The fourth property in Union County to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 2010, was the Hamilton-Tolliver Complex located 4-miles north of Maynardville. This place is near and dear to my heart because it has been owned and occupied by both sides of my family, the Hamiltons and the Tollivers. The complex is comprised of a saddle-bag style log house, store building, dairy, smokehouse, milk house, and site of the Norris Dam Brand Tomato Cannery. The property exhibits significance in the history of the area in both agriculture and commerce from 1825 to 1974. It is also a Tennessee Century Farm.

We believe that Alexander Hamilton, Jr., lived in the house which is on the Northern corner of the property that his grandfather, William Hamilton, received a land grant for because of his service in the Revolutionary War, and is just a few miles north of Hamilton Cross Roads. It was inherited by Alexander Jr.'s eldest son, William Lay Hamilton, who lived there for a period of time. There is evidence that the Hamiltons had a lay-over station in the lot near the house for travelers on their way to Kentucky. The place was sold several times and eventually purchased by Emily Tolliver, a school teacher. In 1909, Emily sold the house and farm to her youngest brother George H. Tolliver, my grandfather. My mother, Irene Tolliver Hamilton was born in the house as was my brother Robert.

The first records of Grandpa Tolliver's grocery store start in 1905 in Hickory Valley. In addition, he leased the Hamilton-Lay store located on Walkers Ford at Mill Pond Road from J.P. Lay and ran it for about 3 years. He also had a rolling store to service the surrounding communities and would use his truck to haul supplies for the Lay Distillery. My mom told many stories of working in his tomato cannery across the road from the house called the Norris Dam Brand Tomatoes. They would grow the tomatoes, pick and process them, can and label them, and take them to Luttrell to the Rail Station for shipping or to Knoxville to sell them. My granny Pearl lived in the house until 1969 when she came to live with us. My mom inherited the place and passed it on to me with the condition that I would restore the house.

Times were hard and work was hard to come by after the days of the Great Depression. News spread that George Tolliver had work so two brothers, Arthur and Sam Hamilton, who lived in Hogskin walked to the Tolliver place to inquire about the work. They learned he only needed one person and so they left and headed home. A ways down the road the younger brother Sam, decided he would go back and take the job. In those days work hands generally boarded with the family they were working for. To this day I'm not sure if my dad wanted the job that badly or if he was smitten by my beautiful mom. Whichever it might have been, my mom and dad, Sam and Irene Tolliver Hamilton, were married May 22, 1937. And so the story comes full circle for the Hamilton-Tolliver Complex.

My husband, Stan, and I started the restoration in 1988 and worked on it for five years. The house stands today near the same as it did in 1825. The others buildings that make up the complex still reflect their era as well. We enjoy this piece of history and love sharing it. Numerous school children, clubs and organizations, as well as historic groups have visited over the years. Stay tuned to www.HistoricUnionCounty.com to learn the date of the next open house.