corysharp531 :
In 1865, tobacco dealer Edward L. Anderson completed construction of a simple two-story, brick farmhouse, the bricks for which had been fired in a pit on the grounds.[4] The house remained in the Anderson family until sold to a local businessman, Edward Lafayette Atkins, in 1903. Atkins commissioned his friend, architect Alda Lafayette Lassiter to remodel the house in the Classical Revival style. Lassiter added a grand staircase, elaborate plaster ceilings with crown molding, and a large portico with eight Corinthian columns. The house was painted white, and Atkins named it Whitehaven.[5]
In 1908, after the death of Atkins' wife, Atkins sold the house to James P. Smith, mayor of Paducah. The Smiths made many changes, hiring Marshall Fields to do interior decorating. Smith added a storm shelter in the backyard and converted the attic into additional bedrooms for their six children.[6] Nell Smith changed the name of the now 22-room house to "Bide-A-Wee" ("Stay awhile") to honor her Scottish heritage, and she and her daughter created formal gardens on the property.
2026-11-11 03:35:07