OVERVIEW
Location: Kingsport, Hawkins County, Tennessee; on the Holston River
Date Constructed/ Founded: 1818
Associated Surnames: Phipps, Ross
Historical Notes: Rotherwood Mansion is located above the Holston River. The mansion was built in 1818 by Frederick Ross, who founded the town of Rossville, which later merged with Christianville (in neighboring Sullivan Co.) to become Kingsport. Frederick Ross fell into serious financial trouble and he was forced to sell his estate to Joshua Phipps in 1847. Historical accounts and a variety of colorful legends describe Phipps as a cruel slave holder who had a terrible reputation for abuse. One piece of written evidence of his temperament towards the enslaved population comes from his will, where he callously mentions the need to ‘dispose of his negroes from time to time for misconduct’ by his heir Mack Phipps, while protecting the welfare of only one very old slave of ‘faithful character.’ The historic mansion of Rotherwood is now a private residence and is located in Kingsport in the eastern region of Tennessee, just off of the Virginia border.
Associated Pages: none
ASSOCIATED ENSLAVED PERSONS
Andy – servant named in John Phipp’s 1861 will, bequeathed to William Joshua McKinney “Mack” Phipps
1850: 80 slaves [1850 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedules, District 6, Hawkins Co, TN, Joshua Phipps]
1860: 22 slaves; 9 slaves (Joshua Phipps administrator of W. Phipps, deceased*) [1860 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedules, District 6, Hawkins Co, TN, Joshua Phipps] — *note: William Phipps (b.1768-d.1856) was the father of Joshua Phipps
ASSOCIATED FREE PERSONS
Ross family: Frederick Augustus Ross (b.1796-d.1883) – founder, pastor of Old Kingsport Presbyterian Church; Theodocia Vance Ross (b.1804-d.1853) – wife of F. Ross; Rowena Ross – daughter of F. and T.V. Ross
Phipps family: Joshua Phipps (b.1801-d.1861) – owner, purchased Rotherwood from F. Ross in 1847; Abenaida Leeper Phipps – first wife of J. Phipps (m.1830); Sarah Elizabeth Phipps (b.1832-d.1842) – daughter of J. and A.L. Phipps; Louisa Bradley Phipps (b.1794-d.1851) – second wife of J. Phipps (m.1837); Anne Peoples Bachman Phipps (b.1827-d.?) – third wife of J. Phipps, inherited the mansion and plantation in 1861; William Joshua McKinney “Mack” Phipps (b.1853-d.?) – son of J. and A.P.B. Phipps, inherited land and slaves in 1861; Frank L. Phipps – son of J. Phipps
Phipps family: Francis Leeper Phipps (b.1833-d.1878) – son of J. and A.L. Phipps; Mollie Jones Phipps (b.1836) – wife of F.L. Phipps
Netherland family: Robert Glen Netherland (b.1823-d.1897); Louisa Phipps Netherland (b.1835-d.1907) – daughter of J. and A.L. Phipps; Samuel Woods Netherland (b.1855) – son of J. and A.L. Phipps; Frank Netherland (b.1858) – son of J. and A.L. Phipps; Nannie Netherland (b.1860) – daughter of J. and A.L. Phipps; Robert Netherland (b.1861) – son of J. and A.L. Phipps; William Netherland (b.1864) – son of J. and A.L. Phipps; Sarah Netherland (b.1867) – daughter of J. and A.L. Phipps; John Netherland (b.1869) son of J. and A.L. Phipps; George Netherland (b.1871) – son of J. and A.L. Phipps; Creed Netherland (b.1875) – son of J. and A.L. Phipps; Henry Netherland (b.1878) son of J. and A.L. Phipps
Bynum family: John G. Bynum (b.1821-d.?); Nancy Ann Bradley Phipps Bynum (b.1839-d.1916) – wife of J.G. Bynum (m.1860), daughter of J. and L.B. Phipps
RESEARCH LEADS AND RECORDS
None noted yet
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
None noted yet
REFERENCES
- Rotherwood Mansion. http://www.prairieghosts.com/kings.html
- Wikipedia: Frederick Augustus Ross, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Augustus_Ross
- Wright L. Virginia Creeper: Appalachian and Folklore Magazine: The Phipps Come to Rotherwood. http://vacreeper.com/phipps-come-rotherwood/
Sankofagen 
One evening, a slave and his wife and three children had escaped a local plantation and had nearly made it to the hiding spot when the slave owner who had discovered them missing finally cornered them on horseback. Despite pleading for their lives, the slave owner brutally murdered them all, shooting the husband and wife plus her two other children. The youngest child was a baby and it lay screaming, covered in blood in its mother’s arms, the bullet having missed it barely. The slave owner coldly picked up the child and slung it over and over into the rocks lining the valley, smashing its brains out and tossing its body aside. Many in Kingsport know the story or at least the rumors. They know that something bad happened there but Dr. Acuff told me the full story with the understanding that I never reveal the slave owner’s name because his family still lives in the area and are deeply embarrassed about what their ancestor did. I know this man’s identity and I feel justice was eventually served but his connection to Rotherwood will never be undone, nor will his deeds.
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