In 1925, Knoxville almost pancaked a monumental piece of history for … a parking lot.
Blount Mansion, built in 1792 by Governor William Blount, was the center of early Tennessee statehood. It was the first non-log cabin in the region, the site where the state’s constitution was written, and home to the first Senator ever kicked out of Congress (for treason, though it barely dented his popularity in Tennessee).
The home passed through many hands over the next century—a congressman, a doctor, a couple of mayors, businessmen—but by the 1920s, it had seen better days. “This house had been cut up into tiny little apartments,” said Rose Steele, director of development for Blount Mansion, who recently gave me a spirited tour of the property. “The room we’re standing in was a studio apartment at one point.”
Just across the way, an 18-story hotel—now the Andrew Johnson—was going up. “The developers thought, ‘Well, this is all just slum housing. We’ll just tear it down for a parking lot,’” Rose said. “But the ladies in the DAR were like, ‘We are not going to lose this precious governor’s house to the developers.’”
Cue one of Knoxville’s earliest acts of organized historical defiance.
A grassroots preservation campaign, led by Mary Boyce Temple and the Daughters of the American Revolution, kicked off “The Blount House Whirlwind Drive for Dollars.” These were women who got sh*t done. And thanks to their efforts, Blount Mansion was incorporated as a nonprofit and opened to the public as a museum on Dec. 4, 1926.
The Knoxville History Project called it “a watershed moment in historic preservation in Knoxville.” And over the decades, generous individuals and philanthropic families have followed Boyce Temple’s lead, helping keep the lights on—sometimes literally.
“Our number one goal is to stick around for another 100 years,” Steele said. “There were years that this place was held together with Band-Aids and duct tape.”
Steele credited a new era of professionalism and community support for keeping the operation going strong. “We’ve got grants, we’ve got endowments, we’ve got donations, we’ve got memberships,” she said. “And we’re really committed to telling the whole story now—not just about the Blounts, but about the enslaved people who lived here, too.”
This Thursday, June 19, Blount Mansion will commemorate the end of slavery in the United States with Juneteenth tours focused on the story of Cupid and Sal, an enslaved married couple who lived here with their children in the 1790s.
Then on Saturday, June 21, from 5–9 p.m., the museum hosts Martinis at the Mansion, its centennial fundraiser. The all-inclusive garden party features cocktails and wine, grazing tables by Classy Caterer, and a laid-back chance to experience the mansion at golden hour. Tickets are $75 and available here.
Blount Mansion is open for tours Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and Sunday from noon–4 p.m. (Last tour starts at 3 p.m.) A Historic Homes PastPort is available for $40 and includes one-time admission to Blount Mansion, Mabry-Hazen House, Crescent Bend, Marble Springs State Historic Site, James White’s Fort, Historic Ramsey House, Historic Westwood and the East Tennessee History Center.
Blount Mansion is located at 200 W. Hill Ave. in downtown Knoxville. Visit blountmansion.org for more information.
