Two Historic Homes to Save

A few days ago, it was brought to my attention that 2 historic homes, important to Southern history, are up for sale. White Hall and Ferguson Hall, both located in Spring Hill, TN, are reportedly up for sale, and YES, I have checked and found that they definitely are available. There is concern, and rightly so, when you see the fate other historic homes have faced, that these homes could be sold and turned into apartments, office space, gutted and "improved" or even torn down (as being an historic building does not protect from this fate).

As a result, I hope that getting information out on these homes through this blog and my "Saving the History" podcast, we might be able to help get these old Southern beauties into the right hands, be it as museums for Southern or Confederate history, educational centers or, even if they are destine to go into private hands, into the hands of someone who will respect the history, relevance and beauty of these homes, and restore them to their original grandeur, then reside in them with pride and attention to their historical significance.

Let's take a brief look at each home. At the end of this article, I will provide links for more in depth information and photos. (I was unable to find public domain pics of the homes to post, so the links will need to suffice.)

WHITE HALL was built for Dr. Aaron White in 1844 by his brother, Harry and was witness to multiple incidents of the War Between the States commonly known as the Civil War.

In March of 1863, General Earl Van Dorn of the Confederate Calvary made White Hall his headquarters. Although Dr. White and his family were allowed to stay in their home, they were limited to the kitchen wing. However, after a while, Van Dorn would leave White Hall for nearby Ferguson Hall, where he would remain for less than a week.

In November of 1864...the 29th to be precise, the White family and their neighbors would be meeting and feeding Confederate soldiers, under the command of General John Bell Hood, of the Confederate Army of Tennessee, in the yard of White Hall. Then, after the Battle of Franklin, White Hall would go from picnic grounds to hospital grounds, as Dr White cared for the wounded of the battle in his home.



FERGUSON HALL's story would intertwine with that of White Hall, through General Van Dorn. Built in 1853, Ferguson Hall was the home of Martin Cheairs and was also known as the Martin Cheairs House. Ferguson Hall was the property that Van Dorn left White Hall for, to use as his new headquarters.

However, the General's stay at Ferguson would be brief, as on May 7, 1863, a Dr. George D. Peters, physician and politician, would assassinate the General with a shot to the back of the head, after visitng Van Dorn to confront him about his having an affair with the wife of Dr. Peters.

Along the way, Ferguson Hall would also become the home of the Branham-Hughes Military Academy and is currently under the ownership of the Tennessee Children's Home.


Again, it is hoped that by posting here and on my podcast, that we can get these historic homes into the right hands, and see them go on as the historical jewels that they are.

For further information on these homes:

https://www.springhilltn.org/425/Historically-Significant-Properties

https://www.springhilltn.org/CivicMedia?VID=Ferguson-Hall-Historic-Video-Series-25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Hall_(Spring_Hill%2C_Tennessee)#/media/File:White_Hall.JPG

https://www.springhilltn.org/DocumentCenter/View/5183/SHHC-WHITE-HALL-WRITE-UP-v-15

https://www.springhilltn.org/DocumentCenter/view/4731/Ferguson-Hall-Martin-Cheairs-House-1