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Bleak House/Confederate Memorial HallConfederate Memorial Hall, originally named “Bleak House,” has a rich and interesting past. Bleak House, an antebellum mansion of fifteen spacious rooms and wide halls, stands among lovely trees and elaborately landscaped grounds. The house was built for Robert Houston Armstrong and Louisa Franklin as a wedding gift. The young couple named their stately home, “Bleak House,” for Charles Dickens' then currently popular novel of that name. Knoxville Chapter 89, United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), acquired the property on May 4, 1959, for use as a Confederate Memorial, museum, and chapter house. The house, which was a focal point during the War Between the States, is a fine example of the Southern antebellum mansions that are rapidly vanishing from Knoxville and other areas of the South. During the siege of Knoxville by the Confederates under General James Longstreet in 1863, Bleak House was the headquarters of General Longstreet and his staff. Much has been done toward maintaining the house and grounds and restoring them to their original grandeur and elegance. The entire house is furnished with museum pieces, and large collection of pictures and paintings of historical interest are on display. The museum contains a continuously growing collection of priceless relics of early Southern Culture. The extensive library, containing many first editions of Southern literature and history, is located in a spacious room on the second floor. The property has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984.
Address: Website: http://www.knoxvillecmh.org |
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