Rogersville in Hawkins County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Clay-Kenner House
Murder in the Streets
In 1862, Confederate supporter John D. Riley murdered Bynum in front of the Bank of Tennessee (now the Masonic Temple) three blocks west of here. According to diarist Eliza Rhea Anderson Fain, the pair earlier had "an altercation" and neither forgot: "Time passed along and each seemed to be cherishing the dark malignant passions of the heart." Riley discharged a shotgun at Bynum's chest, "tearing one lung to pieces." Bynum fired his revolver as he fell from his horse, wounding Riley. Bynum died at the scene, but Riley was not arrested.
Three years later, Nancy Bynum married Confederate Capt. Henry Boyle Clay, a grandson of the famous U.S. Senator from Kentucky. Capt. Clay served on the staff of cavalry Gen. John Pegram before transferring to the staff of Lt. Col. Basil W. Duke, one of Gen. John Hunt Morgan's subordinates. Clay was with Morgan on the day Morgan died in Greenville. When Union soldiers forced him to identify Morgan's body, Clay cried out, "You have just killed the best man in the Confederacy."
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John A. McKinney, a prominent attorney, constructed the Clay-Kenner House in the Italianate style about 1845. The house was modified in the 1870s with the interior woodwork and the Victorian porch on the eastern side. The front portico, in the Greek Revival style, replaced an 1870s veranda in 1962. (captions)
Clay-Kenner House - Courtesy Rick Lewis
Nancy Bynum Clay Courtesy Rick Lewis
Henry Boyle Clay Courtesy Rick Lewis
Henry Boyle Clay in old age Courtesy Shelia Johnson and Frank R. Netherland
Erected 2016 by Tennesse Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1845.
Location. 36° 24.517′ N, 83° 0.233′ W. Marker is in Rogersville, Tennessee, in Hawkins County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of East Main Street and Clay Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Rogersville TN 37857, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Tennessee's First Newspaper (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Alexander Peter Stewart (about 600 feet away); Hawkins County, Tennessee (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rogersville Town Well (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rogersville Engagements (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dr. William Henderson Franklin (approx. 0.2 miles away); St. Marks Presbyterian Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Swift Memorial College (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rogersville.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 12, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2016, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,066 times since then and 77 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on September 10, 2016, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.