Copyright 2007 * All rights reserved
J.C. (Jim) Tumblin, OD, DOS
3604 Kesterwood Drive, East
Knoxville, Tennessee 37918-2557
(865) 687-1948

(1892-1953)

"Gallis est omnis divisa in partes tres." J. Caesar, Circa 45 B.C.

Many will remember from reading Caesar’s Commentaries in their High School Latin classes that "All Gaul is (was) divided into three parts."

Well, historically, so is Harrill Hills.

There is the Gaines M. Harrill (1844-1921) period when the acreage was mostly in farmland and forest. N.L. Hicks’ The History of Fountain City (2000) says, "In 1898 G.M. Harrill bought from J.M. Crawford about 80 aces of land. In 1888, according to records at the Register of Deeds office, Harrill bought several acres lying east of Jacksboro Road from the estate of John Gault. This did not include about 40 acres surrounding the brick house (Crawford House). The land passed on to the next generation of Harrills who sold it in 1927 to an investment company for a subdivision called Harrill Hills. The company lost the property and it was developed by another company in 1933."

That other company was the Harrill Hills Company, Inc. Their plot map calls the development the "First and Second Units, 1927" designed by Wilkinson and Wilkinson. The third phase, sometimes called Harrill Heights, was developed by William C. Dawn and W.W. (Bill) Mullendore much later.

Research seems to have answered a question that was recently posed, "Who built the first house in Harrill Hills?" It appears that the answer is Andrew Hale Franklin.

Hale (as he preferred to be called) was born on Sept. 6, 1892 in the Piedmont Community of Jefferson County. His parents were Caswell and Lucinda R. Franklin. Hale attended the public schools of Jefferson County.

A. Hale Franklin married the former Vada Alice Tolbert (1893-1968), daughter of White Tolbert and Mollie French Tolbert; and, soon after, the young couple moved to Knox County, living first on North Broadway. Their first daughter, Pauline, was born in Jefferson County in 1913 and the second, Lorraine, in Knox County in 1919.

Franklin is first listed in the Knoxville City Directory in 1915 as a driver for Wiggins and Dailey Grocers and was boarding at 311 E. Clinch. He is next listed in the 1924 directory as a grocer in Fountain City. By 1926, the store was named the Fountain City Grocery and was located at 4617 Broadway. The present address is 5425 North Broadway at Colonial Circle, as the street numbers have been changed over the years.

As his business grew, Hale envisioned a new, larger home for his family and acquired property on Terrace View Drive in present day Harrill Hills. According to family tradition, the builder and Fountain City’s leading grocer made an arrangement that was not so unusual for its time.

Deluxe finishes included an elegant walnut mantel with decorative stone and inlaid tile hearth surrounding the living room fireplace, arched entries in the living and dining rooms, grand staircase, textured plaster finish on all walls and ceilings, cedar-lined closets, both a built-in ceramic tile shower with arched opening and a unique curved bathtub in the master bath with a separate dressing room for his wife, plus a laundry chute for added convenience.

The Franklins occupied the home in 1923, according to records at the Knox County Courthouse. Their two daughters enjoyed the spacious grounds and the woods near their home. Vada had ample space for the flowers and shrubs she loved and she could often be seen working with them. Both of the children graduated from Fountain City Grammar School and Central High School.

Not long after the family moved into their new house, a bad storm blew down 17 trees on the lawn. Hale had one of Fountain City’s first tennis courts built in the cleared area and the courts became an attraction for tennis buffs even beyond the immediate neighborhood.

After almost 40 years in the grocery business as an employee or as the proprietor, Andrew Hale Franklin died of a heart attack on Sunday, Jan. 25, 1953 at age 60. Characteristically, he was preparing to attend Sunday School and morning church services when the attack occurred.

A member of Fountain City’s Central Baptist Church for 37 years and of the Barraca Sunday School Class, he was also past counselor of the Halls Junior Order and a member of the Bright Hope Lodge No. 557, F&AM.

He was survived by his wife; two daughters, Mrs. Victor M. (Lorraine) O’Neal and Mrs. Andrew C. (Pauline) Hutson (Witt); and three granddaughters, Kay and Sharon O’Neal and Carolyn Hutson. After services at his church, officiated by Rev. Charles Bond and Dr. A.F. Mahan, he was interred in Lynnhurst Cemetery.

Pauline and her husband, Andrew C. Hutson Jr., lived near the Franklin home on Dogwood Road. Many will remember "Andy" Hutson as the long-time assistant superintendent for business affairs for the city schools. He was also a past-president of the Northside Kiwanis and served as the District Governor of that civic organization. Their daughter, Carolyn Hutson Clifford still lives in Fountain City.

Vada survived her husband by 15 years, living in the large house and tending her flowers as before. She passed away on Sept. 12, 1968 at 75 years of age, survived by her two daughters, three grandchildren and a sister, Mrs. Tom Black of Ft. Wayne, Ind. After services at Gentry’s Chapel, she was buried beside her husband.

In late 1927, several years after the Franklin house was built, a large-scale development was planned for Harrill Hills. Called the "First and Second Units" and covering a large area from Forest Lane to the north and Gaineswood Road on the south, bounded on the east by Brier Cliff Road and on the west by Jacksboro Pike, the development contained almost 300 building sites.

The Harrill Hills Company, Inc. was the developer with A.M. Hill the sales agent. Interestingly, Wilkinson and Wilkinson, the design firm, hired J. Boyd McCalla (1884-1930) and Felix G. Phillips (1853-1938) as civil engineers for the project. McCalla was the former commissioner of highways and improvements for the City of Knoxville, before becoming a private engineer.

Phillips was the civil engineer for the Fountain Head Railway project in 1890. The 5.25 mile railway had been built in a record time of five months as a tribute to both the engineering and the workforce. He also designed scenic heart-shaped Fountain City Lake. Although he was a native of Lebanon, Ky., Phillips lived in Knoxville more than 50 years. His first local engineering work was Luttrell Street in North Knoxville and he later surveyed the site for Highland Memorial Cemetery and helped plan its development.

Hale Franklin, an early Fountain City visionary, had sown the seed for the development of one of Fountain City’s most beautiful neighborhoods.

The Franklin House at 3701 Terrace View was more recently the home of Mr. and Mrs. Brent Wilhoit. Robin Wilhoit is the well-known co-anchor of the news at Channel 10 TV. Presently, Gregory Terry with the studio four design* group of architects on Market Square is the owner.

Author’s note: Thanks to Carolyn Hutson Clifford, E. Perry Conner, Elizabeth Forward Curry, Sally Polhemus, Jim H. Tolbert and Ruth Ford Wallace for their assistance with this essay. The Harrill Hills plot map, dated Dec. 14, 1927, is now a part of the C.M. McClung Historical Collection, thanks to Gregory Terry, present owner of the Franklin House. Future articles on other subdivisions, including Tatewood and Gibbs Drive, are planned. Anyone with information is encouraged to call (687-1948) or Email (jctchs44@nxs.net) the author.