Wheatlands (Sevierville, Tennessee)
Encyclopedia
Wheatlands was an antebellum
plantation
in Sevier County
, in the U.S. state of Tennessee
. The plantation's surviving structures— which include the plantation house, a storage shed, and smokehouse
— have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The plantation house has been called "the best example of a Federal-style
building remaining in Sevier County."
Wheatlands, named after its large annual wheat crop, was established as a family farm by Revolutionary War
veteran Timothy Chandler in the 1790s. Chandler's son, John Chandler (1786–1875), inherited Wheatlands in 1819, and under his direction the plantation grew to become one of Sevier County's largest farms, covering 3700 acres (1,497.3 ha) by 1850. Chandler's freed slaves inherited part of Wheatlands in 1875, and formed the Chandler Gap community in the hills south of the plantation.
, about halfway between Sevierville
and Seymour
. The plantation was situated along the banks of Boyds Creek, which empties into the French Broad River
at the Brabson's Ferry Plantation
about a mile to the east.
trail known as the Great Indian Warpath
. In 1780, John Sevier
followed the path across the French Broad River to engage and defeat a Cherokee
force at the Battle of Boyds Creek, which took place in the vicinity of Wheatlands. Early settlers also followed the trail into the Boyds Creek area, among them Timothy Chandler, a Revolutionary War
veteran from Virginia, who moved his family to Boyds Creek in 1791.
After Timothy Chandler died in 1819, his son, John Chandler, inherited the family's Boyds Creek farm. The original Chandler farmhouse burned in 1824, and John Chandler built the present plantation house at the site to replace it. By 1850, Wheatlands had become one of the largest farms in Sevier County, covering some 3700 acres (1,497.3 ha) worth $7,000 (US$
in present terms), and included fifteen horses, ten mules, forty cattle, fifty sheep, and three hundred hogs. Chandler and fourteen slaves produced 3,000 bushels of corn, 400 bushels of oats, 200 bushels of sweet potatoes, 12 bushels of buckwheat, 10 tons of hay, 150 pounds of wool, 200 pounds of butter, and 200 gallons of honey. The plantation's distillery produced 6,000 gallons of whiskey, worth $4,500 (US$
in present terms).
When Southern slaves were emancipated during the American Civil War
(1861–1865), Chandler started paying his freed slaves to remain at Wheatlands. Upon his death in 1875, Chandler left his former slaves a portion of land along the south side of Wheatlands known as Chandler Gap. The Chandler Gap community remained a predominantly African-American community well into the 20th century.
In 2011, three Pigeon Forge
businessmen purchased Wheatlands, and announced plans to restore the house, and possibly re-establish a distillery on the property.
. A smaller house, barn, and a second storage shed have been added more recently. The house at Wheatlands is a 2-story, 5-bay brick house with a 1.5-story kitchen and dining room wing attached to the rear to form an "L" shape. The house is designed in the Federal style, although a Victorian-style
front porch was added sometime around 1900. The brickwork
on the house's front facade uses a Flemish bond, and the brickwork on the sides and rear uses common bond. A brick cornice
encircles the house.
The interior of the house retains most of its original design elements, which include hand-planed railings and windows. The mantel designs were based on Adamesque models in patternbooks, and include hand-carved details and entablature
s. The house is based on a central floor plan
, rather than a parlor hall floor plan which was more typical of the period.
A frame storage shed built sometime around 1825 still stands a few feet behind the house. The shed, which has beaded weatherboarding
, may have once housed a distillery, an ice house, or a loom house. The smokehouse at Wheatlands dates to the first half of the 19th century, and is constructed of hewn logs with a board and batten door.
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...
. The plantation's surviving structures— which include the plantation house, a storage shed, and smokehouse
Smokehouse
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:...
— 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...
. The plantation house has been called "the best example of a Federal-style
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
building remaining in Sevier County."
Wheatlands, named after its large annual wheat crop, was established as a family farm by Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
veteran Timothy Chandler in the 1790s. Chandler's son, John Chandler (1786–1875), inherited Wheatlands in 1819, and under his direction the plantation grew to become one of Sevier County's largest farms, covering 3700 acres (1,497.3 ha) by 1850. Chandler's freed slaves inherited part of Wheatlands in 1875, and formed the Chandler Gap community in the hills south of the plantation.
Location
Wheatlands is located at the corner of State Highway 338 (Boyds Creek Highway, sometimes called Old Knoxville Highway) and Cedar Springs Valley Road in the Boyds Creek communityBoyds Creek, Tennessee
Boyds Creek is an unincorporated community in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is named for a small southward-flowing tributary of the French Broad River of the same name, which itself derives its name from a Virginian trader killed by a band of Cherokee Indians whose body was thrown...
, about halfway between Sevierville
Sevierville, 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....
and Seymour
Seymour, Tennessee
Seymour is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Blount and Sevier counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, United States. The CDP population was 8,850 at the 2000 U.S. census...
. The plantation was situated along the banks of Boyds Creek, which empties into the French Broad River
French Broad River
The French Broad River flows from near the village of Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into the state of Tennessee. Its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville is the beginning of the Tennessee River....
at 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...
about a mile to the east.
History
State Highway 338 roughly follows what was once a section of the 18th-century Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
trail known as the Great Indian Warpath
Great Indian Warpath
The Great Indian Warpath — also known as the Great Indian War and Trading Path, or the Seneca Trail — was that part of the network of trails in eastern North America developed and used by Native Americans which ran through the Great Appalachian Valley...
. In 1780, John Sevier
John Sevier
John Sevier served four years as the only governor of the State of Franklin and twelve years as Governor of Tennessee. As a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1811 until his death...
followed the path across the French Broad River to engage and defeat a Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
force at the Battle of Boyds Creek, which took place in the vicinity of Wheatlands. Early settlers also followed the trail into the Boyds Creek area, among them Timothy Chandler, a Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
veteran from Virginia, who moved his family to Boyds Creek in 1791.
After Timothy Chandler died in 1819, his son, John Chandler, inherited the family's Boyds Creek farm. The original Chandler farmhouse burned in 1824, and John Chandler built the present plantation house at the site to replace it. By 1850, Wheatlands had become one of the largest farms in Sevier County, covering some 3700 acres (1,497.3 ha) worth $7,000 (US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
in present terms), and included fifteen horses, ten mules, forty cattle, fifty sheep, and three hundred hogs. Chandler and fourteen slaves produced 3,000 bushels of corn, 400 bushels of oats, 200 bushels of sweet potatoes, 12 bushels of buckwheat, 10 tons of hay, 150 pounds of wool, 200 pounds of butter, and 200 gallons of honey. The plantation's distillery produced 6,000 gallons of whiskey, worth $4,500 (US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
in present terms).
When Southern slaves were emancipated during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(1861–1865), Chandler started paying his freed slaves to remain at Wheatlands. Upon his death in 1875, Chandler left his former slaves a portion of land along the south side of Wheatlands known as Chandler Gap. The Chandler Gap community remained a predominantly African-American community well into the 20th century.
In 2011, three Pigeon Forge
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 5,875....
businessmen purchased Wheatlands, and announced plans to restore the house, and possibly re-establish a distillery on the property.
Historical structures
Original structures at Wheatlands include the house, a storage shed, and a 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:...
. A smaller house, barn, and a second storage shed have been added more recently. The house at Wheatlands is a 2-story, 5-bay brick house with a 1.5-story kitchen and dining room wing attached to the rear to form an "L" shape. The house is designed in the Federal style, although a Victorian-style
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
front porch was added sometime around 1900. The brickwork
Brickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures such as walls. Brickwork is also used to finish corners, door, and window openings, etc...
on the house's front facade uses a Flemish bond, and the brickwork on the sides and rear uses common bond. A brick cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
encircles the house.
The interior of the house retains most of its original design elements, which include hand-planed railings and windows. The mantel designs were based on Adamesque models in patternbooks, and include hand-carved details and entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
s. The house is based on a central floor plan
Floor plan
In architecture and building engineering, a floor plan, or floorplan, is a diagram, usually to scale, showing a view from above of the relationships between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of a structure....
, rather than a parlor hall floor plan which was more typical of the period.
A frame storage shed built sometime around 1825 still stands a few feet behind the house. The shed, which has beaded weatherboarding
Weatherboarding
Weatherboarding is the cladding or ‘siding’ of a house consisting of long thin timber boards that overlap one another, either vertically or horizontally on the outside of the wall. They are usually of rectangular section with parallel sides...
, may have once housed a distillery, an ice house, or a loom house. The smokehouse at Wheatlands dates to the first half of the 19th century, and is constructed of hewn logs with a board and batten door.
External links
- John Chandler — entry at Smokykin.com