Home
About Us
Current Events
Our Collection
Contact Us

Check back later as we are creating this new page for you!

Column

Paris Henry County People

Column

The Performance Arts

Column

19th Century Paris - Henry County

Click to edit

20th Century Paris - Henry County

Click to edit

Military Engagement:

Civil War, WWI, WWII

James Brittain Wright Collection

Information given by Rosemary Papetti Leonard

My ancestors settled in Henry/Carroll County, TN in the early 1800s. My pioneer great-great grandfather was James Brittain Wright b. 1802 d. 1880, who was married to Martha "Patsy" Endsley b. 1803 d. 1892. They purchased a farm, which is located on what is now called Joy Sparks Rd, McKenzie, TN in the early 1850s. My grandfather was William Talmadge James Brittain Wright, b. 1892 d. 1971. (Yes, that was his complete name. He was named after his own father and grandfather, as well as a well-known minister who his mother admired.)

This property was still in our family until 2021. We have held on to many of the belongings of the Wright family and are happy to share them with the museum.

Cavitt Place Family, Collection and History

The Bartons of 614 North Poplar Street

Cavitt Place Mansion

The Italian Renaissance house at 614 North Poplar Street in Paris was built by Orion C. Barton, prominent businessman and philanthropist, and his wife Tillie Cavitt. Prominent Atlanta-based architect Brinton B. Davis was retained to design the villa style home. Graceful and elegant, upon its completion in 1916, the mansion was featured in American Architect Magazine where it was pictured and described as the “Crown Jewel of West Tennessee.” Grand-daughter Matilda Gibson heir to the mansion made the property available to Henry County in 1941 for a small sum of money. The mansion has since served the community for over eighty years. Cavitt Place provided army officer headquarters during WWII while Camp Tyson was being built outside of Paris. Cavitt Place was home to TVA for many years. Most memorably, the house served generations of residents as the Henry County Health Department. 8X10 photograph, accession #2022-34-01.

Old Cavitt Residence

Prior to the building of the Italian Renaissance mansion, The Bartons were at home with their two daughters in a rambling two story Queen Ann Victorian residence sprawled on a beautiful expanse of Cavitt property on North Poplar Street. The Queen Anne Victorian was dismantled, torn down, reportedly after a fire in the house in and around 1911. The wrought iron picket fence remains today from the old house at 614 north Poplar, nothing more. Much of the fine hardwood and decorative trim from the old house was repurposed to trim out several homes built down the hill on Poplar Street, homes still present today. Old Cavitt Place Property at 614 north Poplar Street photo, 1900’s, accession # 2022-34-02.

At home at the old Cavitt House

Portrait of the Barton daughters, Woodie and big sister Anne, early 1900’s, accession # 2022-34-03.

Woodie and Anne, side yard of the old Cavitt property, small portrait, accession # 2022-34-04.

Front yard Pose

Mr. Barton and Woodie in the front yard, about 1904, photo 3X4, accession #2022-34-05.

The New Barton Mansion Claims the Property at 614 North Poplar Street

8X10 Photo, from the American Architect Trade Publication, 1916, accession # 2022-34-06.

Soon after the old Cavitt property house was destroyed, building of the New Cavitt Place commenced in and around 1911. The house was photographed upon completion in 1916 as pictured here for a feature layout in The American Architect Magazine; Architect, Brinton B. Davis designed the crème brick, terrazzo trim Italian Renaissance Revival style structure that became known as the Crown Jewel of West Tennessee.

Stepping Out

Orion C. Barton, Esquire of Cavitt Place, front steps, about 1920, 4X6 photo accession # 2022-34-07.

Millionaire, Philanthropist, Family Man

Barton was passionate about serving and interested in whatever uplifted Paris and gave generously during his lifetime. Mr. and Mrs. Barton built Cavitt Hall, the girl’s dorm at E.W. Grove High School; Barton Athletic Field at Grove High School; Barton Hall, at Union University, Jackson, TN; The Woodie Barton Gibson Settlement House, Nashville, TN; The Barton Building at Baptist Orphan’s Home, Franklin, TN. In addition, they gave a significant sum of money to build the First Baptist Church of Paris. Reportedly the first millionaire in Paris, Barton seemed to have a Midas touch for enterprise. 5X8 portrait, accession # 2022-34-08.

Ladies of the House

Woodie Cavitt Barton was the daughter of Tillie and Mr. Barton. The Bartons married in 1893. Detail from portrait of Woodie and her mother Tillie Cavitt Barton, second wife of Orion C. Barton early 1900’s, accession # 2022-34-09.

Anne Hardy Barton and Nelle Ross Barton, daughters of Tommie Crutchfield Barton, first wife of Orion C. Barton; Small portrait 2X3, early 1900’s, accession #2022-34-10.

Tiny portrait of Anne, early 1900’s, accession #2022-34-14.

Grand Children, lived next door at 702 North Poplar Street

Granddaughters Nelle and Margaret, daughters of Ann Barton McSwain and Horace McSwain; Photo of Nelle Cavitt McSwain, accession # 2022-34-11; 8X10 portrait of Margaret McSwain, accession # 2022-34-12; Anne Hardy Barton married Horace A. McSwain in 1904 and they lived just next door to Cavitt Place. Doctor and Mrs. McSwain had also a son, named after his father and who became a doctor like his father (no picture available). Margaret never married and lived up the street on Poplar.

Grandchild and Cavitt Place Heiress

Granddaughter Matilda Barton Gibson and grandmother Tillie Barton, photo accession # 2022-34-13; Matilda was the daughter of Woodie Barton Gibson and Joseph Gibson Jr. of Belle-Meade, Nashville, TN. Woodie died in 1918 not long after giving birth to Matilda.

Mrs. Barton died in 1924 when Matilda was just six. Fourteen years later in 1938 at eighty eight Mr. Barton died. The house was only twenty two years old at the time.

Matilda Barton Gibson was twenty and was heiress to Cavitt Place and a substantial Trust in her name. In 1941, Matilda and her father Joseph Gibson of Belle-Meade, TN (Nashville) met with the city and county and with civic stakeholders to assess the best plan forward for Cavitt Place. The Gibsons, et al in agreement, decided to offer the property to the county for its use for less than $8,000.00. The Bartons had always been generous community supporters, Matilda and her father Joe Gibson followed suit. By all but giving the mansion to the County, Matilda had opened a window for Cavitt Place to provide a supporting accommodation to the county. At her death Matilda left the remainder of her Matilda Barton Trust to the Tennessee Baptist Convention and to three named persons, as was her grandfather’s wish. The church’s portion was $90,879.33.

Thanks to Matilda Barton Gibson, Cavitt Place at 614 North Poplar Street has served the community for more than eighty years in different supporting roles.

Read the expanded Story of the Family and of Cavitt Place Mansion on the front page

Cavitt Place Then and Now North Portico Views

Surrey

Column

Photo before repairs

Column

Photo after repairs

My mother, Barbara Jeanne Wright Papetti, b. 1926 d. 2017. The surrey was used by her family as transportation during her childhood. It was bought in the early 1900s, before she was born, and was not new at the time of purchase, so I do not know the exact age. A beautiful black horse pulled the surrey when it was first bought. When the family first obtained the surrey, their mode of transportation would have been horseback, surrey or wagon. They later acquired automobiles, and during that time, they still used the surrey, especially, during the Depression. My grandmother, whose name was Mary Lucy Welch Wright, was a teacher before she was married, and she had a Ford Model T. During the Great Depression, my grandfather used the engine from her Model T to power a sawmill. He sold the lumber from this sawmill to help supplement their income, since times were so hard. They were especially glad to still have the surrey and wagon to use for transportation. Mother and her sister, Martha Elizabeth Wright Wharton, talked about taking the surrey to church every Sunday. They said that sometimes “preaching” would last all day, and when they came home late, they would have to use an attached lantern to light the way.

In regard to the family surrey that we donated to the museum - Repairs were done to the surrey, before we donated it. We found an Amish buggy maker in Ethridge, TN who agreed to make repairs and a replacement top. The wheels were repaired by an Amish wheelwright, who was also in the area of Ethridge, TN. The cost was over $2,300. My husband and I paid for the repairs and have donated the W.T. Wright family surrey to the Paris-Henry County Heritage Center where it is now at home at Cavitt Place under the tall stately portico, in Paris, TN. The slender and stylish surrey is a perfect fit for this property and home.

Radios

Column

The above radios belonged to my grandfather. The radios came from the family home in McKenzie. Mother told us many stories of listening to the radio while growing up. She remembered hearing about the bombing of Pearl Harbor on the radio. I could always picture them sitting around the radio when the terrible news came. She also told of listening to the original broadcast of War of the Worlds. She said that their family knew that it wasn't a real attack but just a story. When she was young, she and her sister, Martha Elizabeth Wright Wharton, had many chores and work to be done around the farm. They always hurried to get finished before their favorite radio show was on, and they would run to the house and listen. My favorite story though, was that after the children went upstairs to bed, they could still hear their father listening to the radio below. Very late, every night, when the station signed off the air, it always played the National Anthem. Mother said that each night, she would get up out of bed and stand with her hand over her heart while it played.

Uniforms

The World War II Navy uniforms belonged to my father, Clarence James Papetti, b. 1920 d. 2011. My parents met after World War II, while taking classes at the University of Tennessee, in Memphis.

Column

Cadet Nurse Corps Uniform

My mother, was in the

Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II and had a lifelong career as a registered nurse. Due to a shortage of nurses at home and overseas during World War II, there was an effort by the federal government to recruit and educate nurses as well as expand and improve training. A United States senator from Ohio, named Frances Payne Bolton, promoted a program that would help with this shortage of nurses. It became known as the Bolton Act, and the Cadet Nurse Corps was signed into law in 1943. In exchange for assistance for tuition and training, the Cadet Nurse program required that the recipients complete their education within 30 months and then work as military or civilian nurses. I left a book with you that includes much more about the history of the Cadet Nurse Corps.

I have two types of my mother’s uniforms and a nurse’s cap. Below is a picture of the type that we have. My mother is not in this particular picture. I found the photo on the internet, but hers was the exact same. Also, I believe I left the cotton summer uniform with you. The poster is an example of one of many recruitment posters that were used to encourage young women to “Enlist in a Proud Profession.”

Column