Ramsey House

Designer: Carol La Buddie

Embroiderer: Dorothy Fritz

Year Created: 1995

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Colonel Francis Alexander Ramsey came to the French Broad-Holston
country with an exploration party (including James White) in 1793. He
claimed land near the junction of the two rivers and. in 1797, built his
stone house called “Swan Pond” on the rise overlooking a shallow lake.
The house was designed by English architect Thomas Hope, Knoxville’s
first architect. Local blue limestone and pink marble were used in the
construction, which features Georgian and Federal architectural styles.
Interior features include shutters on first-floor windows, and original
layers of hand-ground paint. Colonel Ramsey and his sons were prominent
figures in the development of Knoxville, Knox County, and the State
of Tennessee. The house is listed on the National Registry of Historic
Places and is open to the public.