Historic Alfred Moore Carter home goes on the auction block Thursday

By Rozella Hardin
STAR STAFF
rhardin@starhq.com

   The historic Alfred Moore Carter Home, located at 829 E. Elk Ave., along with 16 other tracts of property owned by the Dayton Albert Seiler family, will be sold at a public auction on Thursday, Dec. 19, at 2 p.m. at the Capt. Lynn H. Folsom Post No. 2166 in Elizabethton.
   The properties, which are being sold to settle the estate of the late Dayton Albert Seiler, have been appraised at $672,000 according to the Carter County Clerk and Master's Office, which is overseeing the sale.
   The house has been an Elizabethton landmark from the very time it was built. Located in the Elizabethton Historical District and built by the son of Landon and Elizabeth Carter, the house has remained in the family for over 180 years.
   With the death of Seiler last year, the house is now being sold. An auction of the house's contents was held this past April, and drew people from near and far, who paid thousands of dollars for period furniture inside the house. The funds derived from the sale of the house and other Seiler properties will be divided between Seiler's widow and seven children. Seiler inherited the house from his mother, Mrs. Mollie Hunter Seiler, who was a granddaughter of W.B. Carter, a son of Alfred Moore Carter.
   Although there is no exact date of when the house was built, records indicate that it was built around 1819.
   The house is located on the site of an old Indian village. At the time Alfred Moore Carter built the house, that part of Elk Avenue was known as Forge Street, having received its name from a large iron forge operated by the Carters and located at the foot of Lynn Mountain.
   The outside front of the house is covered with wide tongue and groove hand-hewned boards. The foundation and chimneys are constructed from unusually large bricks imported from England. The exterior also sports a refined two-story Palladin portico.
   The Carter house is one of the most prominent in the city and is commemorated by a historical marker. It was the birthplace of Samuel P. Carter of Civil War fame. It features 5,000 square feet of space -- five bedrooms, formal living and dining room, a parlor, library and a beautiful curved staircase. The house sits on a spacious 1.063 acre lot and has two outbuildings. The house and property has been appraised at $160,000.
   Other properties to be sold at the auction include a 2.649 acre tract at the corner of E. Elk Avenue and 19-E, which is presently undeveloped, and zoned B-2/commercial. This property, located adjacent to the Carter home, has been appraised at $125,000.
   Other properties to be auctioned include:
   * Tract 3 -- 100 Courthouse Square, which contains a Victorian brick two-story office building. The lot adjoins the lawn of the Carter County Courthouse.
   * Tract 4 -- 824 E. Second St., a brick ranch dwelling, which is located on a 100 foot by 76.5 foot lot.
   * Tract 5 -- 836 E. Second St., a two-story brick Colonial style home with four bedrooms, formal living room and dining room. The house contains 2,388 square feet plus a full basement.
   * Tract 6 -- 325 W. Elk Ave., a 3,640 square foot one-story block building with 560 square feet of unfinished storage space.
   * Tract 7 -- 12.92 acres on Old Highway 19. The wooded tract has over 900 feet of road frontage. Property is on the right side of the highway across from Admiral Street and the E&P Body Shop.
   * Tracts 8-12 -- Grandview Circle in Biltmore, five residential lots ranging from .36 acres to .99 acres.
   * Tract 13 -- 930 E. Folsom St., .172 acre.
   * Tract 14 -- Hughes St., 2.67 acres, all wooded. From 19-E turn left onto Siam Road, then left on Hughes St.
   * Tract 15 -- Ingram St., .32 acres, formerly known as Jordan St. From 19E, turn left onto Siam Road, proceed two block left on Ingram.
   * Tract 16 -- Little Stoney Creek Road, 19.60 acres, lots of woods with a stream and waterfall.
   * Tract 17 -- U.G. Buckles Road, 38.72 acres. The property, which is wooded, adjoins the National Forest.
   The Seiler home and properties will be open for inspection today from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m.
   The auction is being conducted by Woltz & Associates of Roanoke, Va.