National Register of Historic Places

Pearson Brick House

Kingsport, Tennessee
Listed
March 30, 2017
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
73001846

About this property

The Pearson Brick House (also known as the Barnes House, Barnes Plantation House, or The Old Brick House on the River) is a historic structure located on the north shore of Fort Patrick Henry Lake in Sullivan County, Tennessee. The site is located near the section of the Holston River once referred to as the Great Falls. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, but subsequently removed in 2017. After immigrating from Ireland, John Beauregard Barnes and his wife, Emaline Baker Barnes, owned 2000 acres (809 hectares) of land in east Tennessee around the time of the American Civil War. In 1860, Barnes constructed the two-story house from hand-fired brick on the site. The Barnes' slaves would be locked in the cellar of the house when Union soldiers or sympathizers were near the property. In addition, the family frequently caught runaway slaves and detained them in the cellar until their owners claimed them. The house was inherited by the children of John Beauregard Barnes. A son, John Rice Barnes, and his wife, Elizabeth Hawk Barnes, raised their family of 12 children in the house. In addition to being a farmer, J. R. Barnes was a logger who cut and floated timber on the Holston River to Knoxville, accompanying the timber on the river in a flatboat. The house has since had several owners including the Tennessee Valley Authority. The property is currently owned by Jim Pearson and his wife. The house is constructed from hand-fired brick. A chimney with decorative brickwork is located at each end of the house. The meanings of the initials on the chimneys (E.B. and L.L.) are not precisely known. The house has a total of five fireplaces. The house contains two cellars. One of the two cellars is dirt-walled and contains a fireplace for smoking meats and chains for restraining slaves. A rear wing with five rooms was added to the house during the occupancy by the family of John Rice Barnes. This addition was removed in 1955. Historical information on Pearson Brick House from realtor website

Location

Kingsport, Tennessee
36.48194, -82.47250
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

Hall, Alexander Doak, Farm
Listed
2.4 mi
Roller-Pettyjohn Mill
Industrial
3.6 mi
Preston Farm
Industrial
4.4 mi
Yancey's Tavern
Colonial
4.7 mi
Martin-Dobyns House
Industrial
5.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Long Island of Holston
1776Revolutionary War
3.1 mi
Battle of Long Island Flats (1776)
1776Early Republic
3.6 mi
Battle of Long Island (Tennessee)
1776Revolutionary War
4.5 mi
Battle of Island Flats
1776Revolutionary War
4.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Pearson Brick House listed on the National Register?

Pearson Brick House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 2017.

What type of historic resource is Pearson Brick House?

Pearson Brick House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Pearson Brick House?

The period of significance for Pearson Brick House is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Pearson Brick House?

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