Elisha Sharp House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Elisha Sharp House
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 Location in Tennessee
Location in the United States
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| Location | Old Ten Mile Road, Ten Mile, Tennessee |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1820 |
| Architect | Sharp, Elisha |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| MPS | Meigs County, Tennessee MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 82004030 |
| Added to NRHP | July 6, 1982 |
The Elisha Sharp House is a historic home located in Ten Mile, Tennessee. It was built a long time ago, between 1820 and 1830. This house is so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 6, 1982.
The Elisha Sharp House stands on Old Ten Mile Road. This road used to be a busy stagecoach route. It connected the cities of Knoxville and Kingston, Tennessee. The house is about 12 miles (19 km) north of Decatur, Tennessee.
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Who Was Elisha Sharp?
Elisha Sharp was born in 1792. He married Elinore Ellen Huff in 1817. She was 16 years old, and he was 25. They moved to Meigs County (which was then part of Rhea County) around 1816 to 1822.
Elisha Sharp owned a lot of land. He was also one of the first six county commissioners for Meigs County. In 1836, he served as a second lieutenant. He was part of the East Tennessee guard. These units were formed to deal with the Cherokee Nation. They were sent home later that year. Sharp later joined the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
The Sharp family cemetery is near the house. It is on Union Grove Road. The oldest gravestone there is from 1830. Most of the graves belong to the Sharp family.
The House Through the Years
The Elisha Sharp House was built between 1820 and 1830. The Sharp farm was quite large, about 226 acres (0.91 km²). Elisha Sharp owned the farm for many years, from 1816 to 1877.
In 1877, the Wasson family bought the house. They owned it until the 1930s. Around this time, electric lines were installed in the area. The house had a few other owners after the Wassons.
In 1955, James Archibald Worth bought the Sharp House. He was known as J.A. or "Nub." J.A. Worth worked as a health physicist. He worked for Oak Ridge National Laboratories. He married Nell Jeanette Fields in 1957. They moved into the Sharp House in 1959. The Worths raised cattle on the farm for over 40 years. J.A. Worth passed away in 1999. Nell Worth sold the house and farm in 2007. The new owner was Jerry Swanks, a neighbor and farmer.
Building the House
The Sharp House was made with bricks. These bricks were likely made right on the property. They were probably fired in a special oven called a kiln. The clay for the bricks likely came from Hurricane Creek. This creek is very close to the house. The walls on the first floor are very thick, about 2 feet (0.61 m) wide.
The Civil War and the House
During the American Civil War, Elisha Sharp died in 1863. He had been shot about two months earlier. He was shot right in front of the house's main door. At that time, the house did not have a porch.
Elisha Sharp was shot by Isaac Preston Knight. Knight was a local man from Meigs County. He was a Union soldier who was home on leave. It is said that Sharp had told his soldiers to take some tools. These tools may have belonged to Knight's father. When the tools were not returned, Knight shot Sharp. Sharp lived for about two months after being shot.
A Message on the Wall
In the 1960s, Nell Worth was taking down old wallpaper in an upstairs bedroom. She found a special message written on the wall. It was above the fireplace.
The message said:
“Remember Me for I may be in these
Western hills where men folks are free
Yours respect.
Moulton Wood
August 28, 1898”
This message was written in 1898. At that time, the Wasson family owned the house. The inscription is still on the wall today. Nell Worth decided not to remove the wallpaper around it. She did not want to damage the special message.
The Sharp House Quilt
In 1985, a group called the FCE Club started a large quilt. It was for a state project called "Homecoming 1986." The Elisha Sharp House is one of 14 historic places shown on this quilt. These places represent the early history of Meigs County. The quilt is now displayed at the Meigs County Historical Museum in Decatur, Tennessee.
