Christmas Tour of Homes
December 14, 2002
The Hughes House
604 Laurel Avenue

Frank Clare Hughes came to South Pittsburg in 1887. After the panics of 1892 and 1893 adversely affected his lumber business, he developed an insurance business. About 1903 the Hughes built the Victorian Cottage style home. After the death of Mr. Hughes, Arthur S. Jones and his family rented the home. He was General Manager of the H. Wetter Manufacturing Company. Ownership of the house passed to Robert Goodgame in 1917, to Raleigh Scott Patton in 1941, and to Harl and Gail Miller in 1967. In 2000, Arthur C. Jones' great grandson, Jim Rogers, and his wife, Teresa, bought the property and have lived there since.
The Wesley United Methodist Church
Corner of Magnolia Avenue & 3rd. St.

  Wesley United Methodist Church exist through the efforts of Reverend L. Peter Roberts, an old-time circuit rider and presiding elder for the Northern Methodist Church. (Slavery had divided not only the nation but also the Methodist denominations.) The South Pittsburg City Company donated $450.00 and a small group of chartered members raised $400.00 to buy the property. Reverend J. W. McGhee was appointed the first pastor in 1886 and the first Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated on October 6, 1889. Church School addition was completed in 1950. Gary Lee is the 65th pastor of the church.
The William Franklin McDaniel House
412 Oak Avenue

William Franklin McDaniel came to the area in 1870 to guard convicts at the coal mines under Lodge Point. In 1876, he married Nannie Scott Raulston, a descendant of the 1808 Sequatchie Valley pioneer Colonel James Raulston. Becoming a merchant, McDaniel later served his city as mayor from 1917 to 1921. The McDaniels had a milk cow, an apple orchard and a garden at the home they built around 1890. Frank and Nan McDaniel and their son were active members of the Wesley United Methodist Church. Members of the McDaniel family continued to reside in the house until 1955. In 1959, John Arthur "Chuck" and Marchie H. Raulston bought and restored the home, entertaining their friends  there until 1990. Helen Rogers is the present owner.
The Denham House
610 Holly Avenue

W. H. Denham was a partner in Denham and Arendale, a dry goods store near the old passenger depot. The August 6, 1909 Hustler reported, "Denham's new residence on Holly Avenue was finished last week and the family moved in a few days ago. Mary A. Denham paid the city company $200.00 for the lot. Lawrence and Vera Honey bought the home in 1939 and enlarged the structure and lot to the present size. Albert Woods purchased the house in 1947 and in 1955 conveyed ownership to the Colquettes. Since buying the home in 1998, Tom "T.J." and Virginia Landers have added the upstairs deck, the outside stairway and patio. A point of interest is the May 1912 inscribed on the retainer wall to the right of the house.
The Chapel on the Hill
Corner of Elm Avenue & 8th Street

In 1886, Owen Russell Beene engaged Angus McRae, a Sewanee contractor, to build the Primitive Baptist Church in South Pittsburg. The stones for the structure were quarried in Sewanee, Tennessee. After a 1954 fire, the members repaired the church, omitting a bell tower. With declining membership, the building stood unused for twenty years. In July 2001, the building was added to South Pittsburg Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. The Society is restoring the structure. O. R. Beene's great great grandchildren include Bebe Fuque and Neil Kirkpatrick. Last surviving local church member is Helen Clay.
Below are the following structures featured in the South Pittsburg (Tennessee) Historic Preservation Society, Inc.'s - 2002 Christmas Tour of Homes: 
The Walter S. Lathrop House
401 Oak Avenue

Walter S. Lathrop first worked for the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company after he came here in the 1880s. His marriage to Emily Josephine Wyrick on December 16, 1885 was the first recorded in the Christ Church Episcopal Register. In 1892, the Lathrops bought this property for $4,655.00. In 1899, the Lathrops moved to Texas and ownership reverted to the City Company. A. B. Womack purchased the home in 1918, but transferred ownership to Aycock Hosiery Mill in 1924. J. Vance and Corrine Barker acquired the property in 1925, and lived here almost 60 years. Ann and Wayne Gray are restoring the home they bought in 1984.