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Cleveland in Bradley County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
 

Hardwick-Jarnagin House

790 Ocoee Street

 
 
Hardwick-Jarnagin House Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 16, 2021
1. Hardwick-Jarnagin House Marker
Inscription. The Hardwick-Jarnagin House stands as the cornerstone of the Cleveland Bradley County Public Library's main complex. Joseph H. Hardwick purchased the property in 1881, and the home was completed in 1883. The original home, furnished in the latest Victorian style, was much smaller than the one seen today. It has undergone three major renovations that expanded its footprint and added a large, curved porch and a brick faηade.

Manufacturing Empire
Hardwick was a member of a family that helped Cleveland join what historians call the New South. The movement, in part, sought to modernize the southern economy by adopting new industrial methods. The Hardwicks embraced this idea, and their manufacturing empire grew to include investments in a foundry, a stove works, a woolen mill, banking, and mercantile interests. The company had a key role during World War II, manufacturing wing flaps for C-46 transport planes and other aircraft components.

The Hardwick Family
Joseph Hardwick served as president of the stove works from its founding in 1879 until his death in 1926. Joseph and his wife, the former Cooksey Harris, were the parents of two children, Harris Belle (Hardwick) Knox and C. L. Hardwick II. Joseph and Cooksey lived in the home they had built until their deaths, Joseph's in 1926, and Cooksey's in
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1932.

After the death of his father, C. L. Hardwick II, “C. L.” assumed the presidency and led the company until his death in 1961.

In 1982, Hardwick's great grand-daughter, Joe (Corn) Stuart, daughter of James Corn, former mayor and local historian, inherited the house from her aunt, Adella (Knox) Jarnagin. In 1984, Mrs. Stuart donated the house to the City of Cleveland and Bradley County as an addition to the Cleveland Public Library.

Additional information is available at the History Branch and Archives, the Main Library Reference Desk, as well as on the Library's webpage at www.clevelandlibrary.org/explore-the-library.

Captions (clockwise from top)
• Postcard of the Hardwick-Jarnigan House CBCPL History Branch and Archives photo collection
• Ocoee and 8th Street Historic View CBCPL History Branch and Archives photo collection
• Porch View with Balcony CBCPL History Branch and Archives photo collection
• House Parlor ca. 1910 CBCPL History Branch and Archives photo collection
• Hardwick Stove Company workers in 1898. Pictured standing in the doorway with hat, Joseph Hardwick. To his left, C.L. Hardwick !I. CBCPL History Branch and Archives photo collection
• Joseph H. Hardwick CBCPL
Hardwick-Jarnagin House Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 26, 2022
2. Hardwick-Jarnagin House Marker
History Branch and Archives photo collection

 
Erected 2021 by Cleveland Bradley County Public Library.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ArchitectureIndustry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.
 
Location. 35° 9.819′ N, 84° 52.381′ W. Marker is in Cleveland, Tennessee, in Bradley County. It is at the intersection of North Ocoee Street (Tennessee Route 74) and 8th Street NE, on the right when traveling north on North Ocoee Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 795 Church St, Cleveland TN 37311, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee. 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, and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cleveland Bradley County Public Library Facilities (a few steps from this marker); Craigmiles House—Carmichael Annex (within shouting distance of this marker); Masonic Female Institute (within shouting distance of this marker); The Boys Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Confederate Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Craigmiles House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Darlia McLuhan Conn Forum and Tower (about 600 feet away); St. Luke's Episcopal Church (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cleveland.
 
The Hardwick-Jarnagin House image. Click for full size.
Cleveland Bradley County Public Library
3. The Hardwick-Jarnagin House
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 1, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 20, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,814 times since then and 102 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on October 20, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.   2. submitted on November 11, 2022, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia.   3. submitted on October 20, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
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Jul. 4, 2026