National Register of Historic Places

Maxwell-Kirby House

Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee
Listed
November 30, 1999
Type
Building
Period
Colonial
Ref No.
99001446

About this property

The Maxwell-Kirby House is a historic home located at 8671 Northshore Drive in Knoxville, Tennessee. it is also known as William Maxwell House. It was designed in the Colonial Revival style, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is currently a private residence. The Robert Maxwell House sits on a rise, facing southeast, at the end of a long gravel drive that travels north and west from Northshore Drive, about ten miles (16 km) from downtown Knoxville, in Knox County, Tennessee. The house is in a cleared and landscaped yard, surrounding by rolling terrain that is heavily forested. An original log barn, in extreme disrepair, is located southwest of the house and is not included in this nomination due to its dilapidation. Included in the nomination is a pump house located to the southeast of the house. The yard consists of approximately 13 acres (53,000 m2). The front yard was originally landscaped and may have been tiered. Marble walkways, walls and benches are being found as the present owners have time to clear the undergrowth. Lowe's Ferry Road, now abandoned in this section, originally traveled in front of the house on its way south to the Tennessee River. Lowe's Ferry then proceeded to the south side of the river, in Blount County. The road was heavily traveled, both in Knox County on the north side of the Tennessee River and in Blount County on the south bank. However, when bridges caused the ferry to be abandoned and rail and later automobile transportation caused traffic to proceed in an east–west rather than north–south direction, this section of Lowe's Ferry Road was abandoned. These changes occurred at the end of the 19th century. Springs on the property are known as the Maxwell Springs, and have been extensively used for many years, both by Indian travelers prior to European settlement, and by later travelers in the period of early settlement in Knox County. The original part of the Robert Maxwell House is constructed with heavy timber framing, and its original construction date is unknown but assumed to be c. 1830, since heavy timber-frame construction was common in Knox County at that time. The house was extensively remodeled in 1886 by a descendant of the original owners, and was substantially altered at that time. Its effective construction dates from 1886. The house now consists of three bays with a gable end roof, and is two stories in height. The rear section of the house was added in the 1886 remodeling, and is of frame construction. The house is covered with weatherboard wall covering. The house has a cross gable roof covered with v-crimp metal roof covering.

Location

8671 Northshore Dr.
Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee
35.88557, -84.04040

Categories

ARCHITECTURELANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT
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

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Early Republic
2.4 mi
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Westmoreland Water Wheel and Gatepost (Additional Documentation)
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3.5 mi
Hotpoint Living-Conditioned Home
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3.7 mi
George, Samuel, House
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3.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Fort Sanders Assault (Knoxville)
1863Civil War
7 mi
Battle of Fort Sanders
1863Civil War
7.7 mi
Assault on Fort Sanders (Knoxville)
1863Civil War
8.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Maxwell-Kirby House listed on the National Register?

Maxwell-Kirby House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 30, 1999.

What type of historic resource is Maxwell-Kirby House?

Maxwell-Kirby House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Maxwell-Kirby House?

The period of significance for Maxwell-Kirby House is recorded as the colonial era.

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