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Carolyn Millhiser left South Pittsburg, Tenn., around 1956 and never thought she’d be moving home again. But the timing was right when her family home came on the market.
The house, built by her great-grandfather, Lodge Manufacturing founder Joseph Lodge, stands on the corner of Third Street and Magnolia Avenue. The Millhisers are now the fourth generation to reside in the home.
Mrs. Millhiser and her husband, Bill, were considering a move from their New Jersey home after Mr. Millhiser retired and Mrs. Millhiser’s great-aunt, who then owned the house, died. The house was passed on to another aunt who lived out of state, and when she put it on the market, the Millhisers placed their bid. Though nothing much had been done to update the structure since the days of the Great Depression, the charm and history of the house appealed to the Millhisers.
In the beginning
Slideshow: Lodge home stands sentinel in South Pittsburg
TOUR OF HOMES
* What: Advance reservations for the National Cornbread Festival Historic Tour are now being accepted. The drive-by tour is always a sell-out, said Carolyn Millhiser, secretary of the South Pittsburg Historic Society. The Millhiser home is one of 14 on the tour.
* When: April 25-26. Tours start on the hour 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday CDT.
* Where: Tour begins at the Old First National Bank Building at the intersection of Elm Avenue and Third Street, South Pittsburg.
* Admission: $5 per person.
* Reservations: 423-837-6066.
Joseph Lodge created a small four-room two-story home of wood and brick, perfect for settling in with new wife Anna Elizabeth in 1877. The blueprint: A large entry foyer, dining/living/kitchen area, one bedroom and a spare room beneath the eaves on the front of the house that most likely served as a second bedroom, Mrs. Millhiser said.
The third story was used as storage, but a magnificent staircase leading up to it makes it appear as if it was an integral part of the house, with newel posts of solid cedar and walnut railings.
He spared no expense in fitting the house with numerous large glass windows. As children were born, additions were made to the house. The latest, occuring around 1890, featured a new kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, bath and dressing room. The dressing room later would become a second bath.
Mr. Lodge used the best materials to be found at the time. Solid black walnut paneling lined all the walls and floors. There is no plaster above the first floor. It’s all wood from there up. Tile made at Lodge Manufacturing was installed around the living room fireplace.
An interesting pass-through for collecting dirty dishes and replacing them with clean ones was cut into the dining room wall. It’s hidden by a secret door in the back of a china cabinet.
Outside on the east corner of the house, the Lodges sank a greenhouse into the ground. It was here that all plants were started before being moved to decorate the grounds, which encompass three city blocks. The greenhouse is still in use, providing winter shelter for a number of plants.
In the springtime, colorful spring beauties and triteleia still bloom. The small flowers were embedded in sod that the Lodges brought over from a nearby Civil War battlefield to fill their yard. Hundreds of daffodils, planted by past generations of Lodges, turn the yard brilliant shades of yellow in early spring.
Modern UPDATES
The Millhisers bought the house in 1998 and remained in New Jersey while renovations were being made. They visited South Pittsburg routinely during what became a two-year process.
The handsome woodwork had darkened through the years, and the entire house needed brightening. Not wanting to cover the wood, “We told the construction crew, ‘If it’s horizontal, paint it white. If it’s vertical, strip it and reseal it.’”
Per these instructions, the ceilings have a fresh coat of white paint and all the wood walls have been brightened.
Radiators that once steam-heated the house were removed. In their place, ductwork was installed to send central heat and air through new vents. Ductwork on the third floor is cleverly hidden by benches that provide cover and storage on top. For instance, in the bedroom on the top floor, the Millhisers stack toys from their sons’ (William and Richard) childhood. Their two grandchildren now play with them when they come to visit.
The entire house was rewired and new plumbing was installed to update bathrooms and rearrange kitchen appliances. New kitchen cabinets gave the room a facelift. The original 1890 wainscoting retains the room’s historic charm.
Four layers of paint were removed from the footed bathtub in the guest bathroom. After a reglaze, it’s a focal point of the upstairs, with a wooden rim around the top of the sides and Queen Anne legs.
All windows in the home are original, from the stained glass in the foyer to the expansive picture windows topped with smaller leaded glass windows in the living room. Most others are double-hung sash windows that show their age. At the right angle, the ripples that flow through the glass can be seen.
A doorway was cut into the living room wall, giving access to a back porch that had previously gone unnoticed, Mrs. Millhiser said.
MINI MUSEUM
Throughout the house, history of Lodge Manufacturing is found. A pantry off the kitchen is now a museum of sorts. Beside pots and pans can be found some of the earliest pieces of cast iron made at the South Pittsburg plant. Andirons in the living room fireplace hold gas logs. And small decorative pieces of cast iron act as door stops and decorative pieces.
The Millhisers’ home is furnished with family antiques. A pie safe in the dining room came from Mrs. Millhiser’s maternal Kentucky grandparents. The couple have kept many items collected by both sets of parents, such as a handsome grandfather clock that graces the foyer and a corner cabinet that “was the only solution,” for balancing the odd shape of the living room, Mrs. Millhiser said.
The oldest piece in the house is a small mirror in the dining room. It was passed down Mr. Millhiser’s family line from his great-great-great grandmother, Sally Bacon of Massachusetts.
Mr. Millhiser takes living in such a historic house in stride.
“It’s about like any other house,” he said. “But we’re used to unique houses. The one we lived in in New Jersey was even older than this one. It was built in 1840.”
The Millhiser home will be one of 14 homes on the National Cornbread Festival Historic Tour, which will take place April 25-26 in South Pittsburg.
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