Beaver Dam Plantation
For the Beaver Dam Plantation in North Carolina, see Beaver Dam Plantation House.
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William Cannon Houston House | |
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| Location | 107 Houston Ln., Woodbury, Tennessee |
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| Coordinates | 35°49′30″N 86°3′30″W / 35.82500°N 86.05833°WCoordinates: 35°49′30″N 86°3′30″W / 35.82500°N 86.05833°W |
| Area | 28 acres (11 ha) |
| Built | 1810s; c. 1870; c. 1880; c. 1930 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 89000503[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 16, 1989 |
The Beaver Dam Plantation, also known as the William Cannon Houston House, is a historic mansion on a Southern plantation in Woodbury, Tennessee, USA.
History
A log building was first built c. 1810.[2] The plantation was acquired and expanded by politician William C. Houston in 1873.[2] Houston built the mansion in the early 1870s.[3] His son, Frank K. Houston, later Chairman of Chemical Bank (now known as CITIBANK), was born on the plantation.[4] A formal dining-room was added circa 1880, and a rear porch circa 1930.[2]
Beaver Dam began as a trading post. The name is born of the frustration of a fur trader named McFerrin, who disputed the claims of an unknown trapper, that one of his pelts was indeed, that of a beaver. Beaver Dam was also a stopping point along the infamous "Trail of Tears" along which the Cherokee Nation was forced move to the Oklahoma by then President Andrew Jackson.
Beaver Dam was the Civil War encampment site of General Nathan Bedford Forrest's 4th Tennessee Cavalry, before its raid on Murfreesboro. Family lore speculates that Judge W.C. Houston met his future father in-law, Col. William S. McLemore of the Starnes-McLemore Unit (TN 4th Cavalry). Beaver Dam, always a center of life in Cannon County, this included serving as the site where prospective soldiers signed their enlistment papers to join the U.S. and Confederate Armies.
In addition to being the home of Congressman William Cannon Houston, who chaired the 1920 Census Committee and the House Committee on Territories, Beaver Dam was situated on the first formal road in Tennessee, known as State Route One, the Memphis to Bristol Highway. William Cannon Houston was also an agricultural innovator and among other achievements, built the first grain silo in the County. The Plantation's crops included tobacco, and wheat. Tennessee Walking Horses and cattle made up the rest of the plantation's farming activities. Until 1973, the Plantation comprised 800 acres.
Architectural Significance
The mansion was designed in the Greek Revival architectural style.[5] It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since June 16, 1989.[5]
References
- ↑ Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- 1 2 3 "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Houston, William Cannon, House or Beaver Dam". National Park Service. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- ↑ Mason, Robert L.; Dunn, Joy Bailey; Crawford, Charles Wann (1982). Cannon County. Memphis, Tennessee: Memphis State University Press. pp. 119; 121. ISBN 9780878701032. OCLC 8844147. Retrieved January 6, 2016 – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ "Frank K. Houston". Monticello. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- 1 2 "Houston, William Cannon, House". National Park Service. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
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