National Register of Historic Places

Fairmont

Columbia, Maury County, Tennessee
Listed
August 31, 1983
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
83003052

About this property

Fairmont is a historic mansion in Columbia, Tennessee, USA. Construction on the two-story mansion began in 1831, and it was completed in 1837. It was built for John Smiser, a lawyer from Hagerstown, Maryland who practised the law in Natchez, Mississippi and served as the sheriff of Williamson County, Tennessee, and his wife, Mary Evie Turtey, a native of Paris, Kentucky. After the Smisers died and were buried on the property in 1840, the mansion was inherited by their daughter Ellen and her husband, James Gray Booker, the son of large planter Peter R. Booker, Sr. (1784-1839). By 1853, Booker's brother-in-law and his four daughters, who had died of yellow fever in New Orleans, Louisiana, were buried on the property. The mansion was acquired by Lex Watson (1892-1951) in 1931. It was later repurposed as a retirement facility, until it became a private residence once again. The mansion was designed by architect Nathan Vaught in the Greek Revival architectural style. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since September 1, 1983.

Location

Columbia, Maury County, Tennessee
35.58632, -87.02539

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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The Land
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Geology
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Nearby Historic Sites

Elm Springs (Additional Documentation)
Civil War
0.3 mi
Beechlawn Advance and Retreat (Additional Documentation)
Industrial
1.5 mi
Union Station
Civil War
1.7 mi
United States Post Office and Court House
Industrial
2 mi
Blythewood
Industrial
2 mi

Nearby Battles

Skirmish at Columbia, Tennessee (1862)
1862Civil War
2.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Fairmont listed on the National Register?

Fairmont was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 31, 1983.

What type of historic resource is Fairmont?

Fairmont is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Fairmont?

The period of significance for Fairmont is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Fairmont?

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