In 1802 Isaac Anderson’s family constructed this two-story log house on their land in north Knox County. He had recently been named the pastor for Washington Presbyterian Church. During this time Anderson built a large, two-story log school building on the site that has since been demolished. He named his school Union Academy, but it was known to many as Mr. Anderson’s Log College. The academy operated there until 1812 when Anderson moved his school to Maryville and became pastor of New Providence Presbyterian Church. He went on to found Maryville College in 1819.
The hewn-log Anderson cabin survived for the next 200 years before residential development literally encircled it and put its future in jeopardy. It now stands in the backyard of a modern suburban house. Recently there has been an effort to move the Anderson Cabin to the Maryville College campus in order to protect it and its place in the college’s history. Knox Heritage supports those efforts and encourages East Tennessee residents to work with the preservationists spearheading this effort to identify funding to relocate and restore the structure.