Elizabethton in Carter County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Sabine Hill
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 15, 2021
1. Sabine Hill Marker
Inscription.
Sabine Hill, the large Federal-style structure on the knoll to the south, is one of the oldest surviving homes in Carter County. General Nathaniel Taylor (1771-1816), a veteran, of the War of 18 12, began the construction of Sabine Hill shortly after the war. Taylor, who served as the first sheriff of Carter County and as a member of the Tennessee General Assembly, died before the house was finished. His widow, Mary ("Polly") Patton Taylor, completed the house about 1818 and was a highly successful businesswoman and landowner; the Taylors owned more than 3000 acres in Happy Valley. Two great-grandsons of the Taylors became governors of Tennessee: Alfred A. and Robert L. Taylor, who competed in the famous "War of the Roses" of 1886. Another great-grandson, Nathaniel Harris, became governor of Georgia and was one of the founders of Georgia Tech. Sabine Hill was added to the national Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Tennessee Historical Commission acquired the property in 2008 and extensive restoration-has taken place since then. , , Department of Appalachian Studies, East Tennessee State University ,
Tennessee’s War of the Roses.
, The 1886 Tennessee gubernatorial campaign is one of the most memorable in state history as two brothers ran against each other. Alfred A. Taylor, a Republican, faced off against Robert L. Taylor, a Democrat. The Taylors, who grew up in Happy Valley, were great-grandsons of General Nathaniel and Mary Taylor of Sabine Hill. Newspapers dubbed the campaign "The War of the Roses," a reference to the contest between the rival houses of York and Lancaster in fifteenth-century England. Both brothers were excellent storytellers and fiddlers, which made for a lively campaign. Despite the "war" metaphor, the race was good natured. Although Bob Taylor won, brother Alf eventually won the governorship himself, in 1920. , [photo captions] , . Sabine Hill façade (ETSU Dept. of Appalachian Studies) , . Sabine Hill rear view, showing the detached kitchen. (ETSU Dept. of Appalachian Studies)
Sabine Hill, the large Federal-style structure on the knoll to the south, is one of the oldest surviving homes in Carter County. General Nathaniel Taylor (1771-1816), a veteran, of the War of 1812, began the construction of Sabine Hill shortly after the war. Taylor, who served as the first sheriff of Carter County and as a member of the Tennessee General Assembly, died before the house was finished. His widow, Mary ("Polly") Patton Taylor, completed the house about 1818 and was a highly successful businesswoman and landowner; the Taylors owned more than 3000 acres in Happy Valley. Two great-grandsons of the Taylors became governors of Tennessee: Alfred A. and Robert L. Taylor, who competed in the famous "War of the Roses" of 1886. Another great-grandson, Nathaniel Harris, became governor of Georgia and was one of the founders of Georgia Tech. Sabine Hill was added to the national Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Tennessee Historical Commission acquired the property in 2008 and extensive restoration-has taken place since then. —Department of Appalachian Studies, East Tennessee State University
Tennessee’s War of the Roses
The 1886 Tennessee gubernatorial campaign is one of the most memorable in state history as two brothers ran against each other. Alfred A. Taylor, a Republican,
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faced off against Robert L. Taylor, a Democrat. The Taylors, who grew up in Happy Valley, were great-grandsons of General Nathaniel and Mary Taylor of Sabine Hill. Newspapers dubbed the campaign "The War of the Roses," a reference to the contest between the rival houses of York and Lancaster in fifteenth-century England. Both brothers were excellent storytellers and fiddlers, which made for a lively campaign. Despite the "war" metaphor, the race was good natured. Although Bob Taylor won, brother Alf eventually won the governorship himself, in 1920.
[photo captions] • Sabine Hill façade (ETSU Dept. of Appalachian Studies) • Sabine Hill rear view, showing the detached kitchen. (ETSU Dept. of Appalachian Studies)
Erected by East Tennessee State University; The Tweetsie Trail.
Location. 36° 19.645′ N, 82° 16.187′ W. Marker is in Elizabethton, Tennessee, in Carter County. It can be reached from the intersection of West G Street (Tennessee Route 67) and U.S. 321, on the left when traveling west. Marker is located on the Tweetsie Trail, about 1/10 mile west of West G
Tennessee State Library and Archives
2. Marker detail: General Nathaniel Taylor
Street, overlooking Sabine Hill to the south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2328 West G Street, Elizabethton TN 37643, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee and in the Tri-Cities Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, the State of Franklin, and the Antebellum South.
Regarding Sabine Hill. National Register of Historic Places #73001755.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Sabine Hill State Historic Site
Also see . . . 1. Sabine Hill (Wikipedia). Sabine Hill is also known as Happy Valley, Watauga Point, and the General Nathaniel Taylor House. Taylor had been one of the earliest settlers in Elizabethton, having arrived as a boy around 1780 when his family migrated from Rockbridge County, Virginia to the settlement along the Watauga River. After Taylor returned
Tennessee State Library and Archives
3. Marker detail: Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper Tennessee’s War of the Roses
from the war, he sought to build an impressive home for his family. He selected a site on a hill with a commanding view of Elizabethton's western entrance and Sycamore Shoals. (Submitted on June 4, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. War of the Roses. Myths surround the campaign. The brothers were humorous storytellers and fiddlers, but the notion that the brothers fiddled from the platform probably came from an illustration in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. (Submitted on June 4, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 15, 2021
4. Sabine Hill Marker
(looking south from the Tweetsie Trail • Sabine Hill in background)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 15, 2021
5. Sabine Hill façade (northwest elevation)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 15, 2021
6. Sabine Hill (rear view, showing the detached kitchen)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 17, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 4, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 706 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 4, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
