Noblit-Lytle House

The Noblit-Lytle House was constructed around 1848 and was located in the Minor Hill community of Giles County, Tennessee. The house was renovated and enlarged in 1890. The house was a mixture of various architectural styles. The facade featured a full height entry porch which was designed in the Greek Revival style. Located underneath the weatherboard covering, were hewn logs. On the rear elevation of the house was an "I" shape addition that served as a kitchen. The house consisted of two rooms, or pens, connected by a hallway or dogtrot. This was common for many early homes in Tennessee during the mid 19th century. Most of these homes have since been added on to and modernized. The Noblit family had been one of Giles County's earliest settlers. Thomas Hughes Noblit was responsible for the construction of this house. Noblit built up a large farm operation in the community. His land had been acquired as part of a land grant authorized by Tennessee Governor Isham G. Harris. He was able to acquire other lands from private citizens. When all was said and done, the Noblit farm had grown to approximately 1,000 acres. Noblit also served as a Justice of the Peace, and doctor for the community. When the Civil War broke out, a skirmish occurred near the Noblit family home, at Sugar Creek. Thomas Noblit was arrested during the skirmish for burning houses, but the charges were eventually dropped. After the war, Noblit filed a claim seeking reimbursement for damages done by the Federal troops. Following the war, the Noblit farm resumed normal operations. When Thomas Noblit died in 1887, ownership of the house and farm passed to his daughter Mary and her husband William Lytle. Lytle maintained the large operation that his in laws had. William and Mary Lytle's daughter Mary went on to become the first woman to graduate from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Dental Surgery. She later attended Northwestern University where she obtained a Master's degree in Dentistry. When William Lytle died, the farm was divided among his children, and used for tenant farming. The home was rented out for a few years, but eventually fell into a state of disrepair. In 2008 the Noblit-Lytle House was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2017 the house was sold to Mark Bowe and his crew to be featured on the "Barnwood Builders" TV show. As part of the show, the historic house was razed and the logs were taken down and will be repurposed for the construction of new modern log cabins. At the May 16, 2018 meeting of the Tennessee Historical Commission's State National Register Review Board, the board members voted to remove the Noblit-Lytle House from the National Register of Historic Places, due to its destruction. It is always sad when properties have to be removed from the National Register. At Moore Historic Consulting my goal is to help reduce, or eliminate all together the number of properties that are removed from the National Register. The Noblit-Lytle House truly has a sad ending.

 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.