KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Efforts are underway to restore the house located at 523 East Oklahoma Avenue in Old North Knoxville, and the story behind how the house came to be is just as interesting as the details inside.
In May, the home was purchased by Sean Bolen and Alison Hardy through the City of Knoxville’s Homemakers Program, which allows individuals, non-profit organizations and businesses to purchase vacant lots or lots with substandard structures acquired by the city. The two have a year to restore the home according to the program website, but Bolen has also been digging into the history behind the home.
Bolen says that while some might consider the beginning of the house’s history as when it was built in 1889, it really started with a gunfight on Gay Street that took under two minutes on October 19, 1882.
In his research to find out more about the home, Bolen found that Joseph Mabry Senior and his son, Joseph Mabry Junior, threatened to kill Thomas O’Connor because of an old feud over the purchase of some land on that October 1882 day. O’Connor, who was the president of Mechanics National Bank, was rumored to be the wealthiest man in Tennessee, Bolen said.
According to Bolen’s research, O’Connor was able to calm the situation, but later that day, Mabry sent a message to O’Connor threatening to kill him on sight. The next morning, O’Connor would shoot Mabry Sr. just outside the bank, killing him.
Mabry’s son, Joseph Mabry Jr, was nearby, and when he heard he ran toward the scene. As Mabry Jr. ran toward him, he and O’Connor shot each other at nearly at the same time, and both died, Bolen said.
“News of the incident spread far, even to Mark Twain, who even mentioned the events in a footnote of Chapter 40 of his 1883 novel “Life in the Mississippi,” Bolen said.
While the shooting did not directly relate to the address of the home, Bolen says two years after O’Connor died, his estate was settled and Thomas J. Peed received his inheritance. After marrying his wife Hellen in 1888, the Peeds purchased the lot at 404 West Glenwood, which had the prestigious name of “Doctors Row,” Bolen explained. The address would eventually change to 523 East Oklahoma Avenue as it is known now.
The doorknob and lock on the front door of the home. 
Stained Glass Windows in a room on the first floor. 
An “Old North Knoxville Historical Area” banner that is still in a front room of the home. 
The first of four mantles 
A second mantle on the first floor. To the left, one of the house’s eight-foot-tall doors leading to the hallway can be seen. 
The first of the remaining bathrooms, featuring a claw foot tub. The home still has a second bathroom, but it was carpeted. 
The most detailed of the mantles, featuring some highly intricate tiles. 
Bolen explained that he found examples of the tiles in a specialty textbook. 
Still on the mantle are some photos, a receipt, and a rate sign for one or two night stays. It seems a previous owner of the home may have considered turning it into a bed and breakfast. Rates ranged from $120 for the least expensive one night price up to $265 for the most expensive two day weekend package. 
Red textured stained glass over two windows. 
An original button light switch. 
The kitchen still has a radiator as well as a stove. 
Some demolition has already happened in the home. 
The kitchen also still has some counter space stashed in a nook. 
The home still has small, intricate details, like a few wooden door knobs. 
If you look closely, you might notice more small details, like this highly ornate strike plate. 
A few corners of rooms are roped off for safety because of water damage. 
The fourth mantle, located on the second floor. 
Another interesting feature in the home are a few curved corners. While making the wall itself curve requires quite a bit of skill, Bolen also pointed out how the base board is one piece of wood that had to be crafted using a technique involving a series of cuts in the back of the board, hydration, and slow pressure to create the curve without breaking the wood. 
The stairs leading up to the second floor have some intricate hand rails as well as stained glass windows. The door to the right side of the photo leads outside onto a covered balcony. 
The home also still has transom windows, which were traditionally used for ventaliation without having to open the door. 
Even the smallest details, like this latch on the transom window, show quite a bit of detail 
Windows and an ornate radiator 
A fifth and final mantle, located on the second floor. 
Up close, the corners of the trim around the doors and windows also have stylized details. 
This space will eventually become the main bathroom. 
One of the windows still has this ornate lock. 
Bolen also pointed out this original window. 
He said at the time the house was built, the glass often appeared to have waves or ripples, like this piece shows. 
Another curved corner, this time covered in beadboard. 
While a ladder is needed to get to the attic now, there is enough space that could be finished out to add extra storage space or an additional room to the home. 
In the attic, there are three semicircle windows in three of the four sides of the space. 
The basement also could add quite a bit of usable space, however, for the time being, it may be a bit short for some. As Bolen showed me the home, the rafters of the ceiling in the basement were only a few inches above my head. 
Lastly, one little hidden gem hides outside. Bolen is certain that there is no one buried in the back yard. He explained the headstone had a misspelling and was repurposed to be used in building a wall. According to an grave records website, a Samuel R. McBath Sr. with the same date of birth and death is buried in a West Knoxville cemetery.
Bolen said the Peed’s hired the Baumann Brothers, highly respected builders in Knoxville, to construct the home. According to the Knoxville History Project, brothers Joseph Baumann and Albert B. Baumann worked on other Knoxville area buildings, such as Westwood, which was built in 1890, and the Knoxville High School, that was built in 1910.
Over 130 years later, the home still stands with much of it’s original features, like the stained glass windows, wooden doorknobs, ornate tiles, mantels, and woodwork. The home also has some unexpected details, like several walls with curved corners, ornate door hinges on some of the eight foot doors, original button light switches, and at least one highly ornate strike plate on a door latch.
The home was previously condemned and was acquired by the City of Knoxville. Despite having no electricity, the abundance of tall windows that adorn every side of the house let in enough natural light for the home to be brightly lit during the day.
While many online services list the house as a four bedroom, four bathroom home, that number is likely fluctuate some. Bolen explained that a bathroom had been added in a way that blocked off the original staircase and front door from the rest of the house. With how the walls were added, going down the original staircase led to a dead end. That bathroom and those walls have since been demolished to allow entry to all areas of the home.
Possibly one of the most peculiar features in the home is the three closet spaces under the entryway stairs. Two of the closets are nestled under smaller spaces of the staircase, but the tallest of the closets has a stained glass window that fills the small space with colorful light.
A view of the staircase from below. On the bottom left corner of the image, one of the closets can be seen. In some earlier remolding, walls were added and the original handrail to the bottom half of the staircase was removed. 
A closer view of the detail on the handrailing. 
Inside the tallest of the closets, just inside the front door, a stained glass window illuminates the hidden space. 
An outside view of the stained glass window in the closet.
The two-story home also has a basement and an attic which could eventually give the home even more square footage.
WATE will be following along with updates on the home as it is restored over the next year. Bolen and Hardy share also more information and history about the home on the the Facebook page 523 E Oklahoma and on Instagram.
