Smyrna in Rutherford County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
The Sam Davis Boyhood Home
Built ca. 1790-1810
Photographed By Don Morfe, July 25, 2013
1. The Sam Davis Boyhood Home Marker
In the spring of 1841, Charles Lewis Davis married his second wife Jane Simmons and moved into this log home originally located on the Almaville Road near present day Interstate 24. Jane's mother, Elizabeth Collier Simmons, also moved into the home with the Davis family. The first child, Samuel, was born on October 6, 1842. Eventually Charles and Jane had nine children. By 1847, Charles had accumulated enough wealth to move his family to this large farm near the railroad town of Smyrna.
The Boyhood Home was donated to the Sam Davis Association in 1974 and moved to the Davis farm. It was moved to its present location in 2003.
Logs notched near the end characterized most American log homes of this time period. Spaces between the logs were filled or “chinked” with clay, stones, poles or shingles. Because a round log took up interior space and produced an irregular wall, the logs were squared, or “hewn” with an axe.
(captions)
Charles Lewis Davis
Jane Simmons Davis
Elizabeth Collier Simmons
Illustrations from Log Structures: Preservation and Problem Solving by Harrison Goodall and Renee Freidman, AASLH.
Lawrence Cabin, State Route 3, Havertown vicinity, Delaware County, PA. Log notching with infill or chinking. Courtesy Library
this page online
Stencil House, Smokehouse, Wayne County, TN. Detail: notched log corner. Courtesy Library of Congress, HABS TENN, 91-CLIF.V,1C-2
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1850.
Location. 35° 59.45′ N, 86° 30.067′ W. Marker is in Smyrna, Tennessee, in Rutherford County. Marker is on Sam Davis Road, 0.3 miles west of Brookhaven Trail, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1399 Sam Davis Road, Smyrna TN 37167, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Sam Davis Gravesite (within shouting distance of this marker); Outbuildings (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Slave Cabins (about 500 feet away); Sam Davis Home (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Sam Davis Home (approx. 0.4 miles away); Wheeler's Raid around Rosecrans (approx. 0.6 miles away); Old Jefferson (approx. 0.6 miles away); Captain Jeff Kuss, USMC (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Smyrna.
Also see . . . Sam Davis Home and Museum. (Submitted on October 7, 2013.)
Photographed By Don Morfe, July 25, 2013
2. The Sam Davis Boyhood Home Marker
Photographed By Penelope Hartshorne, March 1960
3. Log notching with infill - Lawrence Cabin, State Route 3, Havertown, Delaware County, PA
Library of Congress [HABS PA,23-HAVTO.V,2--7]
Photographed By Jack E. Boucher, March 1974
4. Notched log corner - Stencil House, Smokehouse, Clifton, Wayne County, TN
Library of Congress [HABS TENN,91-CLIF.V,1C--2]
Internet Archive
5. Charles Lewis Davis
from Sam Davis: A True Story of a Young Confederate Soldier Who was Hanged after Capture Because He Would Not Betray a Secret of His Commander, by H. M. Hamil, 1911.
Internet Archive
6. Jane Simmons Davis
from Sam Davis: A True Story of a Young Confederate Soldier Who was Hanged after Capture Because He Would Not Betray a Secret of His Commander, by H. M. Hamil, 1911.
Internet Archive
7. Elizabeth Collier Simmons
from Sam Davis, Confederate Hero, 1842-1863, by Edythe Johns (Rucker) Whitley, 1947.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 3, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 7, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 625 times since then and 25 times this year. Last updated on September 2, 2020, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 7, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 3, 4. submitted on October 8, 2013. 5, 6, 7. submitted on September 2, 2020, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
