1792- William Blount Mansion

The William Blount Mansion was built in 1792.

Location: 200 West Hill Avenue, Downtown Knoxville

The historic marker out front reads:

"Blount Mansion

Built in 1792, this was one of the first frame houses west of the Alleghenies. It served as both the residence of William Blount, Governor of the Territory South of the River Ohio, and as capitol of that territory, now the State of Tennessee. Born in North Carolina, Blount was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and a signer of the Constitution of the United States."

See more information about the William Blount Mansion below these pictures. Learn more at http://www.blountmansion.org/.

The following information comes from the website of the National Register of Historic Places. In 1975, the William Blount Mansion was nominated to be added to the National Register of Historic Places Inventory. The original nomination form can be seen on the NRHP site.

"The Blount Mansion was constructed as the residence of William Blount, who served as Governor of the Territory South of the Ohio River (commonly known as the "Southwest Territory") and played a major role in the formation of the State of Tennessee. The two-story main block and one-story western wing of the frame and clapboard house were built c. 1792; the one-story eastern wing was added shortly after. The detached office at the rear (southeast) of the house was, in effect, the capital of Blount’s territorial government.

The mansion remained in the Blount family until 1820, and thereafter had several owners. When it became known, in 1926, that the house might be demolished, the Blount Mansion Association was formed to acquire and preserve it. Since that time, the house, its dependencies, and grounds have been fully restored (reconstructed in the case of the kitchen) and furnished with items appropriate to the period of Blount’s residence. The complex is open to the public on a regular basis.

Though Blount continued to occupy his Knoxville home until his death, he had transferred the title to his younger half-brother, Willie Blount, three years earlier. The house remained in the Blount family until 1820, and thereafter had a number of owners, including two mayors of Knoxville. In 1920, a local real estate dealer acquired the property for rental purposes. When it became known that the Blount Mansion might be demolished to make the site available for business purposes, the Blount Mansion Association was formed to acquire and preserve it. Since that time, the house, dependencies, and grounds have been fully restored and furnished with items appropriate to the period of Blount's residence there.

The Blount Mansion is a frame and clapboard building with shingled, gabled roof. Its heavy supporting timbers were probably obtained locally but the finished woodwork, flooring, pine paneling, and exterior weatherboards were shipped by water from North Carolina, the window panes by pack-train from Virginia. The original sections of the house were completed c. 1792. The two-story main block contains a broad, floor-through hall with quarter-turn stair and the original parlor (now furnished as a dining room) on the first floor, two bedrooms on the second; the one-story western wing contains a single paneled bedroom.

The eastern wing of the house, containing a formal entrance and drawing room, was added at an early date. Under it is a daylight basement, reached by a trap-door and winding stair within the house or by an outside door on the rear (south) elevation. Exact use of the single basement room is uncertain, though it may have been used by Blount as a private office or to entertain Indian guests. It now serves as a gift and souvenir shop.

Entrances to the mansion are located at either end of the main hall and on the front (north) elevation of the eastern wing; these consist of paneled doors topped by multi-pane transoms. Windows are 9/6 sash on the first floor, 6/6 on the second, all flanked by louvered blinds. Brick chimneys are located at the eastern end of the main block and at the outer end of each wing.

Blount's office, constructed at the same time as the mansion, stands to the rear of the western wing. It is a one-story, one-room frame and clapboard structure with shingled, gabled roof. The entrance is located on the north elevation, the brick chimney on the south. The side elevations are broken by pairs of 6/6 sash windows flanked by louvered blinds. The interior features include wide-board horizontal paneling and a carved mantel flanked by book shelves on the left (east) and cupboards on the right. Both the mansion and the office have been fully restored (late 1920's and early 30’s, and 1955, respectively). Furnishings are not original but are appropriate to the period of Blount’s residence."