Waters House

Sevierville, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Heritage registerNational Register of Historic Places↗

Built around 1895 in Sevierville, Tennessee, the Waters House is a three-story Victorian clapboard structure originally owned by Dr. A.W. Trotter, a dentist. The home showcases the exceptional craftsmanship of Louis Buckner, a nineteenth-century African American carpenter of notable skill whose decorative work appears throughout the residence. The exterior is distinguished by multiple gables at various levels—three on each side—that terminate the bay windows at the roofline, with ornamental "butterfly wings" adorning the sides of the second-floor bays. The porch features "dumbbell" dowels and gingerbread trim and curves rounded at its rear corner. Inside, Buckner's oak and hardwood carpentry dominates nearly every room, displaying his signature geometric designs and floral carvings. The parlor's most impressive feature is an eight-foot-high elaborately carved oak mantel, topped with a tilting beveled mirror framed in tile and brass, while a similar though smaller mantel graces the sitting room. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.