From The Pulaski Citizen – September 5, 2018
American Legion Post 60 has a long history with the veterans of Giles County. And Perkins House, as the Post Home, has held a significant place in that history for veterans and their families. “The Legion has been a gathering place for all the veterans of the county,” longtime supporter Linda Holt explained. “It’s a place where we can share stories and common goals.” Greek Revival architecture was popular in Middle Tennessee from 1825 to 1860 and the grand homes of Giles County were no exception. Everything that a gracious Greek Revival, brick home should be existed in the Perkins House, built in 1857 in a place of prominence on three and one-quarter acres near the bottom of Fort Hill. Impressive architectural features included in the home rivaled those made popular in earlier versions of the style found in some of the most prominent homes built in South Carolina, Mississippi and other Middle Tennessee communities, including Franklin, Columbia and Spring Hill.
“The entrance was changed from the east side of the house to the south side, once the Legion made renovations, and the original columns were moved then,” Holt said. The elegant entrance that faced First Street included a columned and second story balconied portico meant for lazy summer afternoons looking out over the countryside. Once inside the front doors framed by fan lights, guests were greeted in the entrance hall by a freestanding, curved staircase with its twists and turns, following a curved wall. At the top of the stairs to the right, lay the second story ball room that ran the length of the west side of the house, whose original, wavy glass windows survive today. On the south side of the ballroom, large windows overlooked the then-Italianate Red Brick Courthouse and Square. For more than 160 years, the house has borne witness to Pulaski history. The history of the house and those of its owners has had an astonishing connection to Giles County and the world.
The house was used as a hospital during Pulaski’s occupation in the War Between the States. It witnessed the trial of Sam Davis during that same period. It became the Perkins Boys School, and was considered for a time as the site of a King’s Daughters Hospital. In the middle of the 20th century, it became American Legion Post 60.
It was rumored that on Post the home’s cellar held the entrance to a cave system under the town that ran the length of the Square and opened on the opposite end in the limestone cliff near where the current Hickory House stands. Along with that rumor, came one of the storage of contraband and even horses in the caves during the war. Today, the trap door leading down to the cellar is still accessible, however, a careful inspection did not turn up any suspected entrance to the caves. If it was once there, it appears to have long been sealed off and/or covered up.
The builder of the home, Lunsford M. Bramlette, came to Giles County just three short years after its founding in 1809, from part of Maury County, to establish his law practice. It was noted in McCulloum’s History of Giles County that he was a “courteous, dignified lawyer, of the old school, conscientiously just and upright.” As one of the earliest attorneys in the county, he became, in 1833, a Circuit Court Judge and held the post until early 1836, when he then became Chancellor of the court. Community-minded from the start, Bramlette was a charter member of Pulaski’s First Presbyterian Church and served as one of the early elders of the church.
The home of Judge Bramlette and his family was a large and imposing one, built on a hill at the top of Washington Street overlooking Pulaski and the hills to the west. He made a purchase of the 3.25 acres at the bottom of Fort Hill in 1850, in sight of his home and in 1857, finished a gracious Greek Revival home facing to the East.
He gifted it to his daughter, Josephine Perkins. Uncharacteristic of the period, the deed for the house and property was worded so that it belonged to Josephine and her children.
One of the earliest physicians in Pulaski, Constantine Perkins and wife Josephine began their life together in Perkins House. In just two short years, by 1859, Dr. Perkins was one of the leading physicians in Pulaski, as well as one of its leading citizens. With the outbreak of the War Between the States, the family moved to Memphis and their stately home was rented.
Despite its long history, the house was rarely used as a private residence. As was the case with many prominent families after the war, the Perkins’ fell on hard financial times and moved back to Pulaski, reclaiming their home. After her husband’s death in 1886, Josephine tried to sell the house and found that, because of the provisions of ownership in the deed, she could not. She and her children once again abandoned the house for other living quarters.
The home was then converted into The Perkins School for Boys from 1878-1885, under the leadership of prominent Pulaski citizen Col. A. H. Abernathy. The house was finally able to be sold at auction in 1888 to L. M. McCord, who immediately sold the home to Desdemona Phillips Wales, for whose family the Wales Station community, upon the gift of the train station, was named. Mrs. Wales — the wife of the former editor of the Nashville Banner, and daughter of Capt. John Phillips, one of the largest land owners in Giles County was known for her musical talent and taught music lessons in the Perkins House. Son, Charles, won recognition as a scientist. He was the inventor of the Wales Visible Adder Machine, an adding machine that produced visible calculations, one of which is on display at the National Museum of American History. He also eliminated faulty mechanics in the hand grenades used in World War I. Always tinkering, he experimented successfully with electric meters for pipe organs and improved the tone quality of early talking machines.
In 1908, the home was acquired by Mrs. Wales’ brother, John Phillips, and remained in the family until 1920, when it was sold by his daughter to Dr. J.K. Blackburn. In 1918, a group known as the King’s Daughters started a movement to improve the community by erecting a hospital in Pulaski. They set their sights on the Perkins House for its location. The County court, however, was not interested in completing the project. With out any chance of the project going through, Dr. Blackburn and his family decided to take up residence. In 1945, Blackburn sold the house for an estimated $9,000 to the American Legion, for use as the clubhouse. The Legion sold lots from the original 3.25 acres to make renovations on the house, and officially opened February 22, 1949.
Of all those who have been attached to the Perkins House, certainly those members of Post 60 have made the greatest impact on the world at large and locally. It is those men and women of the greatest generation and their families who have associated the grand home with service above self through their service in every branch of the military. Through them, the house has seen innumerable banquets, parties, dances, celebrated births and held vigil over both the triumphs and tragedies shared over the past 69 years.
These men and women have affected their community on every level, including locally through programs like Boys State and Girls State, Meals for Veterans programs hosted by the Post every Nov. 11 and Big Brothers food boxes delivered to those in need by Post members every Christmas Eve.
But now, the Post stands empty, the memorabilia, photos and records of nearly seven decades of service as the Post Home for American Legion Post 60 packed up and moved out in preparation for the home to once again change hands.
“The building has always been difficult to maintain, due to its age,” Holt said. While the age and size of the home have made it challenging to upkeep, saying goodbye is bittersweet.
Many of us have had generations of our family grow up in and around the Post.” Holt said. “My grandson, Zach Holt, told me that he felt like things just wouldn’t be the same, without all the kids around for special events. They were always included. So much of our lives have revolved around this building and he is just one of the teenagers who will miss the post.”
Not much is known about what will come next for Perkins House, but its place in Pulaski History is indelible. If only the old adage was true; what would the house have to say about the history, myths and truths that it has survived? “If only walls could talk.”