In the hills near Joppa, Tennessee, a remarkable farmhouse stands. The Judge Charles K. Ellis Home began as a modest cabin in the 1840s. It became the home of Judge Charles and Bertha Ellis. Over the years, Ellis served as a judge in Grainger County, chaired the county school board, and held roles as a merchant, bank board member, and founder of one of the region’s earliest fire insurance companies. He was also a successful farmer. Charles and his wife Bertha remained in the home until 1970, when they relocated to a convalescent facility in Knoxville.
Thank you for joining me in my travels around the South. It’s been a great year of wandering backroads and a few main ones. If I learned anything, it is that people love abandoned houses, buildings with unexpected histories, and (in)famous graves.
The Durham’s Chapel community was formed by freedmen and women after the conclusion of the Civil War. It is now a part of the town of Bethpage. The church was founded in 1866 by Reverend Peter Vertrees. Vertrees is noted for his work in founding many Black churches and schools in the Middle Tennessee area. The Freedmen’s Bureau supported funding for the building of the first church.
Durham’s Chapel is one of the few communities that still have a Rosenwald School. The building was restored and is used for church events.
The West J. Crawford House was built in 1877 on Lauderdale Street. It was once one of several Italianates on the street, but it is now the last one. Initially, it was part of a National Register of Historic Places historic district, but the area was delisted after many homes were burned. The home was relisted in 2024. A contributing carriage house can be seen to the left of the home.
The porch was added in 1905. The Crawfords moved into a new home in 1914. The house sat empty until Santina Virga Carimi purchased it in 1924. The house stayed in the family until Jennie Carami’s passing in 2010.
The Cairo School served the Cairo Community of Sumner County, Tennessee, for thirty-five years. Opened in 1923, it was built using the one-room/one-teacher Rosenwald school plan. Students attended the school up to eighth grade.
The community raised $700 for the school’s construction, while the Rosenwald fund provided $500. The Tennessee public school fund matched the community’s contribution and gave $700.
It was one of seven schools built in the county. It is one of two extant schools in the community, and both are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
