Sparta Rock House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Sparta Rock House
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 Location in Tennessee
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Highway 70, near Sparta, Tennessee |
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| Area | 7 acres (2.8 ha) |
| Built | 1830s |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001856 |
| Added to NRHP | August 14, 1973 |
The Sparta Rock House State Historic Site is an old stone building in Sparta, Tennessee, USA. It was built in the late 1830s. This special house used to be a rest stop and a place to pay tolls. It helped people traveling on a major wagon road between Knoxville and Nashville. Travelers could find a place to sleep and get supplies here. This was very important because they were crossing the tough Cumberland Plateau. The Rock House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. This was because of its unique design and its important role in history.
The Rock House was likely built by Samuel Denton or brothers Barlow and Madison Fiske. The Fiske brothers probably ran it first. Famous guests like presidents Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk stayed here. Governor Sam Houston also visited. It was a tollhouse and a store until at least the 1850s. Later, it was used as a school from 1880 to 1921. The state bought the Rock House in the 1940s. This happened mostly because of the Daughters of the American Revolution. They helped restore it. Today, the Tennessee Historical Commission manages the Rock House as a State Historic Site.
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Where is the Rock House Located?
The Sparta Rock House is found where U.S. Route 70 meets White County Highway 2220. This area is also called Country Club Road. The Rock House property sits on a gentle slope. This slope is right between the Cumberland Plateau to the east and the Highland Rim to the west.
U.S. Route 70 is about 900 feet (270 m) high in Sparta. It rises to about 1,300 feet (400 m) when it passes the Rock House. The road then reaches over 1,800 feet (550 m) at the edge of the Cumberland Plateau. The Rock House State Historic Site also includes a large wooded area. This area stretches east from the Rock House to Old Bon Air Road.
The Rock House Story: A Look Back
The Walton Road was an early wagon road. It connected Knoxville and Nashville. This road split at Crossville on top of the Cumberland Plateau. One main path (like today's US-70N) went northwest to Monterey. Another path (like today's US-70) went west to what is now Sparta.
The Rock House was built on Samuel Denton's land. This was between 1835 and 1839. It was made to be a rest stop for travelers on the second path. It's not fully clear if Denton or the Fiske brothers built it. But the Fiske brothers had the building by 1839. The Rock House offered a place to stay overnight. It also worked as a tollhouse until the late 1850s. Back then, local people often ran wagon roads.
The Bon Air Hotel was built nearby in the 1840s. This hotel was on the Plateau. It probably brought more travelers to the Rock House. However, the hotel was destroyed during the U.S. Civil War.
Later Years and Restoration
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Rock House was used in different ways. It was a home and a school. People simply called it the "Rock House School." In 1941, the Daughters of the American Revolution helped. They got money from the state of Tennessee. This money was used to buy and fix up the Rock House. They ran it as a public museum. It was also a meeting place for their local group. A local builder named Clifton Broyle did many repairs in the 1960s.
How the Rock House Was Built
The Rock House was first a rectangular building. It was made from local sandstone. This stone was dug up nearby. Inside, a wall once divided the building into two rooms. That wall is now gone. So, the original part of the building is now one large room.
A photo from 1909 shows a front porch. It was partly enclosed and ran along the front wall. But by the 1940s, this porch was taken down. In the mid-1900s, a new section was added to the back. It was built with the same type of stone. This new part had modern features. The inside of the Rock House has big fireplaces. They are at both ends of the original building. The wooden doors, window frames, ceiling, floor, and fireplace decorations are all original.
