The Sidwell Home Moved To New Location

During the last weeks of September and October, 2008, folks passing by what has been known since August, 1951, as the Dr. Frank Sidwell and wife Grace Sidwell home, watched as it was slowly dismantled and made ready to be moved to a new location. H & H House Movers, a third generation family run business, owned by Terry Holman and Doug Holman, agreed to move the home in exchange for it being given to them. On Friday, October 16, 2009, the moving process began, and the house was taken, section by section, to Thomas Road not too far from the Livingston city limits just off the Hilham highway.

I could not determine who the person was that built the original house. From the information I’ve been given, that house did not look anything like it did when the Sidwell family moved there. History about ownership of the property found in the Overton County Register of Deeds office shows these names and dates:

*On May 28, 1908, owner J.L. Epperson sold to J.B. Lansden for $4,000.00;

*On October 12, 1909, owner J.B. Lansden sold to Jonathan A. Hargrove for $4,000.00; (John A. Hargrove, or Jonathan Hargrove, served as Overton County Clerk and Master from 1912 through 1936.)

*On January 28, 1910 owner Jonathan A. Hargrove sold to Joseph Dillard Harris Hatcher for $3,500.00;

*In November, 1913, owner Joseph Dillard Harris Hatcher sold to L.F. Zachary for $4,000.00;

*In August, 1930, owner L.F. Zachary sold to Owen B. Zachary;

*On April 24, 1935, owners Owen B. Zachary and wife Ethleen Zachary sold 15 acres to Asa Crawford and wife Clara Crawford;

*On August 11, 1951, owners Asa Crawford and wife Clara Crawford sold house and garden spot only to Dr. Frank Sidwell and wife Grace Sidwell.

*On October 31, 2005, the heirs of Grace Green Sidwell conveyed their interest in the property to a granddaughter of Mrs. Sidwell, Betty Marie (Holman) Massengille.

*On November 12, 2007, the property was sold by Betty Marie Massengille to First Baptist Church.

Information in the History of Overton County book written by Robert and Mary Eldridge says that Dr. Frank L. Sidwell, a native of Willow Grove, was born in 1905, and died in 1957. His parents were Dr. and Mrs. Walter F. Sidwell, and he taught school for several years. He received his M.D. degree at the University of Tennessee in 1945, and practiced medicine in Livingston for about 10 years. He was killed in a car accident in 1957. Mrs. Grace Sidwell was the daughter of Dr. George Green and wife Anna (Shields) Green of Hilham. Anna (Shields) Green’s father was a doctor in Celina.

Dr. Frank Sidwell practiced medicine on horseback in his early years.

Ms. Lyda Speck shared this information with me regarding what she remembers about the property: "Today, most people call it the Dr. Sidwell house. I don't know how the original owner and builder was, but the old house was there when we moved to town in 1922 when I was eight years old. Next to it was the house of W. Cooper Deck (Uncle Cooper). Both houses had a front porch that went around the corner for a side porch and entrance to a living room/bedroom. I remember when Asa Crawford bought the house in question. It was an old house then and his wife, Clara, didn't want to leave their nice farm home for that place. However, Mr. Crawford wanted all the acreage from Main Street to the top of the mountain on the North side, so he promised his wife that she could spend as much as she wanted to update the place inside and outside. They moved and she had the porches torn off, had side additions and the front with the large columns. Later Mr. Crawford sold the house and garden behind it to Dr. and Mrs. Sidwell.

Mr. Crawford was into black Angus cattle and built a huge barn where First Baptist Church stands today. Later he built a new home near the top of the property and sold a portion of the property to the First Baptist Church. The Sidwell house was purchased by First Baptist Church and then given away for its removal."

The process has begun in this picture to dismantle the Sidwell home.

The massive columns have been removed from the front of the house as the process of getting it ready to be moved continues.

The roof of the house was removed first, then next, the large, massive columns were taken off. The removal of a side section of the house came next, and this was done so that the main portion of the house would meet the correct measurements to be safely hauled to a new location. Around 11:30 on Friday, October 16, 2009, the truck hauling the main part of the house began the journey traveling east on East Main Street and then on to the Livingston bypass. Terry Holman was the driver of the truck, while Doug Holman drove the escort vehicle. The time involved to move the main portion of the house from it’s previous location to Thomas Road was less than one hour. The second step was to move the remaining side portion of the house, and this process took only twenty minutes to complete. Those who helped H & H Movers with the move were Kenneth Wilson; Ronald Sebers; Randall Stamps; and Jack Greenwood. On behalf of H & H Movers, co-owner Terry Holman expressed his sincere appreciation to the local utility, cable, and telephone companies, the Livingston Police Department, the Overton County Sheriff’s Department, and members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol who were instrumental in making sure the move was successful, and also to Phillip McCormick, representing First Baptist Church, who helped with the moving process. Terry and Doug Holman have plans to restore the Sidwell home as close as possible to how it looked when the Sidwell family moved into the home in the early 1950's.