c. 1878 Italianate in Springfield, Tennessee

From The Archives	Listing No. 1421 c. 1878 Italianate Springfield, TN
	The Whiskey Mansion “The Whiskey Mansion” Built by John W. Stark for his son, William in 1878. Just north of Nashville, the Stark family has it roots in the infancy of Robertson County where William and James Stark settled near Beaver Creek Dam around 1792. The people of Robertson County elected John W. Stark as a representative in 1860 and 1868. After the civil war, John W. Stark bought 80 acres in district eight where he erected a distillery. The whiskey business was booming and John W. Stark soon sold his distillery in 1872 to rent another distillery down the road. Two years later, John Stark & Company made $100,000 in wholesale distillery sales for the year. In the same year he sold his distillery, John W. Stark and four other businessmen founded Springfield National Bank where Stark served as the bank director. The community had confidence in the bank and deposits ranged from $150,000 to $250,000. John W. Stark began diversifying his portfolio by purchasing town lots and farms – one of which included a 177-acre tract that he purchased from Thomas Krisle on Highway 49 (known then as Orlinda Pike). It was there that he built a home for his son, William H. Stark, which became known as the “Whiskey Mansion”. Mrs. Ann Stark Krisle resides on the 177-acre tract surrounding the Whiskey Mansion. Soil from the farm was turned into bricks that built the home. The hoods over the windows still bear the inscription, “John W. Stark made in Chicago, Illinois”. The Whiskey Mansion served as a model for other homes that John W. Stark built. All have 13-foot ceilings, curved walnut trimmed stair handrails, and materials that can not be duplicated.

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From The Archives

The Whiskey Mansion