The Alexander McMillan House is a historic home located at 7703 Strawberry Plains Pike in Knox County, Tennessee, United States. It was constructed in 1785 by Alexander McMillan (1749–1837), an early Knox County pioneer. Alexander McMillan arrived in Knox County in 1783 and purchased one of the original

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

s that the state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

had authorized in the Land "Grab" Act of 1783, under which the state's western lands were offered for sale at a price of ten pounds for . He built the house in 1785. An addition was made on its front side in 1810 and a third room was added in 1860. The home was owned by his descendants until the middle of the 20th century. The house was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2001.

Alexander McMillan

Of Scottish descent, his family migrated to

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

, Ireland. Alexander was born on August 12, 1749, in County Londonderry, Ireland. In 1775, he emigrated to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in the American colonies. He then joined the Continental Army and participated in the Battle against Quebec in 1776. He traveled to what is now Washington County, Virginia to meet up with relatives who emigrated before him. In 1778, he married his first cousin, Martha McMillan (1762-1836), the daughter of William and Mary Leeper McMillan. William was Alexander's uncle the father of William McMillan. He completed his service at the military with the

Battle of Kings Mountain The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the Southern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took pla ...

on October 7, 1780. McMillan and his wife settled in the eastern part of Tennessee. At 63 years of age, he volunteered to serve during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

and fought with General

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

in the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

. He lived near McMillan's Station, an

East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad The East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad Company was incorporated under a special act of Tennessee on January 27, 1848.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1 ...

station 10 miles from

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

, and died in 1837. His wife Martha died in 1836. He is buried on a farm near the Old Caledonia church.

References

Houses completed in 1785 Houses in Knox County, Tennessee Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee National Register of Historic Places in Knoxville, Tennessee {{KnoxCountyTN-NRHP-stub