River Side Farmhouse is a historic farmhouse in

Shelbyville, Tennessee Shelbyville is a city in and the county seat of Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. The town was laid out in 1810 and incorporated in 1819. Shelbyville had a population of 20,335 residents at the 2010 census. The town is a hub of the Tenness ...

, U.S..

History

The land was acquired by John Shofner, a settler from North Carolina, in 1815. Shofner built a loghouse, which was later demolished by his son Michael. A new house was built by Michael Shofner, but it was also demolished thereafter. By 1890, Michael's son, Jacob Morton Shofner, built this farmhouse. Jacob's grandson,

Prentice Cooper William Prentice Cooper Jr. (September 28, 1895May 18, 1969) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 39th governor of Tennessee from 1939 to 1945. He led the state's mobilization efforts for World War II, when over 300,000 Ten ...

, was born in this house; he went on to serve as the 39th Governor of Tennessee from 1939 to 1945. The house is still owned by the Cooper family, which includes Congressman

Jim Cooper James Hayes Shofner Cooper (born June 19, 1954) is an American lawyer, businessman, professor, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for (based in Nashville and containing parts of Davidson, Cheatham, and Dickson Counties) fro ...

and mayor of Nashville John Cooper.

Architectural significance

The house was designed in the Queen Anne architectural style. It has been 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 ...

since December 1, 1997.

References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee Queen Anne architecture in Tennessee Houses completed in 1890 National Register of Historic Places in Bedford County, Tennessee Buildings and structures in Shelbyville, Tennessee Cooper family {{BedfordCountyTN-NRHP-stub