Old Kelly homeplace

It makes me so sad to see that homeplace just going to waste. It should have been left to the children of Morgan County. It would have made a great museum. It was so full of history. It used to be full of antiques and I heard they were all sold. When I was small I visited the lady that lived there and she had so many scrap books of history. It is the oldest home in Morgan county around 198 years old. I think this is so sad.

I agree, my cousins tried to buy it, make it into a bed and breakfast, but family would not sale just home and small area around it. So they finally gave up. Historic needs to come in and fix it up. It is so nice inside. My great great great great grandpa build this home. I would help with it. Would love to have it. Some kids went in it a couple of years ago and broke windows, damaged it a lot.

Does an individual own it now or bank?

The family that grew up in the house all lived there until they died except two. One was a son Douglas Kelly and a daughter Docia Kelly heidle. The daughter side of the family got the home. The Mccarts. The kelly side had no say so in what went on with the house. The history in the home was relly important to the Kelly side. The family tha got the home sold the antiques which had so much meaning to the kelly family and could have been for Morgan County. I heard one time that the antiques that were sold burn up in a store somewhere. There was no home in Cades cove or anywhere else that had more history in it than this one did. This home could have been used for tourism in our county.

This was a great old house , Videa Mae Mccartt who was a Kelly grew up there.She just past away I believe she was over a 100 yrs.old.I am pretty sure the property is included in the estate and is probably tied up in heirs.Everything in that house was well over 200 yrs.old.I believe she told me it was built in 1814.She was just a great person and very proud of that house.One story she told me I found very interesting was about a secret room upstairs beside the chimney.She said they had to keep food and valuables hidden there during the end of the Civil war the soldiers were so hungry when they came through they took everything and left the families with nothing to live on. In the attic a huge loom sits it's probably the only one in existence,it is so big it would have to be took apart to move.The biggest spinning wheel I have ever seen set down stairs,she would describe how they sheered the sheep and prepared it for the spinning wheel and then put it in the loom to make the cloth.These people were very self sufficient,they worked from day light till dark.I think her dad had a general store in Joyner when she was young.It is unfortunate that these old treasures cannot be displayed and enjoyed by everyone. It was a real honor and pleasure to have known Mrs.Mcartt she was one of the kindness ,honest and hard working people I have ever known.I am sure most of contents in the old Kelly house are museum quality.I hope the owners will find a way to give them the attention they deserve and keep the history alive.

I grew up playing in the house. I am from the Kelly side of the family. Vida did not grow up in that house. Her mother that married the Heidle did. Her son moved in before Lily died. After her death that side of the family got the house. The antiques were sold and the house is now empty. The Kelly side got nothing. The only reason they would have wanted anything would have been to save the history of the home. yes they were museum quality but it was sold for money. I would love to be able to go inside and look at the home I grew up playing in but no one is allowed not even family. We haven't been able to since Aunt Lilly died. I learned more about history than I ever did at school by sitting in one of the large antique rockers listening to my aunt tell me stories. There were book after book where she had kept memories and pictures from the past. They are now all gone and with them history from Morgan County. This would have been a wonderful place for our children but it is no longer to be not even for my children or grandchildren. My grandfather grew up in that home. Yes he was one of the two that got married Douglas Kelly.

There once was a tale of hidden tunnels to hide or move slaves around,Is that true???

A niece wrote:

I grew up playing in the house. I am from the Kelly side of the family. Vida did not grow up in that house. Her mother that married the Heidle did. Her son moved in before Lily died. After her death that side of the family got the house. The antiques were sold and the house is now empty. The Kelly side got nothing. The only reason they would have wanted anything would have been to save the history of the home. yes they were museum quality but it was sold for money. I would love to be able to go inside and look at the home I grew up playing in but no one is allowed not even family. We haven't been able to since Aunt Lilly died. I learned more about history than I ever did at school by sitting in one of the large antique rockers listening to my aunt tell me stories. There were book after book where she had kept memories and pictures from the past. They are now all gone and with them history from Morgan County. This would have been a wonderful place for our children but it is no longer to be not even for my children or grandchildren. My grandfather grew up in that home. Yes he was one of the two that got married Douglas Kelly.

Do you know for a fact who owns it?

When my aunt died it went to McCartts. I think it then went to one of her sons. At one time they tried to sell it but I don't think it ever sold. There were no tunnels. I think my Aunt would have told me if there were. There is a hide out room where they use to hide in the war. I played in that room when I was a child. There was a trunk in there that was full of things, like a very old doll. There was a receipt were a little slave girl was bought for 300 dollars. She was only 12 years old. The family was very careful to keep books all those years to perserve history and now in one generation it is gone. It breaks my heart. I have a few things my aunt gave me before she died that I would never part with. I want to pass what I learned from her to my grandchildren.

I too once visited the Videa Mae McCart . I was probably 10 and went there with an Aunt of mine that was also a McCart. I grew up remembering some really great stories she told!! Did J.D. McCartt own it at one time?

There were wonderful stories told there. J.D., I don't think ever owned it but he was the one living there when my aunt died. All the things in the house are gone. If anyone knows what happened to them, I would love to know. My aunt loved sharing her home and telling about all the antiques. I know they would have loved for that to have continued.

I woke up this morning with this post on my mind. If anyone knows where some of the history is that my family had wrote down, we would love to have some copies of it. There were pictures of my grandpa and I know they would have no value to someone else but to us it would mean so much. I hope someone has these things perserved somewhere.

Not Sure wrote:

There once was a tale of hidden tunnels to hide or move slaves around,Is that true???

am sorry I really thought Mrs.Vida grew up there .I do know for a fact slaves did build the chimney of the house and two young children were bought, a boy and a girl,I was shown reciepts that were kept in the attic,It has been 20yrs. ago,but I believe the ages were between 8and 10years old.I guess I asumed she lived there because she had full run of the property and made most all the decisions about who stayed there and repairs and upkeep of the grounds.,and I did not intend to give wrong information.It would have been nice if the home could have been preservrd and restored the history and the mysteries that surounds this old home place will be lost in time.It could have been a wonderful historical land mark for the county,even the state.I doubt that any one place still exists that held so much history.

Aunt Lilly was like that. We all that were family had full run of the place and we all seen to her needs. Aunt Lilly made the decisions of who stayed there, her doors were always open. Since this post has come on here, I was talking to one of my family members about how good she was to let us go upstairs and play. she loved to talk to people about her antiques and tell stories about her past and the past of my grandpa.

There is a little graveyard up above the house. Some of the people that lived there are buried there. I wonder if someone that has something to do with history could do something with the house.

I read this post and it is so sad that something that could have been so good for our county is not. It sounds like that history was perserved for a long time and then just lost. How sad for the family and everyone that could have learned from it.

Mistory wrote:

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Do you know for a fact who owns it?

you can look up the address on the Tennessee property data website and see who actually owns it.. It's public record whoever pays the taxes owns it.

I think it was. Aunt Lilly kept it in a trunk, in the hide out room. It was not in great shape and it was a baby doll. I think I remember it had glass eyes. Where did you get it? Was someone selling the items? I would love to know what happened to them. I hope you cherish the memories that came from that doll.