The Moore Homestead has stood in Marshall County for nearly two centuries, its story beginning sometime in the 1820s or 1830s. William Depriest Moore built it for his bride, Hannah Leonard not long after the two were wed in 1817. He was a Virginian by birth, the son of David Dower Moore, a captain in the Revolutionary War. He carried that same sense of duty into his own life. At just twenty years old, William served in the War of 1812 and earned the rank of Captain himself.
Hannah Leonard was born in South Carolina to Thomas and Hannah Elizabeth James.
After their wedding, William and Hannah set out on horseback through Kentucky for their honeymoon. They eventually settled near Petersburg, Tennessee, on roughly 300 acres of land. It was there that the homestead took shape. Hannah’s parents lived nearby and just down the road.
William was a cabinet maker by trade, and that skill found its way into their home. The interior reflects his eye for detail and love for woodworking.
Outside, the land supported a large and busy farm. By 1850, the census records show a working operation with livestock filling the fields. Horses, cattle, sheep, and hundreds of pigs. There were crops that rotated with the seasons like wheat, rye, corn, and oats.
The 1850 census also records 13 slaves living and working on the property. Which means at one time, quarters for them would have stood here as well.
William and Hannah had seven children, two sons and five daughters. The house became a gathering place as those children grew, married and had children of their own.
Anniston, Alabama
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Weddings, receptions and events galore took place on these very grounds.
Willam Depriest Moore passed away at just 63 years old in 1856. By 1870, Hannah had been a widow for a while and is listed as head of the home on the census. And in 1880, Hannah was 84 years old and no longer listed as the head. Their daughter Angeline and husband Joseph Jonathan Skidmore Gill took care of the estate along with their adult children.
Early photographs show a simpler version of the home, just a story and a half tall. It remained that way through the years when the family was first raised within its walls. The second story came later, added during the ownership of William’s grandson, Thomas D. Moore, sometime before his death in 1953. It was an expansion that certainly changed the silhouette but not the foundation of the home. It was then that this home became one of the most admired homes in Petersburg.
In 1899, the estate appears on a map of Marshall County under the name of A. H. Wert. Arthur Henry Wert was married to William’s great-great-granddaughter Tommie A. Moore. That same year, Tommie died of pneumonia.
Another great great granddaughter, Adelaide Moore Moss, and her husband, managed the farm for many years also.
The Moore Homestead remained in the family for more than eight generations, with much of the original acreage still remaining with it. This is quite an accomplishment these days as development often divides and conquers farms like this one.
Not far from the house, a small private cemetery holds three generations of Moores. Just a short walk from the home.
This is a place where just driving by, you can feel the history in both the house and the land.
It’s FOR SALE! Want to be the next steward of this beautiful piece of Petersburg history? Check out the listing link below!
This listing is courtesy of Anthony Parker at This Land powered by eXp Realty. I am grateful he asked me to come out to capture and tour this historic home! From the beautiful land, to the creek, to the modern cabin, to the historic home itself, this property has so much to offer!
3138 Richmond Road – Petersburg, TN
4 bed | 2bath
3148 sq ft
276.22 acres
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