Sparta Rock House
Encyclopedia
The Sparta Rock House is a stone building near Sparta, Tennessee
that once served as a rest stop and tollhouse. Built in the late 1830s, the Rock House catered to traffic along an important wagon road between Knoxville
and Nashville
, offering badly needed lodging and supplies to travellers who had just crossed (or were about to cross, depending on their direction) the rugged Cumberland Plateau
. The Rock House was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973 for its architecture and its historical role as an important rest stop.
The Rock House was probably built by either Samuel Denton or brothers Barlow and Madison Fiske, and initially operated by the latter two. Early guests at the Rock House included presidents Andrew Jackson
and James K. Polk
, and Governor Sam Houston
. It was home to a tollhouse and supply store until at least the 1850s, and was used as a school at various times between 1880 and 1921. Due primarily to the efforts of the Daughters of the American Revolution
, the state purchased and began restoring the Rock House in the 1940s. The Rock House is currently operated as a state historic site.
and White County Highway 2220 (Country Club Road). The Rock House property sits on a shelf-like slope that lies along the physiographic boundary between the Cumberland Plateau to the east and the Highland Rim
to west. The elevation of US-70 is approximately 900 feet (274.3 m) at Sparta (on the Highland Rim), 1300 feet (396.2 m) as it passes the Rock House, and just over 1800 feet (548.6 m) as it tops out at the edge of the Cumberland Plateau. The Rock House State Historic Site property includes a large plot of woodland that extends east from the Rock House to Old Bon Air Road.
atop the Cumberland Plateau. The main branch (roughly following the modern US-70N) continued northwestward to what is now Monterey
, while a second branch (roughly following the modern US-70) proceeded westward to what is now Sparta. To provide a rest stop for travellers along the latter branch, the Rock House was built on the property of local farmer Samuel Denton sometime between 1835 and 1839. While sources are unclear as to whether Denton or the Fiske brothers, Barlow and Madison, built the Rock House, the Fiske brothers were nevertheless in possession of the structure by 1839. Along with providing a nightly stopover, the Rock House was used as a tollhouse until the late 1850s, as wagon roads during this period were often contracted out to local operators. The construction of the Bon Air Hotel atop the Plateau a few miles to the east in the 1840s no doubt brought increased traffic to the Rock House, although the hotel was destroyed during the U.S. Civil War.
In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, the Rock House was used variously as a residence and a school, known simply as the "Rock House School." In 1941, the Daughters of the American Revolution obtained appropriations from the Tennessee state government to purchase and restore the Rock House, which it operated as a public museum and meeting place for its local chapter. A local craftsman named Clifton Broyle completed numerous renovations at the Rock House in the 1960s.
Sparta, Tennessee
Sparta is a city in White County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,599 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of White County. It was the hometown of Lester Flatt of the bluegrass music legends Flatt and Scruggs.-Geography:...
that once served as a rest stop and tollhouse. Built in the late 1830s, the Rock House catered to traffic along an important wagon road between Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
and Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, offering badly needed lodging and supplies to travellers who had just crossed (or were about to cross, depending on their direction) the rugged Cumberland Plateau
Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
. The Rock House was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973 for its architecture and its historical role as an important rest stop.
The Rock House was probably built by either Samuel Denton or brothers Barlow and Madison Fiske, and initially operated by the latter two. Early guests at the Rock House included presidents Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
and James K. Polk
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
, and Governor Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
. It was home to a tollhouse and supply store until at least the 1850s, and was used as a school at various times between 1880 and 1921. Due primarily to the efforts of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
, the state purchased and began restoring the Rock House in the 1940s. The Rock House is currently operated as a state historic site.
Location
The Sparta Rock House is located at the junction of U.S. Route 70U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east–west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
and White County Highway 2220 (Country Club Road). The Rock House property sits on a shelf-like slope that lies along the physiographic boundary between the Cumberland Plateau to the east and the Highland Rim
Highland Rim
The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. Nashville is largely surrounded by higher terrain in all directions....
to west. The elevation of US-70 is approximately 900 feet (274.3 m) at Sparta (on the Highland Rim), 1300 feet (396.2 m) as it passes the Rock House, and just over 1800 feet (548.6 m) as it tops out at the edge of the Cumberland Plateau. The Rock House State Historic Site property includes a large plot of woodland that extends east from the Rock House to Old Bon Air Road.
History
The Walton Road, an early wagon road connecting Knoxville and Nashville, forked at CrossvilleCrossville, Tennessee
Crossville is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,795 at the 2010 Census.-Geography:Crossville is located at...
atop the Cumberland Plateau. The main branch (roughly following the modern US-70N) continued northwestward to what is now Monterey
Monterey, Tennessee
Monterey is a town in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,717 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Monterey is located at ....
, while a second branch (roughly following the modern US-70) proceeded westward to what is now Sparta. To provide a rest stop for travellers along the latter branch, the Rock House was built on the property of local farmer Samuel Denton sometime between 1835 and 1839. While sources are unclear as to whether Denton or the Fiske brothers, Barlow and Madison, built the Rock House, the Fiske brothers were nevertheless in possession of the structure by 1839. Along with providing a nightly stopover, the Rock House was used as a tollhouse until the late 1850s, as wagon roads during this period were often contracted out to local operators. The construction of the Bon Air Hotel atop the Plateau a few miles to the east in the 1840s no doubt brought increased traffic to the Rock House, although the hotel was destroyed during the U.S. Civil War.
In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, the Rock House was used variously as a residence and a school, known simply as the "Rock House School." In 1941, the Daughters of the American Revolution obtained appropriations from the Tennessee state government to purchase and restore the Rock House, which it operated as a public museum and meeting place for its local chapter. A local craftsman named Clifton Broyle completed numerous renovations at the Rock House in the 1960s.