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The Hart-Brown House - Springfield, TN

The Hart-Brown House - Springfield, TN

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Image 129/146

May 09, 2020 12:01

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This log house is at J. Travis Price Park outside of Springfield, TN. Here is the marker for this house: One of the oldest standing structures in Robertson County, this building once played a major role in the economy of Springfield. Originally built on Hwy. 76E, two miles east of here, it was the home of Joseph and Nancy Ann Hart about 1796. Jordan S. Brown purchased the hart farm in 1880 from distillery owner Elbert Duncan. Soon after, Brown began to manufacture whiskey under the name Wartrace Distillery. During that time, Robertson County whisky has a national and an international reputation as some of the best whiskey produced in the world. Local distillers were known as highly skilled practitioners of their craft. By 1885, Wartrace Distillery produced 27,674 gallons of whiskey. The prestige of Robertson County whiskey made the industry grow, and generated many jobs in the county. From 1877 until 1903, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a series of "bone dry" laws, prohibiting the sale and manufacture of spirits. A vote held in Springfield in early 1903 brought an end to whiskey's powerful economic force. This action made Springfield "dry" for the first time in its over 100-year history. When the Wartrace Distillery closed, this building returned to being a home for tenant farmers, but remained under the ownership of the Brown family until 1973. In 1995, the home was threatened by demolition. Volunteers worked to save and restore it. A year later it was moved to this park.