Rose Glen (Sevierville, Tennessee)
Encyclopedia
Rose Glen was an antebellum
plantation
in Sevier County
, in the U.S. state of Tennessee
. At its height, Rose Glen was one of the largest and most lucrative farms in Sevier County, and one of the most productive in East Tennessee
. While the farm is no longer operational, the plantation house and several outbuildings— including a physician's office, loom house, and double-cantilever barn— have survived intact, and have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Rose Glen was established in the late 1840s by Dr. Robert Hatton Hodsden (1806–1864), a Sevier County physician and politician who by 1860 had become one of the county's wealthiest individuals. Hodsden was an attending physician for the Cherokee Removal
(commonly called the Trail of Tears
) in the late 1830s, and between 1841 and 1845, he represented Blount County
in the Tennessee state legislature. Although he was a slave owner, Hodsden was staunchly pro-Union
during the American Civil War, and was a member of the Sevier County delegation at the East Tennessee Unionist Convention
in Greeneville
in 1861. After his death, Hodsden's descendants continued to manage Rose Glen well into the 20th century.
near the Harrisburg community. The house lot and surrounding land (much of which is still undeveloped) are situated on the east bank of the Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River
, about a half-mile south of the river's strategic confluence with the East Fork to form the Little Pigeon River proper. The house lot is across the street from the Walters State
Sevier County Campus.
in 1806, Robert Hodsden initially worked as a tailor in various cities across the country before he decided to study medicine. After obtaining his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College
in Philadelphia
in 1833, Hodsden joined the practice of James Gillespie in Maryville, Tennessee
. He married his first wife, Elizabeth Hook (d. 1842), in 1832. In 1838, Hodsden was appointed attending physician for the Cherokee Removal, known commonly as the "Trail of Tears." A member of the Whig Party
, Hodsden was elected to the Tennessee state legislature in 1841, where he represented Blount County for four years. In 1843, after the death of his first wife, Hodsden married a widow, Mary Brabson-Shields (1818–1888), whose father, John Brabson, had established the Brabson's Ferry Plantation
at Boyds Creek, and had given his daughter what is now Rose Glen as a gift for her first wedding. Hodsden and Brabson-Shields initially resided in Maryville, but eventually moved to Rose Glen, where they completed the current plantation house and villa in 1850. In the decade after the completion of Rose Glen, Hodsden served as the first president of the East Tennessee Medical Society and helped establish Sevier County's first masonic society
.
Although he was a slave owner, and in spite of being married into the pro-secession
Brabson family, Hodsden remained a staunch Union supporter throughout the Civil War. He represented Sevier County at the East Tennessee Union Convention in June 1861, and in November of that year was imprisoned after Confederate
authorities accused him of aiding Unionist guerillas in the destruction of several railroad bridges across the Tennessee Valley
. Hodsden was eventually released, however, and returned to Rose Glen, where died of heart failure on June 18, 1864. In spite of the rift the war had created between Hodsden and his in-laws, Hodsden was buried in the Brabson Cemetery at Brabson's Ferry Plantation.
By 1860, Rose Glen had grown to 2377 acres (961.9 ha) worth $28,000, making it by far the most valuable farm in Sevier County. Livestock at Rose Glen included fourteen horses, thirty-seven cattle, sixty-seven sheep, four oxen, and one-hundred eighty hogs. Hodsden and fifteen slaves produced 3,400 bushels of oats, 360 bushels of wheat, 50 bushels of sweet potatoes, 18 tons of hay, 100 pounds of wool, 300 gallons of molasses, and over 3,000 pounds of butter. Rose Glen's 1,200 pounds of rice was one of the largest rice crops in East Tennessee. The plantation also had a small winery.
On January 27, 1864, Rose Glen was a strategic point in a skirmish known as the Battle of Fair Garden, fought between Union forces led by Colonel Edward McCook and Confederate forces led by Major-General William Martin (Martin was helping to cover James Longstreet
's retreat after the Siege of Knoxville). In 1873, Abraham Jackson Hicks (1841–1903) took control of Rose Glen when he married Hodsden's daughter, Mary Pasteur Hodsden (1854–1942). After Hicks' death, Rose Glen passed to eldest his son, John Hodsden Hicks (1874–1948).
home consisting of a two-story central block flanked by one-story wings. The front facade of the central block includes a recessed portico supported by square Doric columns. Enclosed porches are located on both sides of the rear of the central block. The house rests on a mostly limestone foundation, although the west wing rests on a brick foundation (possibly left over from the earlier Shields house). A split-run staircase in one of the rear porches provides access to the second story of the central block, which contains three bedrooms. The house has three cellars, one of which (under the central block) was used as a kitchen, and has three brick chimneys with post-and-lintel mantels.
The design of Rose Glen was modeled after architect Minard Lafever
's "Design for a Country Villa," which appeared in both Lafever's Modern Builders Guide (1833) and Beauties of Modern Architecture (1835). The design called for a "five-part" villa, consisting of the central block and two wings, and two symmetrically-placed outbuildings aligned with the house's northeast and northwest corners. At Rose Glen, these two outbuildings— which were used as an office and a loom house— were connected to the main house by flower-lined walkways. The loom house and office have designs that match the house, with the same weatherboarding and brick chimneys. A rose garden was maintained in the space between the outbuildings and the main house.
, springhouse/wellhouse, a hay barn, a concrete silo
, and an outhouse. Hodsden added the smokehouse, Hodsden's son-in-law Abraham Hicks probably built the springhouse and double-cantilever barn, and Hodsden's grandson John Hodsden Hicks added the corn crib, silo, and rack-sided barn.
The smokehouse, constructed around 1850, is built of hewn logs and is accessed by a board and batten door with iron hinges. The double-cantilever barn, built late-19th century, is a double-pen barn retaining much of its original cantilevered form, although a tractor shed was later added to the barn. The hay barn, located across the street from the main house lot, is a rack-sided barn with a gambrel
roof, built in the 1920s. With the exception of the smokehouse, all the outbuildings are frame structures.
Antebellum architecture
Antebellum architecture is a term used to describe the characteristic neoclassical architectural style of the Southern United States, especially the Old South, from after the birth of the United States in the American Revolution, to the start of the American Civil War...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
in 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...
, in the U.S. state 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...
. At its height, Rose Glen was one of the largest and most lucrative farms in Sevier County, and one of the most productive in East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
. While the farm is no longer operational, the plantation house and several outbuildings— including a physician's office, loom house, and double-cantilever barn— have survived intact, and have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Rose Glen was established in the late 1840s by Dr. Robert Hatton Hodsden (1806–1864), a Sevier County physician and politician who by 1860 had become one of the county's wealthiest individuals. Hodsden was an attending physician for the Cherokee Removal
Cherokee removal
Cherokee removal, part of the Trail of Tears, refers to the forced relocation between 1836 to 1839 of the Cherokee Nation from their lands in Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina to the Indian Territory in the Western United States, which resulted in the deaths of approximately...
(commonly called the Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
) in the late 1830s, and between 1841 and 1845, he represented 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....
in the Tennessee state legislature. Although he was a slave owner, Hodsden was staunchly pro-Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
during the American Civil War, and was a member of the Sevier County delegation at the East Tennessee Unionist Convention
East Tennessee Convention of 1861
The East Tennessee Convention consisted of a series of meetings held in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War in which 29 counties in East Tennessee and one county in Middle Tennessee denounced secessionist activities within the state of Tennessee and resolved to break away and form an...
in Greeneville
Greeneville, Tennessee
Greeneville is a town in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 15,198 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greene County. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. It is the only town with this spelling in the United States, although there...
in 1861. After his death, Hodsden's descendants continued to manage Rose Glen well into the 20th century.
Location
Rose Glen is located at the junction of State Highway 416 (Pittman Center Road) and Old Newport Highway, a few miles east of SeviervilleSevierville, Tennessee
Sevierville is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. Its population was 11,757 at the 2000 United States Census; in 2004 the estimated population was 14,101. Sevierville is the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee....
near the Harrisburg community. The house lot and surrounding land (much of which is still undeveloped) are situated on the east bank of the Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River
Little Pigeon River
The Little Pigeon River is the name of several rivers in the United States:*Little Pigeon River in Indiana*Little Pigeon River — three rivers of that name in Michigan*Little Pigeon River in Tennessee...
, about a half-mile south of the river's strategic confluence with the East Fork to form the Little Pigeon River proper. The house lot is across the street from the Walters State
Walters State Community College
Walters State Community College is a state-supported community college operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. It was established in 1970 in located Morristown, Tennessee and was named in honor of former United States Senator Herbert S...
Sevier County Campus.
Robert Hodsden biography
Born in Smithfield, VirginiaSmithfield, Virginia
Smithfield is a town in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States. The population was 8,089 at the 2010 census....
in 1806, Robert Hodsden initially worked as a tailor in various cities across the country before he decided to study medicine. After obtaining his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College
Thomas Jefferson University
Thomas Jefferson University is a private health sciences university in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. The university consists of six constituent colleges and schools, Jefferson Medical College, Jefferson College of Graduate Studies, Jefferson School of Health...
in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
in 1833, Hodsden joined the practice of James Gillespie in Maryville, Tennessee
Maryville, Tennessee
Maryville is the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, in the Southeastern United States. The city is located south of Knoxville. Maryville's population was 27,258 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. Maryville has received a number of accolades for its...
. He married his first wife, Elizabeth Hook (d. 1842), in 1832. In 1838, Hodsden was appointed attending physician for the Cherokee Removal, known commonly as the "Trail of Tears." A member of the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
, Hodsden was elected to the Tennessee state legislature in 1841, where he represented Blount County for four years. In 1843, after the death of his first wife, Hodsden married a widow, Mary Brabson-Shields (1818–1888), whose father, John Brabson, had established the Brabson's Ferry Plantation
Brabson's Ferry Plantation
Brabson's Ferry Plantation is a Pioneer Century farm and former antebellum plantation near the U.S. city of Sevierville, Tennessee. Located at what was once a strategic crossing of the French Broad River, by 1860 the plantation had become one of the largest in East Tennessee, and one of the few in...
at Boyds Creek, and had given his daughter what is now Rose Glen as a gift for her first wedding. Hodsden and Brabson-Shields initially resided in Maryville, but eventually moved to Rose Glen, where they completed the current plantation house and villa in 1850. In the decade after the completion of Rose Glen, Hodsden served as the first president of the East Tennessee Medical Society and helped establish Sevier County's first masonic society
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
.
Although he was a slave owner, and in spite of being married into the pro-secession
Secession in the United States
Secession in the United States can refer to secession of a state from the United States, secession of part of a state from that state to form a new state, or secession of an area from a city or county....
Brabson family, Hodsden remained a staunch Union supporter throughout the Civil War. He represented Sevier County at the East Tennessee Union Convention in June 1861, and in November of that year was imprisoned after Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
authorities accused him of aiding Unionist guerillas in the destruction of several railroad bridges across the Tennessee Valley
East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy
The East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy was a Civil War-era guerrilla warfare operation carried out by Union sympathizers in Confederate-occupied East Tennessee in 1861. The operation, which was planned by Carter County minister William B...
. Hodsden was eventually released, however, and returned to Rose Glen, where died of heart failure on June 18, 1864. In spite of the rift the war had created between Hodsden and his in-laws, Hodsden was buried in the Brabson Cemetery at Brabson's Ferry Plantation.
Rose Glen
In the early 19th century, what is now Rose Glen was part of a farm known simply as the "Bush place," which had been established by early settler George Bush. By the 1830s, John Brabson had become owner of the Bush place, and when Brabson's daughter, Mary, married David Shields in 1837, Brabson gave them the Bush place as a wedding gift. Shields built a house at the Bush farm, which he called "Rose Glen," but died suddenly in 1839. In 1843, Mary Brabson-Shields married Robert Hodsden, and Hodsden thus assumed ownership of the Bush place. In 1846, Hodsden and his wife began building the present house and villa at Rose Glen, which they completed in 1850.By 1860, Rose Glen had grown to 2377 acres (961.9 ha) worth $28,000, making it by far the most valuable farm in Sevier County. Livestock at Rose Glen included fourteen horses, thirty-seven cattle, sixty-seven sheep, four oxen, and one-hundred eighty hogs. Hodsden and fifteen slaves produced 3,400 bushels of oats, 360 bushels of wheat, 50 bushels of sweet potatoes, 18 tons of hay, 100 pounds of wool, 300 gallons of molasses, and over 3,000 pounds of butter. Rose Glen's 1,200 pounds of rice was one of the largest rice crops in East Tennessee. The plantation also had a small winery.
On January 27, 1864, Rose Glen was a strategic point in a skirmish known as the Battle of Fair Garden, fought between Union forces led by Colonel Edward McCook and Confederate forces led by Major-General William Martin (Martin was helping to cover James Longstreet
James Longstreet
James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
's retreat after the Siege of Knoxville). In 1873, Abraham Jackson Hicks (1841–1903) took control of Rose Glen when he married Hodsden's daughter, Mary Pasteur Hodsden (1854–1942). After Hicks' death, Rose Glen passed to eldest his son, John Hodsden Hicks (1874–1948).
Rose Glen house
Historian Robbie Jones called the house at Rose Glen the "most impressive antebellum house ever constructed in Sevier County." The house is a tripartite Greek RevivalGreek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
home consisting of a two-story central block flanked by one-story wings. The front facade of the central block includes a recessed portico supported by square Doric columns. Enclosed porches are located on both sides of the rear of the central block. The house rests on a mostly limestone foundation, although the west wing rests on a brick foundation (possibly left over from the earlier Shields house). A split-run staircase in one of the rear porches provides access to the second story of the central block, which contains three bedrooms. The house has three cellars, one of which (under the central block) was used as a kitchen, and has three brick chimneys with post-and-lintel mantels.
The design of Rose Glen was modeled after architect Minard Lafever
Minard Lafever
Minard Lafever was an influential American architect of churches and houses in the United States in the early nineteenth century.-Life and career:...
's "Design for a Country Villa," which appeared in both Lafever's Modern Builders Guide (1833) and Beauties of Modern Architecture (1835). The design called for a "five-part" villa, consisting of the central block and two wings, and two symmetrically-placed outbuildings aligned with the house's northeast and northwest corners. At Rose Glen, these two outbuildings— which were used as an office and a loom house— were connected to the main house by flower-lined walkways. The loom house and office have designs that match the house, with the same weatherboarding and brick chimneys. A rose garden was maintained in the space between the outbuildings and the main house.
Outbuildings
Along with the loom house and Hodsden's office, which were built as part of the "country villa," surviving outbuildings at Rose Glen include a double-cantilever barn, smokehouseSmokehouse
A smokehouse is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.-History:...
, springhouse/wellhouse, a hay barn, a concrete silo
Silo
A silo is a structure for storing bulk materials.Silo may also refer to:* Silo , a 3D modeling software* Silo , a defunct chain of retail electronics stores* SILO , used in Linux...
, and an outhouse. Hodsden added the smokehouse, Hodsden's son-in-law Abraham Hicks probably built the springhouse and double-cantilever barn, and Hodsden's grandson John Hodsden Hicks added the corn crib, silo, and rack-sided barn.
The smokehouse, constructed around 1850, is built of hewn logs and is accessed by a board and batten door with iron hinges. The double-cantilever barn, built late-19th century, is a double-pen barn retaining much of its original cantilevered form, although a tractor shed was later added to the barn. The hay barn, located across the street from the main house lot, is a rack-sided barn with a gambrel
Gambrel
A gambrel is a usually-symmetrical two-sided roof with two slopes on each side. The upper slope is positioned at a shallow angle, while the lower slope is steep. This design provides the advantages of a sloped roof while maximizing headroom on the building's upper level...
roof, built in the 1920s. With the exception of the smokehouse, all the outbuildings are frame structures.
External links
- Robert Hodsden — entry at Smokykin.com