Just outside the center of Jonesborough, this marker adds a welcome layer of depth to a site that is easy to miss if you happen to arrive on a quiet holiday morning, as I did. The house itself was closed, which was a small disappointment, but the marker does enough heavy lifting to make the stop worthwhile and to hint at how much early Tennessee history is tucked into this one structure. It stands in a calm corner of town, the kind of place where you can picture the eighteenth century without much effort, and it rewards a moment of unhurried reading.
The marker gives some history. "About one mile southwest of this location, this log house was built in 1777 by this officer who was a veteran of the French and Indian War and a major in the American Revolutionary War. He is buried in the family cemetery nearby. Andrew Jackson live here in 1788-89 while practicing law in Jonesborough. The house was moved intact to this site in 1974 to preserve it from demolition." It is marker number 1A-6 and it was erected by the Tennessee Historical Commission.
The marker offers a compact but evocative glimpse into Jonesborough's frontier years, and it left me looking forward to a return visit when the house is open again.
[Review 94 of 2026 - 597 in Tennessee - 25284 overall] read more