Ramsey House Plantation, Knoxville

The house is certainly interesting, especially considering that it was designed, and the construction supervised, by one of the most famous British architects and collectors, Thomas Hope, on what was essentially a newly opened frontier. I would liked to have gotten better historical information however; for example, the beaver lake for which the plantation was named, Swan Pond, was a valuable hunting spot for Cherokee hunters, but the guide seemed surprised when I asked what they had called the site. I know that is very picky, and I don't blame the guide, but the impression I got overall from the two tours that I took is that there are a lot of questions that haven't been asked. The most notable example involves the kitchen hearth. There is a small window in the right side of the back of the hearth, the guides gave entirely different explanations for it, both of them fanciful and wrong. Other than that, there is enough to provoke interest, and it could be an historical attraction to rival any similar such site anywhere. My suggestion to the curators of the Ramsey House: hire a researcher or research team, convey a realistic sense of what life was like for the Ramsey family in the overall context of post-colonial frontier settlement and not just the typical caricature of the dirt-grubbing hardships of the pre-modern agricultural economy, especially considering the need to account for the apparent irony of the Ramsey's elegance and social connections. Can I say anything more that is critical of the operation of this site? Yes, but I only would do so to imagine what it could be. It's worth your time as it is, so do go... you'll probably be the only vistor or visitors while you are there.

Majestic stone house with all kinds of neat idiosyncrasies and lots of family stories. The guide knew plenty of details and had a lot of fun with the tour. It would definitely be worth going through again. It's really incredible!