What you are about to read is the complete "narrative statement of significance" from the National Register of Historic Places nomination on Rock Island, Tennessee's Webb Hotel. The Webb Hotel was officially entered into the National Register by the United States Department of the Interior on March 27, 2020. The Webb Hotel marks the 23rd National Register site in Warren County, Tennessee and the 4th in Rock Island.
Establishment and Early Development of the Rock Island Community
The Rock Island community traces its history to the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The first activity recorded by Europeans in Rock Island was an exploratory mission in 1769-1770. The group found bones under rocks in caves along the various rivers and creeks. A stock fort mound, possibly built by the Cherokee, was recorded near the Caney Fork River. In 1793, European settlers and the Cherokee engaged in a battle on the north bank of the Caney Fork. The Native Americans were defeated, and the area was opened to European settlers. Settlers accessed this new land via the Old Kentucky Road, and Rock Island became a popular place due to its location at the confluence of the Caney Fork and Collins Rivers. The name of the community was taken from a “rock island” formation in the Caney Fork. The area originally made up the counties of Warren, White, and Van Buren. Joseph Terry is credited with being the first European to settle at Rock Island around the turn of the 19th century.
By the mid-19th century, industry in Rock Island began to boom. Using hydropower from the two rivers saw mills, cotton mills, and grist mills were constructed. Not long after the construction of these mills, the railroad industry became a necessity in order to transport these products out of the community. Perhaps the most famous mill in the Rock Island community was the Great Falls Cotton Mill (NR Listed 8/26/1982). Constructed in 1892 by Clay Faulkner, the mill was one of the most productive in the community for the next ten years. A flood in 1902 permanently closed the mill.
By 1915, construction began on the Great Falls Dam (NR Listed 7/5/1990) located at the confluence of the Caney Fork and Collins Rivers. This dam was designed to control flooding and make sure that another flood, like the one in 1902, would be avoided. The dam also provided electricity to the Rock Island community. The dam later led to the creation of a lake, which led to an increase in tourism to the area. The major attraction was fishing given the large population of large and smallmouth bass, musky, and trout. Fishermen came from all around to try their luck catching these species. With this increase in tourism came the need for restaurants, hotels, and watercraft rentals.
Webb Hotel Historical Information
In 1909, John Webb answered the need for all three tourism necessities. He and his wife built a large Craftsman style house, constructed of sandstone and red cedar shakes, less than a mile south of the dam. The Webbs had operated a hotel in a non-extant structure across the Caney Fork River in the White County community of Walling. In 1909, the Webbs closed that hotel and moved across the river to Rock Island due to the increase in the fishing hobby and the need for lodging for fishermen. The house’s location, within walking distance of the railway depot, made it easy access for rail travelers.
Webb Hotel c.1940
The house contained a large number of rooms on both levels and in a non-extant north wing. The house became known as the Webb Hotel. It did not take long for tourists to tell others about the Webb Hotel, and soon, according to local historian Tim Jones, it became one of the most popular lodging options in Rock Island. Webb’s wife Lyda became famous for her homestyle dinners, especially on Sunday afternoons. The dinners and the accommodations became so popular that country music star and member of the Grand Ole Opry, Uncle Dave Macon, often frequented the Webb Hotel on Sunday afternoons.
Webb Hotel c.1920 showing the non-extant north wing.
The Webb family also owned and operated Rock Island’s first swimming pool. The pool was located on the Collins River to the west of the house, on land that is now no longer part of the property. The pool was supported by floating steel barrels with wood slates that allowed water to flow in. The Webbs also operated a boat dock near the pool. This was the first modern dock built on the Caney Fork or any of its tributaries. Tourists were able to rent watercraft at this dock.
Floating swimming pool on the Collins River owned and operated by the Webb family c.1950.
Picture courtesy of Southern Standard McMinnville, Tennessee.
According to Rock Island historian Tim Jones, the Webb Hotel was Rock Island’s first and therefore oldest hotel facility. The Webbs passed away in the 1930s, and the property was sold. However, the property still operated as a hotel and boarding house until the mid-20th century. The hotel wing was demolished about the same time due to deterioration. The main factor in the hotel’s decline was the lack of marketing by the Rock Island community and even the Webbs themselves. The rural location of the community and hotel meant that it was often difficult to access by car, and the big city newspapers often overlooked the area.
Significance in Architecture
The Craftsman style was a popular style for residences from 1905-1930. The style is usually characterized by a low-pitched, gabled roof with porches, either full or partial width, and decorative beams, braces, or other woodwork often added under gables. Side gabled examples frequently have dormers. The style also was known for its use of a variety of materials, including stone and wood. In the Upper Cumberland the Craftsman style was popular from 1910 to 1938, with most of these being found in the towns of Cookeville and Livingston. The style was popular in this region due to its low cost of construction and maintenance.
The Webb Hotel is an excellent example of Craftsman architecture. The building maintains much of its design, materials, and workmanship. Original sandstone, red cedar shakes, and a gabled dormer on the facade are all distinguishing features of the house. A full width front porch and side-gabled roof with decorative wood brackets are also intact features of the Webb Hotel and allow it to convey its Craftsman style architecture. The interior features original ceilings, floors, fireplaces, doors, and original windows.
Notice distinguishing features of the Craftsman architectural style on the Webb Hotel such as the single dormer, red cedar shakes, and decorative wood bracketing along the cantilevered roof line.
Alterations include demolition of a two-story hotel wing on the north elevation due to dilapidation, additions of patios along the north and south elevations, enclosure of a rear porch on the rear elevation, and carpet on the second level. These alterations were all carried out in rear and secondary spaces and do not affect the house’s significant architectural features representative of the Craftsman style. The hotel wing was not built in the Craftsman style and is not considered a significant element of the house’s architectural style. Therefore, its loss does not diminish the building’s integrity to convey its architectural significance.
The Webb Hotel is one of Rock Island’s few examples of Craftsman style architecture. The only other comparable property is the house at 136 Great Falls Rd, which exhibits a different variation of the Craftsman style. Built in 1921, this two-story home features a prominent full width stone entry porch, with a large front gabled second story that stretches almost the entire length of the stone porch. The walls of the second story are almost entirely covered in 15-light windows, suggesting that this space may have been built as a sleeping porch, a common feature on homes built in the early 20th century. The porch is comprised of uncoursed stonework with porch supports that extend beyond the porch’s roofline. The house’s foundation is also uncoursed stone and prominently visible. The first level of the house is sheathed in weatherboard, and the prominent gables on each elevation are clad in shingles. The home exhibits elements of the Craftsman style but in a different variation than the stylistic elements present on the Webb Hotel. For example, the Webb Hotel utilizes a combination of wood and cut stone construction with a front dormer and brackets. In contrast, the house at 136 Great Falls Road utilizes wood and uncoursed stone. Both have prominent stone porches, but the construction of each conveys a different variation of the Craftsman style. In addition, the Webb Hotel has such decorative elements as wide overhanging eaves and brackets.
This house at 136 Great Falls Road is Rock Island's other good example of the Craftsman architectural style. This house has several similarities and differences to the Webb Hotel.
Most of the homes in Rock Island are Ranch, Minimal Traditional, and Colonial Revival. The Webb Hotel is one of the few examples of the Craftsman style in this small, rural, tourist community, and one of the oldest in the Upper Cumberland area. This property is worthy of inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, and should be considered architecturally significant at a local level.
The author would like to thank Rock Island historian Mr. Tim Jones for his assistance with the historical aspects of the Rock Island community as a whole. He would also like to thank the current and past property owners for their careful curation of the historical information and photographs pertaining to the Webb Hotel specifically.
At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.
