On Sunday, Dec. 3, from 2-5 p.m., three notable historic houses in the Cross Plains community will be open on the annual Holiday House Tour, sponsored by the Cross Plains Heritage Commission. The Doctor’s House, housing the Cross Plains Heritage Museum, Library and Archive, will also be open from 1-6 p.m. for ticket purchases, gift shop specials, holiday refreshments and a tree lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. with commemorative ornaments available to guests for a donation to honor loved ones and friends.
Tickets for the tour are $10 each and may be purchased at the museum and at any of the houses during tour hours. Tickets will be punched at each house for admission and may also be purchased in advance at: Cottontown Bears, JB Antiques, Historic Thomas Drugs, Farmers Bank, and Red River Antique Mall in Cross Plains. Free tour maps to the houses will be available at the museum at 7821 Hwy. 25E (Main Street) in Cross Plains.
The three notable houses on the Holiday House Tour are the Walton-Tate House, 6354 Hwy. 25E, home of Steve and Beverly Tate; The Patterson Place, 5148 Rippy Road, home of William and Nancy Bellar; and Harvest House B&B at Apple Valley Orchard, 8402 Cedar Grove Road, home Of Judi Mann (formerly part of Robin’s Nest).
For more information on the Cross Plains Holiday House Tour call the Cross Plains Visitors Bureau at 615-654-2256 or email llambert1950@bellsouth.net.
Highlights of History for Each House
The Walton-Tate House
The Victorian-trimmed Tate mansion sits on Highway 25E and is a charming attraction to many on their daily drives between Cross Plains and Springfield. Even current resident Beverly Tate remembers it from her childhood. Then, it was a “yellow house with the wrought iron fence” that she admired and longed to see inside. Little did she know that she would eventually become Steve’s wife and grace the house, now painted white, as this generation’s resident homemaker. Owned by Mickey and Ellen Tate, the house is part of an original land grant plantation and is on the National Register of Historic Places. A warm mix of historic memorabilia and collectibles can be found throughout the home, and the grounds are decorated with metal art made from old farm implements, Rock City birdhouses, Texaco signs and artsy frog feeders, reflecting the home’s life as a family farm house for several generations of owners.
The house began in 1809 with Martin Walton who built the two-story brick structure. Walton was a physician and the son and grandson of physicians. Walton came from Virginia, following the pioneer footsteps of his brother, Meredith and his married sisters Ann (William) Edwards and Temperance (Richard) Nuckolls who came into the area before 1800.
Walton designed the house with a separate kitchen, and the original floor plan had a central hall with a large room on one side and two smaller rooms on the second side. The upper floor had an identical design. The basement was stone-lined to provide convenient storage for meal, meats and wines. Dr. Walton’s brother build a large brick home on a nearby farm, but it has since been razed. Dr. Martin Walton married Elizabeth Johnson and they had five children. As a landowner and physician, the community welcomed him as a leader. Walton was also one of the organizers of the Hopewell Baptist Church.
Two of Walton’s sons became educators in Robertson County. J. M. Walton, his grandson, founded Neophogen College in Cross Plains and great-grandson, J.W. Huey was Springfield’s first superintendent of public schools. Dr. Walton died without a will in 1844. His son David was appointed administrator and sold the property to William Pope. Tragically, David was murdered in 1846 by two of his slaves. Shortly after Pope bought the land, he died and the property was eventually purchased by William Archibald and Susan Gorham Cook. The Cook family owned the house for eighty years. Wavy Lee Cook Tate used to talk about her childhood at the house, especially her roller skating adventures on the mansion sidewalks.
In 1946 the house was sold to Earl Swann who sold it ten years later to Wavy Lee’s husband, Conley Tate. All of the residents, including son, Steve Tate and wife, Beverly, have carefully preserved the house with few changes over the years. The separate kitchen has been connected and the side portico enclosed. In its 197 years of existence, the house has been much admired and remarked on by travelers who have passed by “the house on the side of the road.”
Patterson Place
The early 1800s house stood in ruins until rescued by current owners William and Nancy Bellar. Sitting on a slight knoll slopping to Rippy Road, the house is situation on one and a half acres surrounded by farm land, providing the owners with an exceptional view of rolling fields and stream-fed woodlands. While restoring the house, the Bellars added a new addition, marrying this structure perfectly to the two-story, slave made brick and stone house. Country gardens are richly planted and brick sidewalks link the new addition to the large two-story garage/workshop and a dog-trot log cabin moved from Greenbrier. Interestingly, Nancy Bellar eventually learned that her great-great grandfather was living in the house in the winter of 1861 as the Civil War raged across the country. This discovery led to finding a cousin in Utah and a collection of letters about the happenings and people in Cross Plains.
The Patterson Place began with Patrick Patterson in 1811. Patterson had been in Robertson County since 1798 when he purchased 595 acres from John McGuire of Fairfax County, Virginia for $1 per acre. Patterson was originally from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Patterson Place was constructed between 1811 and 1820 in a “Penn-plan design that is 18 feet wide and 20 feet long. Tennessee cut limestone rocks, and 18-foot poplar log floor joists are mortised into the stone foundation. Three iron “earthquake rods” were used in the home, and their decorative caps can been seen on the exterior of the house. A steep and narrow center staircase led to the upper bedrooms, and a separate brick kitchen was constructed east of the house with a smokehouse, well house, barns and other outbuildings to the west.
By 1830, Patrick Patterson had 30 slaves, so there must also have been other cabins on the property. Patterson died in October, 1836 and left a wife and three grown sons. His property was divided, and his oldest son, Dr. John C. Patterson, continued to live in the house, gaining 225 acres with his mother, Mary (Polly) who had lifetime estate. Sometime after his mother’s death in 1857, Dr. Patterson moved to Cross Plains and rented the house and lands to tenants. In 1862 he sold the house to Robert J. Samuels who lived there until August, 1871. Eventually Charles Howard acquired the property and it passed on to his son, Lamar Howard who may have added a Victorian porch, and did extensive remodeling. Upon his death, the property was left to his wife and seven children. It was again rented out and sold to the Dixon’s. During this time it continued as rental property and fell into disrepair. It was purchased by Alfred and Carney Farris in 1986 and by William and Nancy Bellar in 1991.
Today, the house is completely restored to its 1811 appearance. The new addition has its own charm and includes a staircase wall mural of Cross Plains landscape by Terry Seay, a large family room with fireplace, country kitchen and screened-in back porch. The old house has only four rooms, a parlor and dining room downstairs with two bedrooms upstairs. The new addition as two bedrooms. Wide-plank flooring and salvaged materials have been used throughout to bring out the country charm of the new structure.
Currently the Bellars are building a new home in the area, and The Patterson Place is for sale. It has great B&B potential or will again become a warm family home for another generation of owners.
Harvest House B&B
Harvest House has been called a Tudor-style mansion and sits on a hill above remnants of the Robin’s Nest Orchard. Above all, it is the dream-come-true of Judi Mann who works as a prep cook and caterer for “2 Tricia’s on the Square” bistro in Springfield. One of Judi’s sons purchased the house for her, and a daughter and son-in-law live on another house on the property. Judi’s home and yard reflect her cheerful and calm personality and offers anyone a tranquil, song-bird retreat. Guest can choose a deluxe continental fare or a bountiful country breakfast between the hours of 7-10 a.m. The gourmet kitchen is always open to guests for snacks. Judi says, “Many of my guests are from Middle Tennessee and are looking for a break from their busy lives. I offer overnight and extended retreat accommodations. For some guests it is their first time to venture into the countryside and the quaint town of Cross Plains.”
Three bedrooms are richly appointed with European, Oriental/Pacific and Victorian style linens and furnishings. Queen-size beds, armoires with television and spacious bathrooms compliment the hospitality that permeates the house. Gracious formal dining and sitting rooms also offer opportunities for small corporate retreat, wedding parties and baby showers. The gourmet kitchen and breakfast room overlook apple trees and rock gardens that draw deer, birds, and many woodland animals to the restful landscape. Judi’s future plans include adding ponds and water gardens, walking trails and more evergreens.
Call the Harvest House B&B at 615-654-2434 to inquire about reunions, parties, accommodations and outdoor wedding rates.
Cross Plains Museum, Library & Archives
At the Cross Plains Museum volunteers will be available to provide information on the various exhibits. The colorful Veterans’ War Room showcases the photos of more than 100 men and women who have served our country from Civil War to modern times. Mementos of their service include uniforms, souvenirs, such as dolls and pincushions, and correspondence from the front and the draft board. There are also exhibits on Victorian burial customs and jewelry, historic area churches, tobacco production and, the newest exhibit, Women’s Work, showcasing the home and cottage industries that kept women busy day and night in the 1800s-1950s.
Highlights of this year’s Christmas decorations include a surname Christmas tree featuring the last names of people in Cross Plains' history and a Victorian dining room tree with vintage German/Italian manger scene. Homemade fruit punch and cookies will be offered to guests during the Holiday House Tour.
The museum is located in the Doctor’s House, built in 1902 by Dr. James Jones Covington and his wife, Nannie Scoggins. They had six children and enjoyed a happy life until tragedy struck when Dr. Covington took sick in 1911 and died suddenly of heart failure. In 1913 his wife died, and the children were dispersed to family and neighbors. The house passed through a series of owners including Dr. Burgess Thomas who founded Thomas Drugs, now owned and operated by the Dan Green family, and to James O. Murphy, a former mayor of Cross Plains. Members of the Cross Plains Heritage Commission purchased the house. Restoration is almost complete on the interior, and the exterior is undergoing stabilization and restoration.
Museum programs include a lending library, paperback and hardback book sales, publication of the Eastern Robertson County Historical Quarterly to members and state archives, meetings with history seminars and a summer children’s reading program. There is no admission charge to the house or museum. A gift shop offers commemorative toys, key chains, plates and Thomas Kilgore prints by nationally renowned artist, David Wright. Annual membership is $15 per person or family and forms are available at the museum. The museum is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (4 p.m. during summer months) and at other times by appointment. Group tours are welcome with advanced reservations by calling 615-654-2992.
For more information on the Cross Plains Holiday House Tour call the Cross Plains Visitors Bureau at 615-654-2256 or email llambert1950@bellsouth.net.