Sparta Rock House
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Sparta Rock House
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| Nearest city | Highway 70, near Sparta, Tennessee |
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| Coordinates | 35°55′13″N 85°24′13″W / 35.92028°N 85.40361°WCoordinates: 35°55′13″N 85°24′13″W / 35.92028°N 85.40361°W |
| Area | 7 acres (2.8 ha) |
| Built | 1830s |
| NRHP Reference # | 73001856 |
| Added to NRHP | August 14, 1973 |
The Sparta Rock House State Historic Site is a stone building near Sparta, Tennessee, United States, that once served as a rest stop and tollhouse. Built in the late 1830s, the Rock House catered to traffic along an important wagon road between Knoxville and Nashville, offering badly needed lodging and supplies to travellers who had just crossed (or were about to cross, depending on their direction) the rugged Cumberland Plateau. The Rock House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 for its architecture and its historical role as an important rest stop.
The Rock House was probably built by either Samuel Denton or brothers Barlow and Madison Fiske, and initially operated by the latter two. Early guests at the Rock House included presidents Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk, and Governor Sam Houston. It was home to a tollhouse and supply store until at least the 1850s, and was used as a school at various times between 1880 and 1921. Due primarily to the efforts of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the state purchased and began restoring the Rock House in the 1940s. The Rock House is currently operated as a State Historic Site under an agreement with the Tennessee Historical Commission.
The Sparta Rock House is located at the junction of U.S. Route 70 and White County Highway 2220 (Country Club Road). The Rock House property sits on a shelf-like slope that lies along the physiographic boundary between the Cumberland Plateau to the east and the Highland Rim to west. The elevation of US-70 is approximately 900 feet (270 m) at Sparta (on the Highland Rim), 1,300 feet (400 m) as it passes the Rock House, and just over 1,800 feet (550 m) as it tops out at the edge of the Cumberland Plateau. The Rock House State Historic Site property includes a large plot of woodland that extends east from the Rock House to Old Bon Air Road.
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