1822- Martin-Russell House

Also known as the Avery-Russell House, the Martin-Russell House was built in 1822, according to a PDF document, entitled "Historic Sites of Knox County, TN," on the Knox County GIS website.

Location: 11409 Kingston Pike, Farragut

The Knox County Two Centuries Photograph Collection, which is part of the Knox County Public Library's Calvin McClung Historical Collection, has a 1930s photo of what I believe is this house. That site just calls it the "Russell Home."

There was an article about the Martin-Russell House that ran on the Knoxville News-Sentinel's website on July 6, 2013. Some facts about the house from the article:

"Located on the site where David Campbell built a blockhouse in 1787, the house was built for Samuel Martin around 1835 as an inn. The inn was once visited by President Andrew Jackson and was sold to Avery Russell before the Civil War. During the war it served as a hospital for soldiers injured at the Battle of Campbell’s Station. The house has remained in the Russell family for six generations. Other buildings on the property that once operated as a dairy farm have been used over the years as the first Farragut town hall..."

In 2014, the Town of Farragut published a document called "Request for Qualifications, Architectural Services for Renovations to the Avery Russell House/Campbell Station Inn, for the Town of Farragut, Tennessee." (See here or here.) Apparently the publication of this document is one of the steps in the process of getting this house renovated and preserved, which I really hope happens. Anyway, part of this report relates the history of the building:

"History of the Avery Russell House/Campbell Station Inn:

History tells us that as early as 1785, the State of Franklin (today Tennessee) entered into an agreement, known as the Dumplin Creek Treaty, with the Cherokees. This treaty opened the land along the French Broad and Holston rivers to a rush of settlers.

The current Farragut community, on the western edge of Knox County, had its beginnings in the late 1700s. Arriving on March 7, 1787, the Campbell clan, along with others, became the first permanent settlers of European descent to call this area home. These early settlers struggled against a hostile environment to carve a settlement out of primeval wilderness that is now called the Town of Farragut. Upon arriving, Col. David Campbell built a cabin to protect against attack by the native peoples who resented the presence of their new neighbors.

Shortly after settling the area, Col. Campbell built a stage coach station known as Campbell’s Station. The original “Block House,” as it was called, was built on the northwest corner of present-day Kingston Pike and Campbell Station Road. As the area grew with expansion and migration to the western frontier, the station grew as well. In 1824, Campbell sold the property to Samuel Martin for a sum of $10,000. Martin made many additions and changes to the property, however it is unclear how extensive these additions were. The property was later purchased by Matthew Russell for a family home and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Avery Russell House. The Avery Russell House/Campbell Station Inn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 5, 1975. The reference number for its listing is 75001759.

The Avery Russell House/Campbell Station Inn served as a favorite stopping place for families, hunters and stock drivers passing through Knoxville. Recognized as one of the earliest inn is TN, it was reported to host such notables as President Andrew Jackson, Louis Phillippe (who later became King of France), famed British geologist G. W. Featherstone and the French botanist Andre Michaux.

The Avery Russell House/Campbell Station Inn also played an important role in the Civil War battle known as the Battle of Campbell Station which was fought in the area on Nov. 16, 1863. During the battle, the house sheltered both Union and Confederate wounded and faint blood stains remain on the old pine floors" (p. 3-4).