Mayes-Hatcher-Hill

About Mayes-Hatcher-Hill Home

The Historic Mayes-Hatcher-Hill home is also known as the Mayes Manor. Samuel Fulton Mayes built the home for his family on the eve of civil war after he realized that conflict was inevitable. He and his wife Mary Porter Mayes moved into the house in 1859, along with their family. The house was built on five acres behind the home of Mary’s Parents. This gorgeous home is standing tall on Columbia Tennessee’s, historic district of West 6th Street.

The home has undergone major renovations since it was purchased by Mr. David and Mrs. Debra Hill in November of 2007. Along with the original painting of Mary Porter Mayes, the Hills have kept the decor of the remodel with the heritage of the home. We hope you enjoy going back in Maury County’s history with us as we honor this historic home.

Winner of the Mayor’s Beautification Award 2011

Winner of Columbia’s House of the Year 2011

Awarded the 2009 Maury County Historical Society Preservation Award

History

In the late 1850’s, Samuel Mayes, a business man of Columbia, Realizing that war was eminent, had a forethought to sell his slaves and invest his money in a home. He purchased five acres of ground on West Sixth Street, and built a beautiful residence and garden.

The homes features include Corinthian pillars, topped by acanthus leaves as well as lace-like iron railings constructed on the doorways and balconies. Mr. Mayes’ real pride however, was the exquisite gardens that occupied most of the five acres. Please see the “The Garden” section below for more information.

Samuel Mayes continued to be a prominent member of the Columbia society after this magnificent house was built. In 1860, he was listed as one of the incorporates of the Columbia Gas Company, and he served as a Columbia  alderman in 1867-68. After his death, however, the house passed to his wife, and the land was subdivided. This subdivision later became Mayes Place, and the gardens were destroyed to make room for the houses. The house had a underground tunnel that leads to the bluffs of the Duck River. While this tunnel indeed exists, it has fallen into disrepair and has not been in a usable condition for many years.

In 1900, the house was owned by Wilson Dobbins, and then passed into the hands of a local banker named Josiah Hutton, The Hutton family owned the house for many years until it was sold to the late Rev. Thomas Wilson. Mr. Wilson purchased the home at an auction in 1969, but never lived in the home. He used the home for storage of his many eccentric collections. His entire estate was left to his college alma matter, Erskine College in South Carolina, which included a massive library reported to consist of as many as 100,000 books which filled the walls of this historic home. Erskine College was founded in 1839, by the time of Civil war it was thriving with 100 students enrolled. After Rev. Wilson’s death, the house was sold at auction in 2007 and was purchased by the current owner David Hill.

For two years the Hills invested time and money into the house, restoring it to its former glory, Now. 150 years after the home was built, it stands again as one of the jewels of Maury County. David and his wife Debra dedicated their time and money into the house searching for the finest museum quality antiques available – the best of the best of the Victorian period. Along with historic colors and furnishings, Hill has filled the house with items of interest including a Wooten desk from the Chicago Museum of History, a nine-foot tall bonneted grandfather clock, a convex mirror from 1830 said to match one in the White House, and a portrait of Franklin Pierce.

Twenty-five pieces of Belter furniture grace the parlors, including more pieces of Belter Rossalie than is located at Rosalie Mansion in Natchez, where John Belter specially designed the patter for the owners. The Hills particularly treasure a pair of mirrors that were original to the home. The McFarland family made possible the return of the mirrors, and they now hang in the place where they were originally. The Hills enjoy living at the historic home and converted the former unfinished attic into a modern living area and playroom for their grandchildren.

Courtesy of the book “Historic Maury County”Vol. XLV. No. 3

Garden

The garden was laid out in the true Victorian manner, in the form of a rectangle, divided into two great circles, with a huge boxwood in each center. In each circular bed was a smaller circle, and this motif was repeated throughout the garden. To accent the Victorian note, the flower beds were raised above the level of the ground , and edged with clipped borders of blue grass.

As a contrast to the formality-a picturesque feature of the grounds was the vine-hung, tree-shaded entrance to a cave, which extended toward the river. It was a spot of real beauty. The garden was destroyed when the acres were subdivided after the death of Mr. Mayes.

Courtesy of the book “History of Homes and Gardens of Tennessee”