6354 Highway 25 East Springfield, TN
Circa 1809. 2-story Federal brick/ 1870 remodel to 2-story Italianate style
Photo by beachmissions
May be the 3rd oldest standing home in Robertson County.
Dr. Martin Walton (1761-1844) built his home in Robertson Co. His first wife was Elizabeth Johnson Walton (1763-1800) whom he wed in 1788; sadly, Elizabeth died after the birth of the last child. The widow Dr. Walton and his family moved from Virginia to Tennessee about 1804 for the cheap land and because he had land grant rights through Revolutionary War service. His brother and sister-in-law, Meredith and Temperance Walton, had already migrated to Robertson Co. as well. Dr. Walton was a physician, farmer and Baptist minister.
The home has a full front porch. It was originally on the old Springfield to Gallatin highway. Dr. Walton married again to Chloe Poole Walton (1772-1802). The Walton farm grew corn, cotton and had a distillery. They donated an organ to Hopewell Baptist Church in 1826, and Dr. Walton served as pastor for years.
The Walton family served the community for years. A couple sons were local teachers, a grandson established Neophogen College in Cross Plains, and a great-grandson was Springfield's first superintendent of public schools.
After Dr. Walton's death, his son sold the property to William Pope (1777-1846) and Sarah Stallings Pope (1782-1854); unfortunately, Pope died soon afterward, and the home went to his daughter, Priscilla Pope Gorham (1808-1875), and William B. Gorham (1784-1851). They wed about 1835. Gorham was from Kentucky, and when he went to the Springfield area, he built and operated a mill (Gorham's Old Mill) about 1827. He also seemed to be a land speculator: Some records show considerable buying and selling of Springfield lands of several hundred acres. Gorham's first wife was Mary "Polly" Gunn Gorham. The home remained in the Pope family until 2018.
About 1866, William "Arch" Archibald Cook (1823-1881) and Susan Margaret Gorham Cook (1836-1915) owned the farm. Susan was Gorham's daughter. About 1870, the remodeled the home to an Italianate style.
In 1946, (Robert) Earl Swann (1930-2014) purchased the home and sold it a decade later. The Swann family are long-time area residents and tobacco farmers.
In 1956, Cook daughter Wavy Lee Cook Tate bought the home with her husband Conley Warner Tate. Then their son Leon Warner "Mickey" Tate(1931-2013) purchased the property and owned it with his wife Ellen, through 1996. He owned Tate Chevrolet.
In 2023, Meredith Walton and Sarah Yates Walton purchased the home. Meredith is related to Dr. Walton's brother. They have a home next door and kept much of the farmland while selling the historic home to Heather and Joseph Carver. The Carvers have repurposed the property to a historic home museum. NR 1996
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