B

lue

room

.

46

47

Fig

ure

42.

Red

, Whi

te, a

nd B

lue

room

.

48

Fig

ure

43.

Red

, Whi

te, a

nd B

lue

room

.

49

Fig

ure

44.

Red

, Whi

te, a

nd B

lue

room

.

50

East Sitting Room

The sitting room (Figure 45) is located on the east end of the main block, and measures 13’4” x 22’4”. Wall material in this space is obscured by wall paper, but may consist of either plaster or horizontal wood planks. Millwork is not original and now consist of 3” pine baseboards, crown molding, and surround molding. A faux stone fireplace, c. 1960, has replaced the original mantel, hearth, and fireplace surround. Most of the original wood plank flooring has been covered with linoleum, although some parts of the older flooring are exposed.

Figure 45. East Sitting Room

Hyphen Addition

The hyphen portion of the ell addition has been converted into a modern

kitchen, circa 1960 (Figure 46). The space measures 14’- 3” x 13’-4”. The original wooden plank walls have been covered by a decorative board and batten pine veneer. Pine wall and floor cabinets, as well as modern plumbing and electrical fixtures have been added to the space. The kitchen area has two exterior pine doors and two interior pine doors, circa 1960. The windows in this space are also modern additions, circa 1960s.

Figure 46. Hyphen Addition.

51

Cabin Addition

The cabin portion of the ell measures 17’0” x 13’4” (Figure 47). Most

original elements of this space remain intact. Horizontal wood plank wallboards are concealed beneath several layers of wall paper. The ceiling has also been obscured by resilient ceiling tiles. The mantel on the south side of the space appears to be original, and the fireplace surround is composed of rough-cut limestone blocks with a segmental arch. Crown and baseboard molding have been replaced. Flooring consists of 3” pine planks not original to this portion of the house.

Figure 47. Cabin Addition.

52

Second Floor Interior Landing Bathroom

A small c. 1960 bathroom measuring 8’7” x 7’0” is located at the top of the stairs (Figure 48). Walls in this bathroom have been covered with cork tile and wood paneling. Modern plumbing and plumbing appliances have been added to the space.

Figure 48. Landing Bathroom.

53

West Bedroom

The bedroom on the west side of the main block has been completely altered, and little, if any, original building fabric exists (Figure 49-50). The space measures roughly 22’3” x 14’3”. Walls feature particle board paneling, and the ceiling has resilient tiles. Original molding was removed and replaced with modern stock. Two small closets were added on the west and east sides of the room. The fireplace mantel has been stripped away, but the hearth and fireplace surround are still visible. Flooring in the room is covered by carpet. All alterations to this space took place during c. 1960.

Figure 49. West Bedroom fireplace.

Figure 50. West Bedroom closets.

54

East Bedroom

Like the west bedroom, the east bedroom has been severely altered (Figures 51-52). The space measures 14’10” x 14’4”. The room features particle board walls, resilient ceiling tiles, and modern molding. The fireplace mantel has been removed from the space and the fireplace covered. Original wood plank flooring remains intact, although a changing room and closet have been added to the south side of the space, which measures 6’9” x 14’4”. All alterations to this room took place c. 1960.

Figure 51. East Bedroom fireplace.

Figure 52. East Bedroom closet.

55

Basement level The house's basement is located beneath the main block of the house (Figures 53-54). The portion located beneath the red, white, and blue room has finished concrete floors, while the floor on the east side has dirt floors. It is on the east side of the basement that the wall is caving in. From the basement level one can see the full log sleeper joist that support the finished flooring above.

56

Figure 53. East Basement wall

Figure 54. Basement sleeper joists

Outbuildings Shed

A small storage shed clad in vertical boards is located to the east of the dwelling. The shed has moderately pitched flat roof sheathed in raised seam metal (Figures 55-56).

57

Figure 55. West side of the shed

Figure 56. East side of the shed.

Barn

To the east side of the property there is a double pen grain barn sheathed in horizontal boards on the first level and vertical boards in the pediment. The structure rests on a stacked limestone pier foundation and has a raised seam metal roof. There is a shed-roof addition on the east façade probably used to store farm implements (Figures 57-58).

58

Figure 57. North side of the barn.

Figure 58. South side of the barn.

Needs Assessments and Recommendations: The house should be thoroughly assessed for access points, which should be

sealed off to prevent the intrusion of pests. Sabine Hill has several openings which should be closed up immediately. A window on the South wall is broken and has provided an access point for birds and other winged animals (Figure 59). An opening in the foundation of the rear ell addition allows access to the house’s crawlspace (Figure 60). Finally, a large hole in the foundation of the east wall of the 1818 structure serves as an entryway for pests and has compromised the sta-bility of the foundation wall (Figure 61)

The later addition of a basement space to the main block of the house raises

concerns as to the structural stability of the foundation walls of the house. On the east side of the house the foundation wall has collapsed in some areas and may be effecting the soundness of the wood frame structure as well as the attached chimney. A structural engineer should be consulted immediately to assess and take measures to stabilize the foundation (Figure 62).

The chimney on the east side of the 1818 structures shows signs of mold and water

damage. The chimney should be assessed for any cracks or penetration points. These areas should be properly sealed (Figure 63).

The weatherboarding on the south façade is in poor condition (Figure 64). In some

areas the wood siding is extremely weathered and in some cases the boards have rotted away. There are also numerous holes in the siding caused by squirrels. These holes should be patched and the rotten and weathered boards should be re-placed. Finally, a protective finish should be added to the siding to prevent further deterioration.

The interior of the home is also in poor condition (Figure 65 & 66). Various access

points throughout the house have allowed the accumulation of guano, dirt, and other various types of hazardous debris. There is also a collection of hazardous chemicals, and a wine still in the basement of the house. All of these materials can pose health risks for any who enter the house and should be properly cleaned or removed.

The plaster work in some areas of the house, specifically in the “Red, White, and

Blue” Room, is extremely deteriorated and should be restored and maintained (Figure 67).

Most of the structure’s surfaces have been covered with modern materials. These

modern materials should be removed in order to reveal any remaining wall and floor surface materials.

After the house has been properly cleaned and sealed up any existing molding or

woodwork should be identified and restored to the house.

59

60

Figure 59. Missing panes in window sash allowing the entry of pests.

Figure 60. Access point for pests into the ell’s crawlspace.

Figure 61. Access point for pests into the east foundation wall of the 1818 structure.

61

Figure 62. Foundation instability on the east wall of the 1818 structure.

Figure 63. Water damage to the east wall chimney.

62

Figure 63. South façade weatherboard siding deterioration.

Figure 64 (Above). Accumulation of bird guano and other debris. Figure 65 (Left) The wine still located in the house’s basement.

Figure 66. Deterioration of plasterwork

63

Sabine Hill and Taylor Family: Historical Significance

Bibliography

Barksdale, Kevin T. The Lost State of Franklin: America's First Secession. Lexington:

University Press of Kentucky, 2008.

Brown, Fred. Marking Time: East Tennessee Historical Markers and the Stories Behind

Them. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2005.

Carter County History Book Committee. Carter County, Tennessee and Its People,

1796-1993. Elizabethton, TN: Carter County History Book Committee, 1993.

Carter County History Book Committee. East Tennessee and its People 1796-1993.

Elizabethton, T.N.: Carter County History Book Committee, 1993.

Carter County, Tennessee Register of Deeds, Deedbooks.

Cox, W. Eugene and Joyce Cox. An American Saga: Some East Tennessee Taylors.

Bloomington, IN: iUniverse, Inc., 2011.

Creekmore, Pollyanna. Early East Tennessee Taxpayers. Easley, SC: Southern

Historical Press, 1980.

Creekmore, Pollyanna, and Robert Tipon Nave. Carter County, 1796-1850: Being

Transcriptions from the Original Bonds and Licenses at the County Courthouse,

Elizabethton. Knoxville, TN: Clinchdale Press, 1958.

Crumpton, Barbara. Carter County Tennessee Deed Book. Signal Mountain, TN:

Mountain Press, 2002.

Dixon, Max. The Wataugans. Nashville: Tennessee American Revolution Bicentennial

Commission, 1976.

East Tennessee Historical Society. First Families of Tennessee: A Register of Early

Settlers and Their Present-Day Descendants. Knoxville, TN: The East

Tennessee Historical Society, 2000.

64

Fields, Orville T. Cemeteries of Carter County Tennessee. Knoxville, TN: Fields, 1976.

Goodpasture, Ernest W. “General Nathaniel Taylor and Some Papers Relating to His

Service in the War of 1812.” American Historical Magazine 9, no. 2 (1904): 193-

200.

Hardin, Rozella. “Historical Association Searches for Funds to Purchase Taylor House.”

Elizabethton Star, 2003.

Hardin, Rozella. “Two local leaders buy Taylor House on Sabine Hill.” Elizabethton Star

July 17, 2007.

Harrell, Megan R. “Historic Elizabethton Property up for Auction.” Elizabethton Star,

2003.

Hsiung, David. “How isolated was Appalachia: Upper East Tennessee, 178-1835.”

Appalachian Journal 16, no. 4 (1989): 335-345.

Inscoe, John C. Appalachians and Race: The Mountain South from Slavery to

Segregation. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2001.

Kanon, Tom. “Regimental Histories of Tennessee Unites in the War of 1812,”

Tennessee State Library and Archives

http://www.tennessee.gov/tsla/history/military/1812reg.htm (accessed October 2,

2011).

King, Spurgeon. “The Triphammer Forge.” Rochester History LLX no. 2 (1997): 3-11.

Merritt, Frank. Early History of Carter County, 1760-1861. Knoxville, TN: East

Tennessee Historical Society, 1950.

McAlexander, Hubert Horton. Peter Taylor: A Writer’s Life. Baton Rouge: Louisiana

State University Press, 2001.

McIver, Mary. Abstracts of the Deeds of Carter County Tennessee 1796-1825.

Elizabethton, TN: McIver, 1985.

65

Nave, Robert Tipton. “A History of the Iron Industry in Carter County to 1860.” Master’s

Thesis, East Tennessee State University, 1952.

Owsley, Frank Lawrence. Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands: The Creek War and the

Battle of New Orleans, 1812-1815. Gainesville: University Presses of Florida,

1981.

Ramsey, J. G. M., William H. Masterson, and Stanley J. Folmsbee. The Annals of

Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century. Johnson City, TN:

Overmountain Press, 1853.

Rootsweb, an Ancestry.com Community, “Battle of King’s Mountain Patriot Roster,”

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~scyork/RevWar/KingsMtnRoster.html

(accessed March 1, 2012).

Spoder, Hal T. and Muriel C. “Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area.” Tennessee

Historical Quarterly 36 (1977): 3-13.

State of Tennessee and Pollyanna Creekmore, “Sycamore Shoals State Park and

Colonel John Carter House Study, 1974.” State of Tennessee Government

Publication 6 (1974): 1-650.

Taylor, Benjamin Harrison. Interview with James Reynolds at Sabine Hill in Elizabethton,

Tennessee, June 14, 1999.

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, Web Edition,

http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1463 (accessed October 6,

2011).

Tennessee Preservation Trust, “2007 Top Ten in Tennessee,”

http://www.tennesseepreservationtrust.org/ten (accessed November 2, 2011).

The New Georgia Encyclopedia, Web Edition,

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2802&sug=y (accessed

February 1, 2012).

66

Thompson, John. “Home Sweet Home: Historic Sabine Hill Bought by State, to be

Restored.” Elizabethton Star, 2008.

Toomey, William. “'Doing Justice to Suitors': The County Courts in the Southwest

Territory.” The Journal of East Tennessee History 62 (1990): 33-53.

United States Government, 1850 U.S. Census, Elizabethton, Carter County, Tennessee,

digital image Ancestry.com http://www.ancestry.com (accessed November 10,

2011).

United States Government, 1900 U.S. Census, Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee,

digital image Ancestry.com http://www.ancestry.com (accessed November 10,

2011).

White, Virgil D. Index to War of 1812 Pension Files. Waynesboro, TN: National

Historical Publishing Co., 1989.

Williams, Samuel Cole. Brigadier-General Nathaniel Taylor. Johnson City, TN: The

Watauga Press, 1940.

Williams, Samuel Cole. “The Tennessee/North Carolina Boundary Survey, 1799” Tennessee Historical Magazine 6 (1920): 45-48.

Wilson, Thomas. “Taylor House to Keep Historical Integrity, Say New Owners.” Elizabethton Star, 2003.

Wooten, Jerry. “Sabine Hill Property Acquisition Proposal.” Nashville: Tennessee Historical Commission, 2007.