For almost 68-years, they’ve been my home.  And, I have relished in their beauty, personality, and individuality.

I would not ever live/buy a new, modern house.  They aren’t built as well as the older houses or buildings.  And they have special characteristics, which newer houses lack, such as wainscoting and latticework.  While each has a welcoming and distinguishing characteristic, it is blessed with a personality all of its own.

 Our Smithville, TN house addresses were as follows:  109 East Webb Street, my childhood home; lake-view log house on Baron’s Bluff at Center Hill Lake, built by Mom and Dad; the now fully-restored Susie Foster log house at 810 South College Street (on the National Register of Historic Places); and, the small guest house and the large main house at 109 East Webb Street.  Each residence has been meticulously restored, renovated and modernized without losing the time-honored empathy within their walls.  Part of the current owners include Dr. Jim Judkins and Dr. and Mrs. Steven W. Cooper, all of downtown Smithville.  The logs used in two of the above houses were collected from houses now covered by the Center Hill lake.

The storied information behind several historic houses in DeKalb County, TN are listed below:

·     Around 1902, this old house is located on Forks of the Pike, just west of Liberty, TN.  It was the home of the Thomas Cooper family.  Robert Robinson is Cooper’s grandson, also of Liberty, TN.  Bertha Robinson McBride is Cooper’s granddaughter.

·     Near Forks of the Pike at Liberty was a house built in 1895 by John Wesley Groom.  The house was owned by the T.P. Bragg family.

·     Still standing and over 100-years-old is the house of Cronnie Walden Willoughby on Dry Branch, four miles east of Alexandria.   William’s grandson, Billy and his wife, Sue Willoughby, own the house and live there today.

·     The Joe L. Evins house was built in 1900 by A.J. Goodman, his grandfather.  Mr. Evins lived in this house his entire life, until he retired from Congress in 1976.  The picturesque house still stands on the corner of Congress Boulevard and East Main Street in Smithville.  Members of the Evins’ family currently reside there.

·     The back portico of the Baxter Rice home (Mrs. Willie Rice) was built in 1837 on West Main Street, downtown Smithville. IT IS SMITHVILLE’S OLDEST HOUSE.    It is the only structure built before the Civil War.  The front part of the house was added about 1860 and has been renovated in recent years.

·     The home of W. Brown Foster was built around the turn of the century.  His family home was located at 205 West Main Street, downtown Smithville.  During the early 1900’s, Foster was known as a “pearl dealer” when pearls were found in the Caney Fork River.

·     The large brick house belonging to attorney and Speaker of the House, McAllen Foutch and his wife, Sallie Parker, was half-built in 1928 by local doctor Bell on East Webb Street.  Later, the Foutches completed the interior and the exterior of the house, including laying all the bricks.  The Foutch’s purchased the house from local dentist, Dr. Jim Bell in 1948.  He was an active member of the Klueh Klux Klan (KKK). The Foutches grandson, attorney and Judge Jim Judkins, now owns and lives in the brick house.

·     In 1854, Bennett Yeargan lived in the only brick residence in Alexandria.  The house is still standing and is occupied by the Jimmy Mullinax family.  During those years, Alexandria was the largest town in DeKalb County, easily bypassing Smithville.

·     In 1858, a house was built in Alexandria, TN by William T. Bone, a merchant, who was killed in the Civil War.  It is now the home of the Bobby White family.

·     The oldest structure in Alexandria, TN is the part of the house belonging to James Goodner.  It was a log house built in 1823.  Goodner was a prominent businessman who operated a Tanyard (the section or part of a Tannery housing tanning vats) for many years before the Civil War, which occurred circa 1860’s.

·     A swinging bridge was the only outlet to reach the Chloe Adcock Magness home on Sink Creek.  The house was built across the creek primarily to keep the chickens at home.  It was built by Henry Jefferson Boles in the 1880’s.  It burned in 1986.

·     The Popper Porter house in Seven Springs was torn down in later years.  Popper was the preacher at New Bildad Church, and later, the Mt. View Primitive Baptist Church, both in the Seven Spring’ area of DeKalb County.

·     The Tommy Webb house on South College Street in Smithville was built in 1879 and was the home of Sallie Magness Webb, “Fessers” great-great-great-great grandmother.  The late Mr. Webb and his wife, Audrey Turner, still own this beautiful yellow house.  For many years, the former teacher served as the DeKalb County Historian, and spent an untold number of hours doing Genealogical research at the local Justin Potter Library in Smithville.  For many  boundless years, he was my best friend in the world!

·     The Bobby and Barbara Colvert house on the old Turnpike east of Dowelltown was used as a hospital during the Civil War (circa: 1860).  For many years, it housed the Beverly Robinson family.

·     Just recently, the white Victorian house at 111 West Webb Street, Smithville. TN, burned and was completely torn down.  Previously, it was owned by LeAnn Foutch Judkins, and was formerly occupied by attorney, Jim Judkins.   This was the home of James B. (Jim) Moore and wife, Cartie Webb, sister of pharmacist F.Z. Webb.  It was built before the late 1800’s.

As an addendum, before the days of indoor plumbing and electricity, an outdoor toilet was a common accessory of most every home.  Several out-of-town mass-construction companies made the outdoor toilets and shipped them to DeKalb and other Tennessee counties.

To decorate an older house using time

-honored supplies, you must:  look for crown moldings, original door or cabinet hardware, unique ceiling details, cabinet designs, and the same interior paint colors for walls and ceilings.  Please remember the historic exterior landscaping and the color pallet used during the house’s initial construction.  Keep them in the same family as the house’s initial design.

In conclusion, ‘Living in an old house holds layers of time passing.  The way houses were constructed years ago was very different than how a new house is constructed today,” wrote Jen Lilly, interior designer. 

Other reasons why buying an old house is a great idea are:  older homes are keeping public and private areas apart and spaced; please respect your homes vintage; keep interior and exteriors proportionate; study your neighbor’s house for ideas; start remodeling outside first; be a detective and undercover your houses’ history; make a list; find other old house owners and friends.  Most of all, open up your front porch and enjoy the outdoors.

In conclusion, famous literary poetry includes the following, entitled:

“Home is people.  Not a place.  If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there anymore…”

Make it yours with lots of love, laughter, and unforgettable stories! You’ll be glad you did.