Sycamore Shoals Sabine Hill

Construction of the home occurred around 1818 by Mary Patton Taylor, widow of Brigadier Gen. Nathaniel Taylor. Following Gen. Taylor's death in 1816, Mary continued to manage her husband's business ventures which included a grist mill, iron works, gunpowder operation, a large farm, and the supervision of around 20 enslaved workers connected with the property and businesses. Mary lived at Sabine Hill until her death in 1853. The site was mostly occupied by tenant farmers until the Taylors sold the property to the Reynolds Family who retained ownership from 1949 to 1999. 

In 2007, Sabine Hill was threatened with demolition in order to build 46 condominiums in its place. The community rallied, and one week shy of being destroyed, local citizens bought and held the property until the State of Tennessee purchased the site in 2008. Headed by the Tennessee Historical Commission, the restoration of Sabine Hill began in 2013. Research included archaeological investigations of the grounds, dendrochronology to date the primary beams in the main house, and detailed historic paint studies of the interior and exterior of the structures. After this four year project, Sabine Hill State Historic Site opened to the public under the operation of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. Sabine Hill is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Born in 1771, Nathaniel Taylor was seven when he came to the Watauga Settlement with his family. He quickly rose in prominence in both civil and military affairs. Nathaniel served as the first Sheriff of Carter County in 1796 and was elected to both houses of the Tennessee legislature. In 1809, he bought the land on which Sabine Hill would later be built. He eventually owned 3,000 acres in the vicinity which he named "Happy Valley." In the War of 1812, he commanded the defense of Mobile, Alabama with a regiment of Tennessee Militia. He died in 1816 after contracting malaria.

In the 1930s, Sabine Hill was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), preserving valuable details about the house’s architecture and condition at the time. At this time, the property was still owned by the Taylor family, but was being leased to tenant farmers. In 1949, the Reynolds family purchased the property and began the process of stabilizing the structure. Their efforts ensured the house remained standing into the 21st century and was ultimately restored and protected by the State of Tennessee.