Sabine Hill

The Sabine Hill historic home was constructed by War of 1812 hero Nathaniel Taylor in 1818. Taylor was one of Elizabethton, Tennessee's earliest settlers. He was the one of the first officers in the state militia, and he also served as the first sheriff of Carter County. Taylor later served in the Tennessee General Assembly. When searching out a plot of land in which to construct his home, he chose land on a hill that would overlook Sycamore Shoals, and the western portion of Elizabethton. Taylor hired a Philadelphia architect to design his home. Instead of the Greek Revival style that had been gaining popularity, Federal style architecture was chosen. The name Sabine Hill comes from Sabine Hall, the Virginia estate of prominent planter Landon Carter. Sadly Taylor passed away before his house was completed. His wife Mary "Polly" Taylor oversaw the house's completion. Polly Taylor ran Sabine Hill until her death in 1853. Sabine Hill has some very unique architectural features. These include a five bay front facade, clapboard siding exterior walls, hand-hewn timber floor joists, a fanlight transom over the front door, and a native limestone foundation. Sabine Hill is unique in the fact that it was never remodeled into a different architectural style, like many other historic homes in Tennessee have been. Sabine Hill remained in the Taylor family until 1947. By this time it had become extremely dilapidated. Family members had ceased inhabiting the house sometime in the late 19th century, resulting in it being left neglected. James L. Reynolds acquired the home in 1949. He was interested in preserving the home. He repaired the chimneys, and foundation, and installed new window sashes. He also got Sabine Hill listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. After Reynolds' death in 1999, Sabine Hill's future was in question yet again. Reynolds' heir wanted to sell the property. The City of Elizabethon wanted to purchase the property, but were unsuccessful. The property was sold to a Johnson City, Tennessee couple who wanted to preserve the house, but for whatever reason were unable to do so. The property was then optioned to a land developer. The developer wanted to raze the house and build condominiums. In 2007 a group of concerned citizens were able to purchase the home and hold on to it until the Tennessee Historical Commission purchased it in 2008. The house had to sit idle until the Tennessee General Assembly awarded $1.1 million to the Historical Commission for research and restoration of Sabine Hill. During its preservation, everything from the wallpaper and paint, to the driveway has been studied and renovated accordingly. The entire process took five years, and on November 1, 2017 Sabine Hill was opened to the public for tours. It was designated a state historic site by the Tennessee Historical Commission. It will be overseen by the Sycamore Shoals state park. At Moore Historical Consulting, my #1 priority is historic preservation. I am happy to be working currently one two National Register of Historic Places nominations. One of which has been recently approved by the Tennessee Historical Commission. There is still work to do. As homes, commercial buildings, and churches continue to get older, they must be preserved for future generations. For every Sabine Hill there are thousands of other sites just like it that have yet to be preserved. Do you know of one? If so contact me today at Moore Historical Consulting to get started.

A neglected Sabine Hill in 1936.

A more recent view of Sabine Hill pre-restoration.

Tennessee Historical Commission Historical Marker at Sabine Hill.

Be sure to come back next week for another Throwback Thursday courtesy of Moore Historical Consulting. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring your past fun and easy!!