About The Manor

The H.B. Northcutt House was built in 1885. Located in the center of Altamont, where Highway 50, 56, and 108 meet, the building’s scale and size made it an anomaly to Grundy County. The Northcutts were very influential in the political and economic development of the Grundy County and the home reflects the position and prominence held by the Northcutt family. For many years, the H.B. Northcutt House was perhaps the most important and unusual private residence within Grundy County.

Harris Bradford Northcutt came from a large and prominent family. One of fifteen children, Northcutt was born on December 11, 1829, and grew up in Northcutt’s Cove. His parents, General Adrian Northcutt and Sarah Cope, came from families who were pioneer settlers in Warren and Grundy County. Harris B. Northcutt attended school at the Altamont Academy. At age 24, he began driving stock to southern markets having acquired several years’ experience by working for his father, General Adrian Northcutt.

In 1846 Adrian Northcutt raised a company of soldiers, was appointed captain and served in the Mexican War. He later advanced to the rank of Brigadier General in the Tennessee Militia. He served for 5 terms in the State Legislature, 6 years in the House (1845-49; 1855-57) and 4 years in the Senate (1849-51; 1853-55). Through General Northcutt’s efforts, the town of Altamont was selected as the county seat where Northcutt established the first mercantile store in Altamont.

In March 1858, Harris B. Northcutt took over his father’s business, and continued its operation until his death in 1910. The firm, known as H.B. Northcutt and Sons, had a long honored reputation in Grundy County. Because of the small size of Altamont (population 546) and the relative remote location atop the Cumberland Plateau, the Northcutt business became the focus of activities for the community, and the Northcutt family became one of the most powerful and influential in the County.

A large quantity of the firm’s account books, day ledgers, and business receipts are incorporated into the Northcutt family papers at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Of particular interest is a list showing the cost for construction of the house in 1885. Not only does the list provide exact costs of materials and names of the workmen who performed each task, but the list also gives one insight into the economics of that time period. Construction costs ranged from $6 paid to Jim and Lade Fultz for digging the foundation, $450 for 90,000 bricks, $190 for laying of the bricks and $35.54 for lime. Other costs included $147 for windows and doors, $80 for plastering, $9 for guttering, $9 for 3 kegs of nails, and $100 for 25,000 shingles, for a total cost of $1,862.55.

H.B. Northcutt married Fannie McGraw in 1862. Their sons, Thomas B. and James H., joined their father in the mercantile business, while their daughter Tinnie married James Moffit, a clerk in her father’s store. After Northcutt’s death in 1910, ownership of the house passed to Northcutt’s daughter, Tinnie Moffit. Tinnie’s daughter, Fannie Moffit, inherited the house after her mother’s death ca. 1921, and lived there until her death in 1955. She was the wealthiest woman and landowner in Grundy County at that time.

Fannie Moffitt inherited thousands of acres of land and was quite wealthy, receiving royalties from coal mining and lumber harvesting from her property. Fannie died in 1955 at only 62 years of age. Because there were no direct descendants of the Northcutt/Moffitt family beyond Fannie and because she refused to make a will, the property and all possessions were sold at public auction, creating what the Chattanooga Free Press called a “media circus that took months to execute.” $15,000 in cash and royalty checks were found in the house and her furnishings alone were valued at $15,000. Fannie was buried in a $7,500 copper casket. Local residents called the house the House of Fortune. The house was bought by Vernon Northcutt, a distant relative. He and his wife operated the home as a boarding house through the late 1950’s and 1960’s.

After Vernon’s death, the house was sold to Church of Christ minister and professor at David Lipscomb University, Dr. Joe Gray, Sr. and wife, Harriette Gray. The house was placed on the State & National Register of Historic Homes and was a successful B&B for many years. When failing health made it necessary for The Manor to close, it became their primary residence until Dr. Gray’s death in 2015. Dennis and Tammy Sons bought the house in 2019 and did extensive renovations to preserve the interior of the home. In September of 2021, the Sons sold the home to the current owners who are pleased to operate The Manor as a vacation rental home with the assistance of Joe Gray, son of Dr. Joe & Harriette Gray.

* National Register of Historic Places

* Read more about Miss Fannie Moffitt.

* Learn more about Altamont, Tennessee.

* Learn more about Tennessee's South Cumberland.