THE OLD SCRAPBOOK
                                                   OF OUR YESTERYEARS
An Old, Old Landmark
          It isn't very often that you find an old home remaining in the same family from one 
generation to another down through all the years- and a tinge of sadness filled our hearts when 
we learned that the "Johnston House," one of Madisonville's oldest landmarks, had for the first 
time in its history changed ownership. Just a few days ago, Mr. John R. Sheets bought the 
beautiful old home and store building located on the public square here in Madisonville.
         As we turn back the pages in the "old scrapbook," we find that Mr. Joseph Johnston (my 
great-uncle) built this brick house and store building in the year 1846. Like so many of those 
ante-bellum homes, it was built close to the street, with a wide brick pavement in front. The 
brick used in the building were made by the Johnstons.
        Mr.Blanchard of Philadelphia, Pa., was the architect who drew the plans; he also 
supervised the building of this fine old Southern home.
        It was here that Joseph Johnston brought his young bride, Caroline Haire Johnston, to live.
In this home seven children were born and reared- three sons, James, Joseph and Frank, and 
four daughters, Hessie (Mrs. Reed), Alice, Carrie (Mrs. Calloway) and Inez (Mrs.Taylor). 
Uncle Joseph Johnston engaged in the mercantile business and was a very successful merchant. 
The shelves in his store were always filled with the best of supplies which he found in the markets 
of Baltimore and New Orleans. During later years, I'm quite sure many old timers remember the 
days when "Cousin Jimmy" Johnston, the son, was the "genial merchant" at this stand. And how 
the men "from around about" would gather to sit in the shade of the old tree that grew just in
front 
of the store, listening for hours to the wonderful stories which "Cousin Jimmy" and others would 
tell of Civil War days.My brother, Joe Stickley, was a very small lad then, but you could always 
find him there, perched on a chair, a most ardent listener. George Ray, now deceased, was the 
store's friendly clerk.
      Come with me down "memory's lane of the yesteryears" and we will visit inside this lovely 
home for a while. Let us turn the knob of the old fashioned dorr bell that adorns the wide front 
door, framed in paneled glass. Stepping inside the spacious hall, your eyes rest on the tall 
mahogany bookcase, filled with choice books, and on the old fashioned walnut hatrack, the 
marble top table with the silver service set; and you "catch your breath," so to speak, as you 
view the beautiful spiral stairway winding up to the third floor.
    Please come into the parlor. The upholstering is of very fine horsehair. You can admire the 
paintings of "The Violin" and the soft coloring of a large bunch of chrysanthemums. All of this is 
the work of Cousin Alice Johnston. She was a very fine artist, having studied art under the 
celebrated artist and teacher, Loyd Bransom, of Knoxville.
    You are reluctant to leave this old home which houses these priceless treasures-and a home 
that overflowed with Southern hospitality.
    At last we come to the flower gardens, in the side yard. These were Cousin Hessie's pride 
and joy, the narrow brick walks winding in and out around the flower beds that were made in 
shapes of hearts and diamonds. I wish we had the space to name all those old fashioned flowers 
that grew there.
    We turn to leave this lovely old home that was "so willed" not to be sold as long as any of 
Joseph and Caroline Johnston's seven children remained living. My cousins, Frank and Lizzie 
Johnston, were the last ones to live in the old home. It was here that two little "redheads," 
Elizabeth and Locke spent their happy childhood days. Joe Reed, Carrie and Alfred Taylor 
(now of Knoxville) called it home when they were youngsters. Elizabeth fell heir to the place and, 
as she too now resides in Knoxville, she felt that she no longer could care for it as it needed.
     If it were possible for him to know, I'm quite sure Cousin Frank Johnston would be happy to 
have his good friend, Mr. John R. Sheets, own the old home. As long as his health would permit, 
I don't think he missed a day visiting in John R. Sheets' store, and Mr. Sheets never seemed too 
busy to listen to the stories of the Texas oil wells and the Coker Creek gold mines.
    It makes Elizabeth very happy to know that Mr. Sheets plans to leave the house intact, making 
the necessary improvements to restore this lovely old home and valuable piece of property as it 
was in the days of those yesteryears.
                                                Bess Stickley Hines

Source: Madisonville Democrat, Monroe County, Tennessee     Wednesday, 12 Sept., 1945

(Contributed by Jerry L. Johnston)