"A house is a person's corner of the world, and if looked at intimately, the humblest of dwellings has beauty. Memories of former dwellings remain in us and with us for all time."
- from "Old American Homes" by Henry K. Williams
This is the earliest known photograph of the Smith-Hurst House which was located in Union County, a mountainous region of East Tennessee. Folklore in the Paulette community tells that Sam P. Smith and his wife, Lucy Ann George Smith, built the house shortly after the Civil War. The 1875 Tennessee State Gazetteer and Business Directory lists Mr. Smith as postmaster of Paulette as well as the owner of a general store. It also explains that "the Paulette settlement was located seven miles southwest of Maynardville, the county seat of Union County, and fifteen miles northeast of Knoxville." By the late 1800s the house was at the center of a growing community that was home to several blacksmiths, a gristmill, a church and a school*. The house was long known as a stopping place for travelers and according to my great-grandfather, Richard Ross Malone, they would look forward to the stop for miles beforehand.
A map drawn by Mr. HC Hines, a grandson of Sam P. Smith, shows that the general store was located across the road from the house. Butter, eggs and other items that needed to be kept cool were stored in the springhouse behind the store. A barn and tool shed were across the secondary road from the house. Those outbuildings that contained supplies used in the home (like the smokehouse and woodshed) were placed closer to the house.
* According to "Our Union County Heritage" (Volume 1), Paulette Academy was established in 1888 in the southern part of Union County, on State Highway 33. The property where the school was located was thought to have been owned by Sam P. Smith. The continuity of use of this parcel of land that was my grandparents home for so many years astounds me.
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