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Selden House
The Selden house was built by Mr. Hayes. It was located on the east side of Alabama Avenue where the Van Ness Music Building is now. (This Building was the U. S. Forestry building. It was built by the U.S. government for _____(?). There needs to be a section on this building.) Various families lived in Selden. [See hand-written note. Unclear.] There was a World War II barracks built next to the Van Ness Music Building that was named Selden because the Selden family once lived on the lot. Colonel Arthur Middleton Rutledge lived there for some time from 1875, and his son went to the University. (He had been the marshall of the procession to the Cornerstone in 1860. Not true? According to ENC.) He had been the donor of 410 acres to the University. He was a trustee from the beginning and a resident of Franklin County before the War. For a while the street [now known as Alabama Avenue] was called Rutledge Avenue. The Tablet in the Chapel is in memory of his son, Arthur, Jr., Valedictorian in 1875.Mrs. Fairbanks wrote in a letter the winter of 1874, "The old Major is marrying a Boston widow", and apparently they moved away soon after. (Who?)The Carruthers in 1877, the Richardsons, and the P. S. Brooks lived here at various times. One of Mrs. Brooks' sons was born here. Mrs. John McCradys lived here from 1883-1885. Professor (was he a Doctor?) John McCrady had died in 1881, four years after he and his family moved into Otey Hall and a month after it burned. The students asked Mrs. McCrady to let them call the hall Pocahontas, as the Kirby-Smith house was Powhatan. She agreed and later the head proctor (a West Pointer) found the reason. They were playing poker in their rooms which was against the rules. Punishment soon followed and the name, Pokerhontas died a natural death. (From Miss Kathleen McCrady).Mrs. Selden, a widow with three sons, took the house in 1890 and all three sons went to college here. Jose (called Joe), a doctor, went to Medical School here and was the town doctor for a few years. He and his brother, Jack, were famous athletes. For many years "Mrs. Selden's" was a popular boarding house for summer visitors. She died in(???) and the University took it over making it the residence of the Dean of St. Luke's (School of Theology) for some time. Dean James lived here, also Dean Brown, and for his one year, Dean Gibson lived here. [ENC says check Gibson's tenure. He was elected Bishop Co? (see hand-written note unclear) in VA] It fell down while it was being moved in 1965 and had to be pulled down the rest of the way. -
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Corpening Hall (torn down)
This house stood on University Avenue on the lot where the stone house owned by the University next to Mrs. Wyatt-Brown's is now.It was built in 1871 by Dr. Buchanan and described then as "large and commodious". It was a big square two storied house with a hall going through and rooms on each side.
A Mrs. Corpening acquired it in 1878. she had 3 sons who went to the Grammar School. Charles went on to the Naval Academy and got his B.S. there in 1885. Richard V. entered college here in 1879, and J.M. seems to have left after Grammar School. She took other students to board. The Mountain News of April 4, 1879 says, " A new front and piazza have been added to the home of Mrs. Corpening".
In 1888 Mrs. H.M. Dwight acquired the property and then there were various other owners. The names of E.C. LeGare, Mansfield, and Miss Graham, sister of the Deaconess who lived in the Dr. Elliott house across the street, appear on the lease. It was made into apartments but nobody lived in it long. Dr. Lear had his office there at one time. In 1925 Miss Barnwell from Charleston who was later Mrs. Pringle was the last owner. She left it to the University and it was used for storage for a while and pulled down in 1961 when the stone house owned by the University was built. -
John Elliott's House (torn down)
This house was built by Dr. John Barnwell Elliott in 1874. Dr. Elliott was the second son of Bishop Stephen Elliott and came to Sewanee in 1869 at the age of 28 to be the resident physician and instructor in chemistry. Since the University had been struggling at that time and his underpaid father had left him little money, he designed the house to fit ten student boarders. As a small boy he had ridden up the mountain on the original cornerstone in 1860 when it was pulled up by "two yolk of oxen and 32 borrowed from neighbors" (Purple Sewanee, page 16). Dr. Elliott stayed until 1885 when he resigned to go to Tulane where he had been teaching during his winter vacations. He was very popular with the students as well as the faculty and his departure was much regretted. In 1887 the University gave him an honorary Ph.D. degree.
Various people rented the house after Dr. Elliot’s departure. Mr. Colmore's family lived in it for a few years and then it was bought by deaconess Graham. She lived there with her sister until she died. The next resident was Dr. Yerkes, who lived there when he taught at St. Luke's. Dr. Loaring Clark purchased the house in 1924. He and his family lived in it for some years. When he accepted a church in Jackson, Tennessee, he sold the house to the University. The University demolished the house in 1959 when the Varnell house was built.
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Underwood House (torn down)
This house was on the site of Benedict Hall. R.W.B Elliott is the first name on the lease and he may have built it.
Mr M.M. Benton, who was a Proctor-a salaried position for an in the early days lived there. First Mrs A.C. Hall, a friend of Mrs. Sessums, from New Orleans bought it in 1897 and owned it about 10 year.
The person who lived there longest, was Charles Underwood, an alumnus of 1903, who was Commisioner of Bldgs. & Lands from 1922 to 1948 and Secretary to the Vice Chancellor from 1922 to 1938. He died in 1948 and after his death it was rented to various people for a few years.
It was pulled down when Benedict Hall was built in 1963.
Charlotte Gailor's account -
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Cotten House
In 1868 Mrs. Sarah E. Cotten, a relative of Major Fairbanks, took a lease and built this large frame house to run as a boarding house on the site of the present Tuckaway Inn. She had originally come in 1867 to Sewanee to run Otey Hall. The house was called the Cotten House for many years, long after Mrs. Cotten had moved away. It was taken as an annex to the Hotel in 1883. Mrs. Stuart from New Orleans who was Dr. William Norman Guthrie's mother-in-law, had a dancing class there in the dining room. "Miss Queenie" Washington said she went to it as a small girl and Kirby Smith, John Hodgson, Pem Finley, Charlie Holland, Willie Garnett and Gus Boucher were some of the boys. Major Fairbanks bought it later and owned it and the cottage. Dr. Corley also had his dentist's office there at one time and rooms were rented to various people until Miss Johnnie Tucker bought it in 1913. Its name was changed then to Tuckaway for her. In 1926, while Miss Johnnie was on a trip to New York and Miss Dora and Eva Colmore were looking after Tuckaway for her, the house caught fire. It had been a big dance weekend and a girl had left the electric iron on! It was reported to be one of the most exciting Sewanee fires as students in dress suits tried to rescue the furniture before it burnt to the ground.
The little white cottage in the yard was built by Mrs. Cotten for her daughter, Mrs. Houston. Major Fairbanks turned it over to Miss Flora Fairbanks and her friend, Miss Llewellyn, who lived there several years. Miss Tucker was forced into retirement at the prime of life, about seventy, by blindness and moved into the cottage. Nicknamed Little Tuckaway, it became a Mecca for returning alumni. At one magic moment, to relieve overcrowding on library walls, the oil portrait of a Sewanee bishop was hung over the fireplace of her dormitory. From Miss Johnnie’s cottage, with its mementoes of Sewanee’s past, came the imperious command, “Take that portrait down!” It came down. No one knew or asked, why. Miss Johnnie is alleged to have expelled one hapless student by the simple expedient of packing his trunk and having it moved to the yard. It was pulled down after the big house was burnt. -
Cotten House
In 1868 Mrs. Sarah E. Cotten, a relative of Major Fairbanks, took a lease and built this large frame house to run as a boarding house on the site of the present Tuckaway Inn. She had originally come in 1867 to Sewanee to run Otey Hall. The house was called the Cotten House for many years, long after Mrs. Cotten had moved away. It was taken as an annex to the Hotel in 1883. Mrs. Stuart from New Orleans who was Dr. William Norman Guthrie's mother-in-law, had a dancing class there in the dining room. "Miss Queenie" Washington said she went to it as a small girl and Kirby Smith, John Hodgson, Pem Finley, Charlie Holland, Willie Garnett and Gus Boucher were some of the boys. Major Fairbanks bought it later and owned it and the cottage. Dr. Corley also had his dentist's office there at one time and rooms were rented to various people until Miss Johnnie Tucker bought it in 1913. Its name was changed then to Tuckaway for her. In 1926, while Miss Johnnie was on a trip to New York and Miss Dora and Eva Colmore were looking after Tuckaway for her, the house caught fire. It had been a big dance weekend and a girl had left the electric iron on! It was reported to be one of the most exciting Sewanee fires as students in dress suits tried to rescue the furniture before it burnt to the ground.
The little white cottage in the yard was built by Mrs. Cotten for her daughter, Mrs. Houston. Major Fairbanks turned it over to Miss Flora Fairbanks and her friend, Miss Llewellyn, who lived there several years. Miss Tucker was forced into retirement at the prime of life, about seventy, by blindness and moved into the cottage. Nicknamed Little Tuckaway, it became a Mecca for returning alumni. At one magic moment, to relieve overcrowding on library walls, the oil portrait of a Sewanee bishop was hung over the fireplace of her dormitory. From Miss Johnnie’s cottage, with its mementoes of Sewanee’s past, came the imperious command, “Take that portrait down!” It came down. No one knew or asked, why. Miss Johnnie is alleged to have expelled one hapless student by the simple expedient of packing his trunk and having it moved to the yard. It was pulled down after the big house was burnt.
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Miller Hall
Miss Mary Miller bought this home in 1887. She was described as having a “strange and lovely Chinese face, romantic birth, and most Victorian outlook” She was born of missionary parents: her father English and her mother Chinese. Orphaned at a young age, she was sent to an uncle in the United States. She later fell in love with a clergyman and they were to be married. However, her uncle said that her parents had not been married, making her illegitimate and unable to marry a clergyman. Unfortunately, it was found out after her uncle died that Miller’s parents had indeed been married and her uncle lied to keep control of her financial affairs. Miss Miller presided over “Crazy Corner” (then the name of Miller Hall) as matron of the boarding house for many years. She left all her property to the University in 1911 and the gates in the cemetery were put up in her name.
The next occupants, Mrs. Stewart from New Orleans and her daughters, Minnie and Clara, remodeled the house into two apartments. In 1922, the Rev. Charles Wright bought it for a summer home. Wright, brought from England by Bishop Quintard as a young child, was considered a member of the Bishop’s family. He went to the University and St. Luke’s, and was member of the Board of Regents for 20 years. He was rector of Grace Church, Memphis. He died in 1932.
The house has been torn down.
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Miller Hall
Miss Mary Miller bought the home in 1887. She was described as having a “strange and lovely Chinese face, romantic birth, and most Victorian outlook” (Charlotte Gailor, Purple Sewanee, 1932). She was born of missionary parents: her father English and her mother Chinese. Orphaned at a young age, she was sent to an uncle in the United States. She later fell in love with a clergyman and they were to be married. However, her uncle said that her parents had not been married, making her illegitimate and unable to marry a clergyman. Unfortunately, it was found out after her uncle died that Miller’s parents had indeed been married and her uncle lied to keep control of her financial affairs. Miss Miller presided over “Crazy Corner” (then the name of Miller Hall) as matron of the boarding house for many years. She left all her property to the University in 1911 and the gates in the cemetery were put up in her name.
The next occupants, Mrs. Stewart from New Orleans and her daughters, Minnie and Clara, remodeled the house into two apartments. In 1922, the Rev. Charles Wright bought it for a summer home. Wright, brought from England by Bishop Quintard as a young child, was considered a member of the Bishop’s family. He went to the University and St. Luke’s, and was member of the Board of Regents for 20 years. He was rector of Grace Church, Memphis. He died in 1932.
The house has been torn down.
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Coley House (torn down)
This house was approximately on the site of the Sewanee Military Academy Gymnasium. It was built for Mrs. Helen Coley, an English woman, as a summer home. Later, the balcony on the side was extended, with lattice, to the second floor. Mrs. Coley is shown standing on the balcony. Below is her oldest grandson, Harry Easter. The other two grandsons, Charles and Frederic Easter, are in the second floor window. Her granddaughter, Ellen (Nellie), is in the little cart with her Negro nurse beside her. The Reverend John Augustus Harris married Nellie Easter in 1886. He was an alumnus of the College, and St. Luke's in 1885. His son was the Reverend Edward B. Harris and the latter's son was Edward B. Harris, Jr. The Reverend Harry Easter grew up in Sewanee, went to the College, and was rector of Otey Parish. He knew more than anybody about early Sewanee and he wrote a paper, Pre-historic Sewanee, for the E. Q. B. Club (See Purple Sewanee, pages 7-8, 44-45.)
After Mrs. Coley’s death in 1887, the house was bought by Robert Colmore. This was one of the various houses he lived in before buying the Guthrie House on North Carolina Avenue in 1905. Various families occupied this house after Mr. Colmore. Mrs. Ivy Perrin Gass and her family lived there when she was matron at SMA in 1899 until she married Bishop Theodore DuBose Bratton, who presided over Missisippi and was ninth chancellor of the University. The house was finally pulled down when the Sewanee Military Academy swimming pool was built.
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Palmetto House
This large frame house was one of the early licensed boarding houses for students. Boarding houses like this precluded the need for University dormitories initially. The house was built by Dr. DuBose for his sister-in-law Mrs. McNeely (Mattice) DuBose and named “Palmetto” to commemorate South Carolina. It housed 30 students which was a significant amount as Otey, the next largest boarding house, held only 26. In 1874, a student wrote of Palmetto, "We have splendid fare, turkey twice a week and dessert three times."
Mrs. Sessums, mother of Bishop Sessums, and her sister, Mrs. Tucker, acquired Palmetto in 1880. For many years Mrs. Tucker ran it as a combined boarding house for summer visitors and dormitory for students. When Mrs. Tucker died in 1909, Palmetto was obtained by the University. It then had a wild life. Reportedly, the matron had very little control and students used to shoot through the ceiling, playing a game called “Corners.” Freshmen were expected to dash towards the walls of the second floor while upperclassmen would shoot the center of the ceiling. However, Arthur Ben Chitty noted this was probably an exaggeration as other sources only go as far as saying a student would shoot the ceiling to wake up the house. It was likely this happened only once or twice.
Palmetto was razed in 1931. When it was being demolished, a championship ball marked "C.B. Ames, 1884" won by the Hardee Second Nine (baseball team) was found in the wall.
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Gray House
Rev. Arthur Gray’s residence was located east of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity in the Alabama-Mississippi Ave. area. In 1911, Gray gave his home to the University for use as the vice-chancellor’s residence. The University sold it to Bishop Albion Knight, who would become vice-chancellor in 1914. Vice-Chancellor Knight led the University during the trying times of World War I and its effects. However, the Bishop made at least three significant contributions to the University: he paid off an accumulated debt of $300,000; launched and substantially completely a drive for a $1,000,000 endowment; and greatly improved the physical plant. Knight also oversaw the construction of Sewanee staples such as Convocation Hall and Elliot Hall, and brought electricity to the mountain. Vice-Chancellor Knight lived in the Gray mansion until it burned in 1921.
Despite the loss of the house, a few good anecdotes came out of this fire. While the house was burning Dr. John Nottingham Ware, professor of French, rushed over to help. He had heard there were valuable papers in the attic. Resourcefully, and at great danger, he made his way to the master bedroom where there was a trap door to the attic. However, with no ladder it appeared hopeless until he thought of bouncing on the bed, trampoline style. He made a couple of good jumps when Mrs. Knight called out, “John Ware, get your dirty feet off my bed.” Another story is that the students knew Bishop Knight had a supply of wine in his cellar. The more energetic of them were able to salvage the entire contents of the wine cellar, though some of his fine books were lost to the flames. It was reported that not all of the wine found its way back to the Bishop after the fire.
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Gray House
Rev. Arthur Gray’s residence was located east of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity in the Alabama-Mississippi Ave. area. In 1911, Gray gave his home to the University for use as the vice-chancellor’s residence. The University sold it to Bishop Albion Knight, who would become vice-chancellor in 1914. Vice-Chancellor Knight led the University during the trying times of World War I and its effects. However, the Bishop made at least three significant contributions to the University: he paid off an accumulated debt of $300,000; launched and substantially completely a drive for a $1,000,000 endowment; and greatly improved the physical plant. Knight also oversaw the construction of Sewanee staples such as Convocation Hall and Elliot Hall, and brought electricity to the mountain. Vice-Chancellor Knight lived in the Gray mansion until it burned in 1921.
Despite the loss of the house, a few good anecdotes came out of this fire. While the house was burning Dr. John Nottingham Ware, professor of French, rushed over to help. He had heard there were valuable papers in the attic. Resourcefully, and at great danger, he made his way to the master bedroom where there was a trap door to the attic. However, with no ladder it appeared hopeless until he thought of bouncing on the bed, trampoline style. He made a couple of good jumps when Mrs. Knight called out, “John Ware, get your dirty feet off my bed.” Another story is that the students knew Bishop Knight had a supply of wine in his cellar. The more energetic of them were able to salvage the entire contents of the wine cellar, though some of his fine books were lost to the flames. It was reported that not all of the wine found its way back to the Bishop after the fire.
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Lovell House
The Lovell home, “Sunnyside,” was built in 1870 by H.N. Caldwell, the town druggist. The house served as his primary residence while the cottage next door (Miller House) was where he operated the “Book Store and Pharmacy.” In August of 1873 the lease was sold and transferred for use as a summer home to Col. William Storrow Lovell from Natchez. Col. and Mrs. Lovell had three sons and two daughters. Prior to the Civil War Lovell was in the US Navy and was part of Dr. Kane's 1853 expedition to find Sir John Franklin, the Arctic explorer who disappeared in search of the Northwest Passage in 1845. Lovell brought back an enormous polar bear skin from the expedition. The polar bear skin was mounted and placed in the hall; it was reported that the children were terrified of it. The house was also full of items from Monmouth, Mrs. Lovell’s family estate in Natchez, and collections from a year the family spent travelling abroad.
Until about 1907, students lived in a wing at the back of the house. After Mrs. Lovell’s death in 1916, her daughter Rosalie Duncan Lovell or “Miss Rose,” took over Sunnyside. Miss Rose remembered many of the early characters in Sewanee and wrote vividly about them in Purple Sewanee. After the rest of the family died, a friend from Virginia, Miss Lily Baker, lived with Miss Rose. The garden toward the west of the house was said to be one of the most charming on the Mountain and was kept up until Miss Rose's death in 1936.
After Miss Rose’s death, the Lovell Home was rented to families of University staff. The widow of the last renters, Mrs. Raymond Hall, remained in the home after her husband’s death and took in student boarders. The house was razed in 1953 when Hunter Hall was built.
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Lovell House
The Lovell home, “Sunnyside,” was built in 1870 by H.N. Caldwell, the town druggist. The house served as his primary residence while the cottage next door (Miller House) was where he operated the “Book Store and Pharmacy.” In August of 1873 the lease was sold and transferred for use as a summer home to Col. William Storrow Lovell from Natchez. Col. and Mrs. Lovell had three sons and two daughters. Prior to the Civil War Lovell was in the US Navy and was part of Dr. Kane's 1853 expedition to find Sir John Franklin, the Arctic explorer who disappeared in search of the Northwest Passage in 1845. Lovell brought back an enormous polar bear skin from the expedition. The polar bear skin was mounted and placed in the hall; it was reported that the children were terrified of it. The house was also full of items from Monmouth, Mrs. Lovell’s family estate in Natchez, and collections from a year the family spent travelling abroad.
Until about 1907, students lived in a wing at the back of the house. After Mrs. Lovell’s death in 1916, her daughter Rosalie Duncan Lovell or “Miss Rose,” took over Sunnyside. Miss Rose remembered many of the early characters in Sewanee and wrote vividly about them in Purple Sewanee. After the rest of the family died, a friend from Virginia, Miss Lily Baker, lived with Miss Rose. The garden toward the west of the house was said to be one of the most charming on the Mountain and was kept up until Miss Rose's death in 1936.
After Miss Rose’s death, the Lovell Home was rented to families of University staff. The widow of the last renters, Mrs. Raymond Hall, remained in the home after her husband’s death and took in student boarders. The house was razed in 1953 when Hunter Hall was built.
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Gailor House
The first house on this site was built in 1873 by General Gorgas for a student dormitory. The house almost immediately burnt in December of 1873, and he used the $1, 200 insurance to build another. It had four rooms upstairs and four downstairs- the typical amount of rooms for student cottages. When Mr. Gailor came in 1882 to teach at St. Luke's he lived there and his mother boarded with Mrs. Tucker at Palmetto. Dr. Hodgson, the Vice-Chancellor had bought the Gorgas house and cottage and offered, if Mr. Gailor would give up a lease he'd taken on the lot where Johnson Hall is now, to sell him a strip of his own lot with the cottage. This was done in 1884. Dr. Hodgson had known Chaplain Gailor in the seminary in New York, and the families were old friends.
When Gailor was made Bishop in 1893 he kept it as a summer home where the four Gailor children would grow up. Charlotte Gailor used to say that her parents, whenever the roof leaked, would add a room instead of having the old roof repaired. There were three bathrooms and, depending on one’s definition, six or seven bedrooms. When the living room was conjured up, with its own fireplace, a chapel was added at the far end. The Bishop conducted family prayers there every evening, and an occasional baptism and even confirmation. After his death in 1935 the house was inherited by Miss Charlotte Gailor, his daughter and the chapel was deconsecrated. Its altar went to a small church in a neighboring town and Bishop Quintard's stained-glass window is now in the University Chaplain's office, in the cloister of All Saints' Chapel. Two small stained-glass window and a Madonna remained as testimony to the room's original function. Charlotte Gailor lived there till her death in April of 1972. The Gailor House, inherited by Dr. Robert Daniel, her nephew, and then by his children, was sold to the University in the 1980s. It has since been torn down for Chen Hall (1991), the Vice Chancellor’s current residence.
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Gailor House
The first house on this site was built in 1873 by General Gorgas for a student dormitory. The house almost immediately burnt in December of 1873 and he used the $1, 200 insurance to build another. It had four rooms upstairs and four downstairs- the typical amount of rooms for student cottages. When Mr. Gailor came in 1882 to teach at St. Luke's he lived there and his mother boarded with Mrs. Tucker at Palmetto. Dr. Hodgson, the Vice-Chancellor had bought the Gorgas house and cottage and offered, if Mr. Gailor would give up a lease he'd taken on the lot where Johnson Hall is now, to sell him a strip of his own lot with the cottage. This was done in 1884. Dr. Hodgson had known Chaplain Gailor in the seminary in New York, and the families were old friends.
When Gailor was made Bishop in 1893 he kept it as a summer home where the four Gailor children would grow up. Charlotte Gailor used to say that her parents, whenever the roof leaked, would add a room instead of having the old roof repaired. There were three bathrooms and, depending on one’s definition, six or seven bedrooms. When the living room was conjured up, with its own fireplace, a chapel was added at the far end. The Bishop conducted family prayers there every evening, and an occasional baptism and even confirmation. After his death in 1935 the house was inherited by Miss Charlotte Gailor, his daughter and the chapel was deconsecrated. Its altar went to a small church in a neighboring town and Bishop Quintard's stained-glass window is now in the University Chaplain's office, in the cloister of All Saints' Chapel. Two small stained-glass window and a Madonna remained as testimony to the room's original function. Charlotte Gailor lived there till her death in April of 1972. The Gailor House, inherited by Dr. Robert Daniel, her nephew, and then by his children, was sold to the University in the 1980s. It has since been torn down for Chen Hall (1991), the Vice Chancellor’s current residence. -
Gailor House
The first house on this site was built in 1873 by General Gorgas for a student dormitory. The house almost immediately burnt in December of 1873, and he used the $1, 200 insurance to build another. It had four rooms upstairs and four downstairs- the typical amount of rooms for student cottages. When Mr. Gailor came in 1882 to teach at St. Luke's he lived there and his mother boarded with Mrs. Tucker at Palmetto. Dr. Hodgson, the Vice-Chancellor had bought the Gorgas house and cottage and offered, if Mr. Gailor would give up a lease he'd taken on the lot where Johnson Hall is now, to sell him a strip of his own lot with the cottage. This was done in 1884. Dr. Hodgson had known Chaplain Gailor in the seminary in New York, and the families were old friends.
When Gailor was made Bishop in 1893 he kept it as a summer home where the four Gailor children would grow up. Charlotte Gailor used to say that her parents, whenever the roof leaked, would add a room instead of having the old roof repaired. There were three bathrooms and, depending on one’s definition, six or seven bedrooms. When the living room was conjured up, with its own fireplace, a chapel was added at the far end. The Bishop conducted family prayers there every evening, and an occasional baptism and even confirmation. After his death in 1935 the house was inherited by Miss Charlotte Gailor, his daughter and the chapel was deconsecrated. Its altar went to a small church in a neighboring town and Bishop Quintard's stained-glass window is now in the University Chaplain's office, in the cloister of All Saints' Chapel. Two small stained-glass window and a Madonna remained as testimony to the room's original function. Charlotte Gailor lived there till her death in April of 1972. The Gailor House, inherited by Dr. Robert Daniel, her nephew, and then by his children, was sold to the University in the 1980s. It has since been torn down for Chen Hall (1991), the Vice Chancellor’s current residence. -
Mayhew House
This house was built in 1873 by Mr. Jabez Wheeler Hayes. He was a successful jewelry manufacturer and Sewanee’s first large scale benefactor after the Civil War. His gifts were mainly civic improvements in the community; contributing $100,000 of his fortune into the early development of the village and founding Sewanee’s first public school. Hayes built this large residence for his son-in-law George A. Mayhew. Mayhew had a store in the village and came with his family from the north with Hayes. This house was on the road connecting the Sewanee Military Academy to the village, now known as Kentucky Avenue. The University Record of August 1874, notes “…the completion of the fine mansion of George A. Mayhew, Esq. The external appearance of the house is handsome and commanding, while the internal arrangements present very great beauty and convenience. The panel work of black walnut and chestnut shows the fine effect which can be produced by the judicious use of our native woods, and that chestnut can be put to a more ornamental use than fence posts and house blocks.” Mayhew died in 1882 and his sister, Miss Mayhew, raised his two daughters. After Miss Mayhew’s death the house stood empty for many years, although it was still owned by the Mayhew family. It was broken into and people helped themselves to the furnishings.
In the early 1910s, Archdeacon and former Rector of Otey Parish, William Stirling Claiborne, bought the house and gave it to the University. He intended it as a home for Col. Duval Cravens, superintendent of Sewanee Military Academy. Cravens and his family lived there for several years after they came to Sewanee in 1912. By 1932 it was converted into two apartments for Sewanee Military Academy faculty. The house was razed in 1967.
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Mayhew House
This house was built in 1873 by Mr. Jabez Wheeler Hayes. He was a successful jewelry manufacturer and Sewanee’s first large scale benefactor after the Civil War. His gifts were mainly civic improvements in the community; contributing $100,000 of his fortune into the early development of the village and founding Sewanee’s first public school. Hayes built this large residence for his son-in-law George A. Mayhew. Mayhew had a store in the village and came with his family from the north with Hayes. This house was on the road connecting the Sewanee Military Academy to the village, now known as Kentucky Avenue. The University Record of August 1874, notes “…the completion of the fine mansion of George A. Mayhew, Esq. The external appearance of the house is handsome and commanding, while the internal arrangements present very great beauty and convenience. The panel work of black walnut and chestnut shows the fine effect which can be produced by the judicious use of our native woods, and that chestnut can be put to a more ornamental use than fence posts and house blocks.” Mayhew died in 1882 and his sister, Miss Mayhew, raised his two daughters. After Miss Mayhew’s death the house stood empty for many years, although it was still owned by the Mayhew family. It was broken into and people helped themselves to the furnishings.
In the early 1910s, Archdeacon and former Rector of Otey Parish, William Stirling Claiborne, bought the house and gave it to the University. He intended it as a home for Col. Duval Cravens, superintendent of Sewanee Military Academy. Cravens and his family lived there for several years after they came to Sewanee in 1912. By 1932 it was converted into two apartments for Sewanee Military Academy faculty. The house was razed in 1967.