Hawthorn Hill State Historic Site
About Hawthorn Hill State Historic Site
Hawthorn Hill is a circa 1805 farmhouse that uniquely represents early middle class Federal-style architecture. The present day 10.45 acres was once part of a 208-acre land grant given to Charles Carter in the 1790s by the state of North Carolina, and later became the ancestral home of the prominent Bate family in Tennessee. One member of the Bate family, Dr. Humphrey Bate, and his band "The Possum Hunters" were the first to play old-time Tennessee music on WSM's barn dance radio program that eventually became the Grand Old Opry and Dr. Bate's daughter Alycone was the first female performer on the show. Much of the early interior stenciling and wall finishes have survived intact. The site's interior is interpreted with no furniture with the focus on the architectural details. The site features exterior interpretive signage.
