That old, abandoned house in your commuity may have been a grand home once. And if you could understand the creaks and groans of the sagging floors, you might get an ear full of "Civil War" times. Only a shell of such a house known years ago as the "Mansion" still stands (1975) near the road about five miles north of Darden on land now owned by Mrs. Estelle Thomas.

Doss (James Dawson) Evans built the two-story house of beech logs and included 14 rooms for his 12 children. The Evans family, quite wealthy because of land holdings, settled in the area in the early 1829's known as the Moore's Hill community. Doss was born May 27, 1824, the year that Andy Jackson, here of the Battle of New Orleans, won by popular vote the presidency and then lost it to John Adams when the election was decided by the House of Representatives.

Mrs. Laverne Doss Pruitt, named for her grandfather, was given an original picture of the house by her father, Purd Evans. Mrs. Pruitt, now living in Lexington, speaks proudly of the house and lush gardens. Stories of its inhabitants around the 1860's are as familiary to her as if they were only yesterday. She recalls hearing of the time the Yankees came to search the house. "Cate the slave, cashed out to hide the cows. Spotting a beehive, he purposely kicked it over and bees swarmed out to greet the soldiers, stinging men and beasts alike."

When the leader asked if the Evans family sympathized with them, old Aunt Sally, forgetting the imminent danger, rushed out to declare, "I have one fighting with you, one against you, but I wish that I had 10,000 to fight you devils." In those terrible days of brother fighting brother, residents of Henderson County suffered also from the plundering of men who joined neither side, but stayed behind to steal and take by force, personal property of families of men who were away fighting for a cause. These outlaws were locally known as "guerillas," Auburn Powers in his book "History of Henderson County," wrote of the destruction and death wrought upon families by the guerillas.

Mrs. Pruitt tells of such a death. "Doss's brother Drew, came home on furlought from the Union army for a rest. One fine spring morning while he was eating breakfast, he heard Prince, his horse, neigh nervously. Just as he walked out on the back porch, a bullet struck, the force knocking him backwards. A guerilla shot him down in cold blood. Drew did not return to war that spring. Instead, the family took his body across the road and buried him in the Evans Cemetery, covering his grave with fresh flowers from the garden. The government sent a marker which still can be plainly read; "Drew Evans, Co. 7th Tenn. Cavalry".