William Blount Mansion - History

History

The United States created the Territory South of the River Ohio, usually called the "Southwest Territory", in 1790, and President George Washington appointed North Carolina surveryor William Blount as the territory's first governor. Blount initially governed from Rocky Mount (in the Tri-Cities area), but began searching for a permanent capital for the territory. After Blount selected White's Fort for the site of the capital, James White, the owner of the fort and adjacent lands, and his son-in-law Charles McClung drew up a grid of 64 half-acre lots that would eventually become the city of Knoxville, and in 1791 held a lottery for parties interested in purchasing a lot. Lot 18, the future site of Blount Mansion, was originally sold to John Carter. Blount purchased the lot from Carter in 1794, although it's believed they had a verbal agreement for sale of the lot much earlier, and thus construction of Blount Mansion began sometime around March 1792 when Blount relocated to Knoxville.

While the mansion was being built, the Blount family probably lived in a cabin atop Barbara Hill, now known as "The Hill" by University of Tennessee students. Blount's reasons for building an elaborate frame house on the frontier were twofold. First, the house would act as a capitol of the Southwest Territory, and thus would need to command the respect of visiting delegations. Second, Blount wanted to fulfill a promise he made to his wife, Mary Grainger Blount, to build a home comparable to their lavish North Carolina home. The first phase of construction was completed around 1796, although work continued until well into the 19th century. The detached kitchen was likely completed in subsequent years. Blount's friend John Chisholm built Chisholm Tavern somewhere along the south side of the lot in 1792. Andrew Jackson and John Sevier were frequent visitors to the mansion, and early guests included botanist André Michaux and various Cherokee chiefs.

Blount transferred ownership of the mansion to his younger brother Willie Blount in 1797. Willie Blount deeded the mansion to Blount's son William Grainger Blount in 1818. The Blount family sold the mansion to the McClung family in 1825, and by the 1840s Knoxville mayor Samuel Boyd had obtained ownership of the property. The Boyd family maintained ownership of the mansion until the early 20th century, renting it out to various private and commercial interests. The Boyds also made several additions to the mansion, including a large Victorian-style porch.