The Bakers-Peters House



The Bakers-Peters house is located on Kingston Pike in Knoxville, TN. It was built in 1840 by Dr. Harvey Baker, who became highly respected in the community. Respected, that is, in all areas except one. By the time of the Civil War, Knoxville, like most of East Tennessee, was overwhelmingly pro-Union. When Tennessee voted to succeed, there was even a movement to emulate the western counties of Virginia, and form their own state and rejoin the Union. Despite this, Dr. Baker was devoutly pro-Confederate, and he told anyone he met this fact.

Dr. Bakers was predictably ostracized by many Knoxvillians. The Confederates knew that East Tennessee was very important, strategically, to their cause, so they quickly occupied the area. During this time, Dr. Baker opened his home to the Confederate soldiers, doing everything he could to make their stay a pleasant one. Eventually, however, the Union forces, with far superior numbers, began to wear down on the Confederates. Eventually Union forces found their way to Dr. Baker's house, where they shot him to death.

"The apple never falls far from the tree," or so the old saying goes. This was very true of Dr. Baker's son, Abner, who fought in the Confederate army. After the war, we was very bitter about the South's defeat, and decided to take revenge on the "dirty Yankees." There is some controversy on how he died, but the most common story is that he murdered a Union sympathizer who was a very popular figure in Knoxville. An angry mob, who viewed him as a rebel, then killed him.

Today, it is said, the ghosts of both men now haunt the Bakers-Peters House. They have never been seen, but have been known to cause mischief, mostly harmless pranks. Perhaps they just want to be remembered.




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