The author would like to dedicate this essay to four very special people. Without them, there would be no White Plains, and the history certainly would not be preserved for future generations. The first person the author would like to recognize, is actually a group. This group is known as “Friends of White Plains.” The men and women in this group have devoted much of their time and energy into telling the story of White Plains. What they don't know about White Plains is not worth knowing. It is the author’s hope that this essay will be something that they can be proud of. The second person the author would like to thank is his grandfather Joe Moore. Joe has hundreds of years worth of genealogy memorized by heart. Without him, the author would never have gained such a love and appreciation for not only White Plains, but for history in general. The third person the author would like to thank is his great-grandfather Donald Moore. Even though the author only knew him for three years, his love for the Upper Cumberland area, and its rich history no doubt comes from him. The fourth and most important person the author would like to dedicate this essay to is none other then his seventh great-grandfather William Quarles. Without him there would be no White Plains. The courage that it took for him to uproot his entire family and bring them to a “foreign” land is admirable. The author only found out a few months ago that Quarles is his grandfather, and it is his hope that this essay will make up for the twenty-four years he has missed out on. The author sends thanks and much love to each of these people.
About half way between the towns of Cookeville and Algood, stands a stately antebellum home along the Old Walton Road. The home was once part of a sprawling plantation known simply as White Plains. All that remains are fifteen acres, but if the walls of this historic home could talk, the stories it could tell would be timeless. The home has seen changes over the years, as modern homes have been constructed on all sides. This old home though has stood the test of time. This is the story of White Plains.
In 1752, William Quarles was born in Caroline County, Virginia. Nothing is known about his childhood. Quarles was a very prominent farmer and lawyer during his time in Virginia. He eventually fell in love with and married Nancy Ann Hawes. Together the two of them had ten children. It is believed that in 1805, Quarles set out to find new land in Tennessee. Once he found land, he returned to Virginia for his family.
Quarles and his family came to White Plains in 1809. The family reached Tennessee on Christmas day. They were stunned to see that Sparta was so close by. He quickly got to work building up the area. He purchased an inn from a man named Daniel Alexander. Alexander had served as the postmaster. The United States government had given the area the name White Plains due to the original home being located in White County. The inn became the first “White Plains home” and stage stop. Quarles later constructed a general store, and a blacksmith shop. White Plains would become one of the most popular stops along the Walton Road.
It is important to understand that Cookeville and Putnam County did not exist at this time. The plantation was located in both White and Jackson Counties. The original home was located in White County. Since this was the case, Quarles was called on and appointed major of the White County militia, and he also served as the county’s coroner, and justice of the peace. Quarles was later admitted to the bar. He would become the first judge in the Upper Cumberland, and White Plains would later become the county seat of the newly created Putnam County.
The year 1814 brought about change for White Plains. In April of that year William Quarles was murdered while walking back home from a militia meeting in Sparta. His body was dumped in a ditch along the side of the road, and his riderless horse returned home. He was only sixty-two. The person responsible for the murder was a man named William Phillips. A fifty dollar bounty was eventually issued for Phillips’ arrest. He was eventually captured and hanged for the murder of Quarles. The reason for the murder is unknown. It could perhaps have been because Phillips was jealous of all the positions and land that Quarles held. It could also have been something simple, such as a robbery. Some believe that Daniel Alexander was supposed to have sold his stage stop to Phillips, and he took his anger out on Quarles. The fact is, the real reason will never be known. Quarles, sadly, was only able to live on his beloved land for four years. The future of White Plains was left uncertain.
Following the death of William Quarles, his wife Ann Hawes Quarles became the head of the household. By all accounts she was a very strong woman and was good in business, but there are reports that her children helped her on occasion. In addition to running White Plains, she also raised a few of her grandchildren. The most famous of these is Stephen Decatur Burton. Burton grew up with the same eye for business as his grandparents did, and would eventually take over the day to day operation of White Plains. Other than what’s mentioned above, nothing else is known about the life of Ann Quarles. By all accounts she lived a long life, passing away in 1844.
Around 1837, tragedy struck White Plains yet again. For reasons unknown, the home caught fire and burned. Young Stephen Decatur Burton set out to build a brand new home. The newly constructed home was completed around 1848, but there is evidence to suggest that construction was completed earlier. The new home was built approximately a quarter mile up the road from the original one. The new home was actually built in Jackson County. Burton designed the home with all the popular architectural styles in mind. He also was careful to include various features that the previous home was equipped with. Just some of the features he included were a full height entry porch, fireplaces in every room, with each being a different style, and gun cabinets located on either side of the front door. Burton’s home became, and still remains one of the most unique and stately in the Upper Cumberland.
Stephen Decatur Burton ran White Plains in much the same way as his grandfather had. He was heavily involved in all the day to day operations. He was perhaps the most heavily involved in the operation of the general store. The store was simply know as Burton and Hawes. The Hawes name comes from his business partner, and cousin Daniel Washington Hawes. What is unique about this store is that loans were actually issued through it. There is evidence that Burton issued loans ranging from as low as $3.60, to as high as $4,000. The downside to this, was the fact that Burton had trouble getting people to pay him back. This led to financial difficulty for both Burton and White Plains.
The White Plains Plantation hosted many famous visitors during its time as a stage stop along the Walton Road. Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson all spent the night at White Plains. The well at White Plains is known as “the well of three presidents,” as all three men drank from it. While at White Plains, Jackson’s wife Rachel, worked on a quilt. The quilt is now part of the personal quilt collection at White Plains. It was at White Plains where the Kentucky Stock Road and the Walton Road intersected. White Plains was the last opportunity for travelers on both roads to eat, restock their supplies, and rest before moving on.
White Plains was able to gain more famous connections due to the Quarles children marrying them or their families. The sixth child Sarah Wesley married Overton County politician Adam Huntsman. Huntsman is famous in Tennessee history for running against and defeating Davy Crockett in the 1835 Congressional election. This election is considered to be the primary reason why Crockett went to Texas. The ninth Quarles child, John Adams, married into the Clemens family. The most famous member of this family is Samuel Clemens, or more popularly known as Mark Twain. Twain became John Adam Quarles’ nephew by marriage. It is unknown if Twain ever visited White Plains, but it is believed that his short story entitled “The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” was inspired by either John Adams Quarles or White Plains.
When the Quarles children got married, most of them stayed around White Plains. Adam and Sarah Quarles Huntsman went to Jackson, Tennessee, and John Adams Quarles went to Missouri. Elizabeth Jane Quarles, died shortly after giving birth to her daughter Frances Ann. William Hawes Quarles, the author’s connection to White Plains, took some of his father’s land, and had his own farm. Based on records, he had a slave name “Uncle Mat” Quarles.
It is worth noting that Madison “Uncle Mat” Quarles became a prominent member of Putnam County society. Following the end of the Civil War, he purchased land from Stephen Decatur Burton along the Walton Road. Burton told “Uncle Mat” that it had always been his goal for him to own his own property. He worked at the McDaniel Hotel, and also for local physician Tom Moore. By all accounts “Uncle Mat” was a very reliable and faithful man. He is buried, near his home, at the corner of 10th Street and Pickard Avenue in Cookeville.
In 1842, when the “Act to Establish County of Putnam” was passed, White Plains became the county seat. The home served as the courthouse. The first county commission convened at White Plains. Among the first county commissioners were Carr Terry, Isaac Buck, and Richard Fielding Cooke. Stephen Decatur Burton became the county’s first postmaster. White Plains continued to serve as the Putnam County seat until 1854, when Cookeville was established.
When the Civil War broke out during the 1860s, White Plains continued as a working plantation. Burton, like so many others, was a slave owner. He was never away from the plantation. Burton was very good to his slaves. Across the street from the house is the slave cemetery where most of the slaves are buried.The home remained inhabited by the Quarles and Burton families. However, the Walton Road was used by both armies to travel from town to town, so it is safe to say that some soldiers stopped off at White Plains. One soldier that did stop off at the plantation was Burton’s cousin. It is unknown how long he stayed with his family, but he eventually returned to the Confederate army. Corn and cotton continued to be grown on the land. Most was sold to assist in the war effort. Burton lost money during the war, after a ship that was carrying cotton was sunk while traveling south. It is unknown where the ship was headed, but reports suggest that its destination was New Orleans. It is also unknown how much money Burton lost, but it is possible that the amount was in the hundreds of thousands. While the Civil War had no direct effects on life at White Plains, the loss of money led to some very dire consequences.
Slave Cemetery at White Plains
By the latter nineteenth century, life on the White Plains Plantation was disintegrating. The creation of towns such as Cookeville, and Monterey lured people away. By the turn of the century, there were not enough people to justify continuing operation of the school, or the general store. The rise in popularity of the Tennessee Central Railroad made stagecoaches obsolete, therefore ending White Plain’s reign as a stage stop. Stephen Decatur Burton, in an attempt to regain the money lost during the war, went broke thanks to multiple poor business deals. By the time 1900 came, the White Plains community ceased to exist. The home and surrounding property were eventually sold to Charles Marion Huddleston, when he died in 1922, his son David C. Huddleston took possession of the property. The property was later sold to Harvey Draper in 1958. Once the home and property were sold to Draper, the property was no longer in possession of a direct descendent of William Quarles. The once sprawling plantation settled and operated by William Quarles and his family was no more.
About a quarter mile down the road from the home, is the final resting place of William Quarles, Stephen Decatur Burton, and their families. The cemetery is divided up into two separate sites. The Burtons are buried closer to the road, while the Quarles are buried further back. According to a brief essay written by Charlene Carver McClain, the reason for this is on the day that Stephen Decatur Burton passed away, there had been a heavy snow. It was impossible to tell where the graves were. To avoid confusion, they decided to bury Burton up closer to the road. Once this was completed, the tradition just stuck and the result was two cemeteries on one site. The land that now houses the cemetery is where the counties of Overton, White, and Jackson all came together at a triangular point, marked today by the flagpole. This site is also where the original home stood.
From the twentieth century up until now, White Plains has undergone some major changes. Soon after taking possession of the property, Draper bricked the house completely, the front porch was completely redone, and “wings” were added on either side. By doing this, the house was delayed being placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the land around the home was eventually sold to developers. Modern homes and a golf course were constructed on the once sprawling plantation. When Draper passed away, his daughter Martha, and her husband Dr. Tom Willis took possession of the home. The home was inhabited by the Willis’ until Martha’s death in March of 2012. The future of the home is uncertain, but preservation efforts are currently underway. The possibilities for the home and property are endless. Once preserved, White Plains will be an asset to the Upper Cumberland for many generations.
Author’s note: The author wishes to thank ClaudeAnn Burton, Charlene Carver McClain, Eunetta Jenkins, and Cindy Putman for the information that made this essay possible. For more information on White Plains the author highly recommends the website http://wpquarles2009.info/Wm%20Pennington%20Quarles.html. or the book "Quarles-Pointer Families" by Zola Pointer.
The Following is the author’s connection to William Quarles:
Carver Gribble Moore- Samuel Leach Moore- Joseph Sheridan Moore- Donald Harvey Moore- Haskel Moore- Etta Terry (Moore’s wife)- Mary Pointer (Terry’s mother)- Ann Hawes Quarles (Pointer’s mother)- William Hawes Quarles (Quarles’ father)- William Quarles (Quarles’ father)
Grave of William Quarles founder of White Plains.
Grave of Ann Quarles.
Grave of Stephen Decatur Burton.
William Hawes Quarles, the author's sixth great grandfather.
Grave of William Hawes Quarles.
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