House where President Andrew Johnson died may be auctioned
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — The guest house where former President Andrew Johnson
died 129 years ago will likely be auctioned this month, but historians are
hopeful the new owner will continue to preserve it.
The two-story, two-room house belonged to Johnson’s daughter, Mrs. W.R. Brown,
who at the time lived in an 18-room mansion.
In the early 1960s, the guest house was purchased by Clyde "Fudd" Campbell,
disassembled, and moved to an eight-acre parcel of land across from his
restaurant where it was reassembled and now stands.
Phillip Campbell said his late father preserved the house for future generations
by making it available to the public. He hopes whoever owns the house next will
do the same.
"My father was a collector," said Phillip Campbell. "He saw the need to preserve
things for the next generation. That is why he did not sell anything unless he
had two or three of them."
The eight-acre parcel, known as Fuddtown, is scheduled to be auctioned Aug.
19-21. In addition to the guest house, the land also includes one of the oldest
Carter County churches and everyday tools and implements used by county
residents through the ages.
But Phillip Campbell said the guest house will probably draw the most attention
because of its historic significance.
On July 28, 1875, then U.S. Sen.-Johnson boarded a train in Greeneville to visit
his daughter. He had been elected to the Senate earlier in the year, having left
the presidency six years before that.
According to newspaper reports, Johnson got off the train at Carters Station and
rode seven miles by horseback to his daughter’s farm. His health was declining,
and he was quite fatigued when he arrived.
Later that afternoon, Johnson became paralyzed on his right side, rendering him
speechless. He died a few days later.
This story was published Sunday, August 08, 2004