National Register of Historic Places

Hewitt, Austin, Home

Pulaski, Giles County, Tennessee
Listed
December 13, 1984
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
84000611

About this property

The Austin Hewitt Home is a historic mansion in Pulaski, Tennessee, United States. It was home to the Pulaski Female Academy from 1832 to 1852. It was the private residence of the Childers, Ragsdale and Beasley families until 1924, when it became a home for indigent homeless women endowed by philanthropist Austin Hewitt. It is now a retirement home. The land belonged to John M. Bass and Eli E. Bass until 1832, when they sold it to Lunsford M. Bramlett, A.M. Ballentine, Ben Carter, Thomas Martin, and Fountain Tester, the co-founder of the Pulaski Female Academy. The house was built in 1839. It was designed in the Greek Revival architectural style. The house was purchased by Joseph B. Childers in 1852. It was subsequently purchased by J. H. Ragsdale, who served as the mayor of Pulaski. Ragsdale lived in the house with his wife, Elizabeth Bull, and their two daughters, Clarissa and Mary Lambeth. It was acquired by W. Frank Ewing in 1917. Two years later, in 1919, it was purchased by Polk Comer, and by N. S. Beasley shortly after. The Beasleys lived in the house from 1919 to 1924. In 1924, the house became home to the "indigent old women of Giles County", thanks to a US$200,000 donation from the estate of philanthropist Austin Hewitt. However, Hewitt's trust ran out by 1981, and it was remodelled as a retirement home by developer Robert W. Brindley. The house has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since December 13, 1984.

Location

322 E. Washington St.
Pulaski, Giles County, Tennessee
35.20130, -87.02725

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
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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Nearby Historic Sites

Pulaski Courthouse Square Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Industrial
0.1 mi
Sam Davis Avenue Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Pulaski Courthouse Square Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Church of the Messiah
Civil War
0.3 mi
Brown-Daly-Horne House
Industrial
0.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Pulaski Tennessee Second Action
1864Civil War
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Hewitt, Austin, Home listed on the National Register?

Hewitt, Austin, Home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 13, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Hewitt, Austin, Home?

Hewitt, Austin, Home is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Hewitt, Austin, Home?

The period of significance for Hewitt, Austin, Home is recorded as the industrial era.

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