Beginning in 1815 William Dickson, a wealthy Irish merchant and Greeneville’s first postmaster, and his wife Elizabeth Douglas Dickson, began construction of a home for their only child Catharine. The house was designed and constructed by Irish craftsmen Thomas Battersby and John Hoy,and local craftsmen, probably with the help of slave labor. The home was completed in 1821. Catharine Dickson was married to Dr. Alexander Williams on August 29, 1823. Dr. Williams died in 1852 and his wife passed in 1870. The home stayed in the Williams family until 1872. The house then whet through a variety of uses including:
Edwards Academy and Greeneville Academy: 1876 – 1890
Unaka Tobacco Works: 1893 – 1895
Morgan Inn: 1897 – 1912
Greeneville Sanitorium and Hospital: 1912 – 1978
Takoma Hospital: 1978 – 1986
In 1986 the house became the property of Greene County Government. And, in 1987 it was leased to the Dickson-Williams Historical Association on a ninty-nine-year lease thus beginning a restoration to its 1850 appearance.
