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Jay Brothers

Locust Hill/ Hays-Kiser House "North Carolina house"

Updated: Sep 26

834 Reeves Rd. Antioch, TN

Circa 1795/1804. 2-story brick Federal home


Locust Hill was built for Charles Hays (1777-1854) and Anne Blackman Hays (1775-1831) on 380 acres in what became the Antioch area southeast of Nashville. It is a 2 story brick home on Reeves Rd. near Mill Creek. Hayes was a prosperous merchant and founder of the Baptist Church at Antioch. The home was locally known as the “North Carolina house” because it was built while the area remained part of North Carolina.


Charles gave the home to his son, Blackman G. Hays (1806-1847) and daughter-in-law Minerva Gowen Hays (1808-1843), in 1837 and continued living there until his death. They wed in 1825. Charles eventually accumulated about 2,500 acres. Blackman was elected to the Tennessee Legislature in 1837. The home then passed to Charles’ nephew Charles M. Hays, son of John Hays who had died. Charles M. was superintendent of Tennessee Prison. Charles M. sold the home to his younger brother James V. Hays in 1857.



In 1870, the property was sold out of the Hays family to Peter Franklin Rieves (1812-1876) and Celetie L. Cook Rieves (1829-1895). They lived at Hayes-Kiser House until their deaths. Their son Felix Roberton Rieves (1870-1954) got the home in 1895 and resided with his wife, Bettie Elizabeth Swain Rieves (1869-1956) until their deaths. After 1956, part of the property was sold for subdivision development. In 1965, John W. and Jeanne H. Kiser bought and restored the home. John is an architectural historian and associate professor at University of Tennessee-Nashville.


In 1986, the Kisers sold to Raymond and Linda White. They sold to Will and Trudy Byrd in 1992. Will is an entertainment producer; Trudy is a real estate agent with Fridrich & Clark. In 1999, Chase Rynd bought the home. He was first director of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. In 2003, he sold the home to Greg Estes. NRHP 1974


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