Maxwelton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Maxwelton
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 Location in Tennessee
Location in the United States
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| Location | 3105 Southern Ave. Memphis, Tennessee |
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| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, Pianobox |
| NRHP reference No. | 80003866 |
| Added to NRHP | March 10, 1980 |
Maxwelton is a special old house in Memphis, Tennessee. It is known for its unique design. This house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important historical building in the United States. Maxwelton is the only house left in Memphis that looks like a "Victorian piano box house." Today, it is a private home.
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What is a "Piano Box" House?
Maxwelton is built in a style called "piano box." This type of house was popular in Middle and West Tennessee. They were built from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. People called them "piano box" houses because their shape looked like a rectangular grand piano. It's a simple, classic design.
Inside Maxwelton
Maxwelton was built around 1860. It was made from local Tennessee wood, like Poplar and Cypress. The house has a long front porch that is set back between two rooms. Inside, the ceilings are very high, about 14 feet tall! The floors are made of wide pine boards, about 4 inches wide. There are five fireplaces in the house. Some of them have beautiful wooden decorations and fancy tiled areas around the fire.
The house is named after a famous estate in Scotland. This estate is called Maxwelton House. It was the home of a well-known person named Annie Laurie.
Maxwelton's Family History
In 1874, a man named Judge John Louis Taylor Sneed bought Maxwelton. The house stayed in his family, the Sneed - Ewell family, for four generations. When Judge Sneed passed away, his wife inherited the house. They did not have children. So, after her death, the house went to her nephew, John Sneed Webb. Then it passed to Webb's daughter, Kathleen.
In 1918, Kathleen got married in the house to Arthur Peyton Ewell. They had two sons, Arthur Webb Ewell and John Sneed Ewell. Both of their sons were born right there in Maxwelton's west bedroom.
A National Treasure
Maxwelton was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. This listing helps protect the house. It recognizes Maxwelton as an important part of American history and architecture.
