This is the John Stewart House near Decatur
Tennessee. It looks like the old farm
house is starting to fall apart… The chimney is partially gone on this end of
the house and it’s leaning against the second floor at the other end of the
house. From what I can tell, this house
dates back to 1825.
John Stewart's place in the history of
Meigs County was guaranteed when the first Court for the new county was held at
his home in 1835-6.
John Stewart was one of the earliest
settlers of Meigs County and in the early 1800’s, he was probably one of the
most respected men of the community. He
was born in Maryland on September 25, 1792. He was allegedly a stage coach driver between
Knoxville and Nashville and he met his wife Lettie in Knoxville. By 1825, they had moved to Rhea County
Tennessee…settling in the portion that later became Meigs County. He acquired quite a bit of land north of
Decatur, eventually totaling nearly 2,000 acres. The photo shown above was borrowed from
Wikipedia…
Besides farming the Stewarts also
operated a commercial distillery and "Stewarts Landing" on the Tennessee River.
According to some accounts he also imported salt from Virginia and sold it to
the community. John and Lettie had 14
children…
Laurie and Dawn Marie liked this old farm
specific Aberdeen Angus sign. For over
150 years, the Stewart Century Farm served the needs of the surrounding
agrarian community, from providing transportation for area farmers to supplying
hay in times of drought. It is among the
most significant properties in East Tennessee.
When he died at the age of 82 in 1874,
John Stewart willed his son Matthew B. Stewart 400 acres of the family property.
It has been passed down through the family
for these many years and today, 188 years after it was acquired, David Stewart
is the owner of the land.
This is the old Meigs County Bank on
Courthouse Square in downtown Decatur.
From what little I could discover, this former bank was founded in 1907. It looks like a great structure in a busy
location… Someone should be able to find a use for it!
Based on its current appearance, it’s hard to
imagine that part of this structure dates back to 1850. This is the Decatur Methodist Church on
Vernon Street in Decatur… It was originally built in the gothic revival style…but,
while I’m sure that it’s a very functional structure, its historic appearance
is greatly modified.
Decatur was founded in 1836 to serve as
the county seat for the newly formed Meigs County. The town was named after Commodore Stephen
Decatur Jr., an early 19th century American naval officer and war
hero. He served in the 1st
and 2nd Barbary Wars as well as in the War of 1812. He was killed in a duel with a fellow officer
and Commodore at the age of only 41. For
more on this American hero's exploits, you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Decatur.
Just click on any of these photos to
enlarge them…
Thanks for stopping by and participating
in our historical scavenger hunt!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
You sure know a lot about history. American history was my favorite subject when I was growing up in New York. In fact I know more about American history than Italian history. That picture of John Stewart is amazing. Your posts are always so interesting. I would love to visit Tennessee...especially Memphis:)
ReplyDeleteDear Dave, I love learning about the history of our country and the people who came before us. It is inspiring at the achievements and contributions they made. They built things to last and built them with both pride and beauty.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Catherine
You live in an area so rich with history and lore. I'm so glad you share it with us. I hope your wekend is off to a great start. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteCan't remember if I've ever been to Decatur, but if so it would have been when we went down to look at the Sandhill Cranes a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteLove this house David, always love antique houses like this, love this so much!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting family – and 14 kids! When we moved to Georgia we lived in Decatur, GA which is outside of Atlanta. I checked then and found out that there were at least 15 other states with a city named Decatur. They did like to call their cities the same name in the US. I think I read there are 108 New Hope - well named town, how about 213 Fairviews and 119 Mount Pleasant.. I guess even though the people came from diverse areas the towns always seem to have English names – how about Chinese names? So many Chinese came to build the railroads … this is an interesting subject, which has nothing to do with your post, sorry.
ReplyDeleteHey good info, I found out about this man this week a distant relative of mine. And I have lived in this area a long time
ReplyDeleteDo you know anything about the little church or possibly school on the John Stewart property? It is just off Hwy 58 about 1/4 mile north of the old house on the left.
ReplyDeleteMethodist Chapel, known as Stewart's Chapel, built about 1879. SEE: Stewart Lillard, Meigs County Tennessee, 1982, p. 131. The Lillard / Monroe Farm used to store grain in the chapel in the 1940s and 1950s.
DeleteStu, Thanks for the contribution to local history. Always appreciated. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
DeleteHi Unknown... Sorry I can't help you with the structure you asked about. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDelete