page_title: Brabson's Ferry Plantation
section_title: Historical structures
hierarchical_section_title: Brabson's Ferry Plantation / Historical structures
caption_attribution_description: An old notched-log cabin at the Brabson's Ferry Plantation historic site (near Brabson Cemetery) on Indian Warpath Road in Boyd's Creek, Tennessee. The notched logs were later planked over, probably with planks from Brabson's sawmill.
context_page_description: Brabson's Ferry Plantation is a Pioneer Century farm and former antebellum plantation near the U.S. city of Sevierville, Tennessee. Located at what was once a strategic crossing of the French Broad River, by 1860 the plantation had become one of the largest in East Tennessee, and one of the few in the region that rivalled the large plantations of the Deep South in size and influence. The farm remains in operation, and several of its historic structures— including two plantation houses and an 18th-century plank house— have been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
  John Brabson II established Brabson's Ferry Plantation after purchasing the plantation's namesake ferry in 1798, and acquired the surrounding fertile farmland over subsequent decades. Brabson's sons continued operating the plantation after his death, and established a business that catered to the ferry's traffic. As the Brabsons supported the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War, their plantation was looted by Sevier County Unionists and toward the end of the war most members of the family were forced to flee.
context_section_description: Brabson's Ferry Plantation contains several notable antebellum structures, including both the Benjamin Brabson and Thomas Brabson houses, a late 18th-century plank house, a frame tannery building, a 19th-century barn, and a late 18th-century log cabin.  The center of the farm, which contains the Benjamin Brabson house, plank house, and barn, is situated along a gravel driveway just off Indian Warpath Road.  The Benjamin Brabson house once overlooked Brabson's Ferry along the French Broad River.  The Thomas Brabson house overlooks the junction of Indian Warpath Road and Highway 338, where the Brabsons' tannery, blacksmith shop, and storehouse once stood.  Slave houses (no longer standing) were once located on the east side of Indian Warpath Road between Highway 338 and the gravel driveway, and at least one once stood between the Benjamin Brabson house and the river.
  The Brabson plank house was built by either Andrew Evans or John Brabson sometime between 1790 and 1810.  The plank house was constructed using an odd technique known as piece-sur-piece construction, which involves stacking horizontal planks and tying them in with vertical posts.  In the 19th century, the plank house was moved from its original location and renovated for use as a carriage house.  A large double-door was added to the front, and the chimney was removed.  A hewn log cabin, possibly built by John Brabson in the late 18th century, originally stood near the river but was moved to its present site near the cemetery in the 19th century.
  The Thomas Brabson house, built in 1854, is a two-story Federal-style house with a Greek Revival portico.  A 1.5-story kitchen wing is attached to the rear of the house to create an "L" shape.  Square doric columns grace the house's portico.  The Benjamin Brabson house, built in 1856, was originally a Federal-style house similar to the Thomas Brabson house, although a Victorian porch and Queen Anne-style gable were added to the front of the house in the 1890s.  Both houses contain most of their original design elements, including large post-and-lintel mantels and open "dog-leg" staircases.
caption: Log cabin near the Brabson Cemetery
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