Lewis Buckner, c. 1856-1924, country cabinetmaker and house carpenter

The primary objective of this research was to trace and document historically the life and works of Lewis Buckner, a cabinetmaker and house carpenter, who lived in Sevierville, Tennessee, during the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth century. Lewis Buckner was a black artisan who lived during a most difficult time for the Afro-American was trying to establish himself in his new role as a free man. A Although he lived most of his life after the Emancipation Proclamation in l863, he was black in the eyes of a white nation, and his chances to succeed were hampered greatly by the color of his skin.

Census records and obituaries indicate that Lewis Buckner was born in 1856; however, no record has been found as to the status of his birth-free or slave. The first primary evidence found to date appears in 1875 in the Sevier County Marriage License records. In the 1880 United States Census, Fifth District of Sevier County, Buckner is listed as a separate household with his trade being cabinetmaking. Exactly where he learned the art of cabinetmaking is speculative. According to the oral history of Sevierville citizens who knew him and to newspapers found in the Sevier County Library, Buckner became well-known as a cabinetmaker and carpenter in Sevier County. Many prominent families in the area hired him to make furniture and to carve the Victorian architectural filigree for their houses. This research included photographic evidence of Buckner's work, including one family piece now owned by his granddaughter, Regina Evans.

Research about this artisan has been complicated by the limited number of records available on the Afro-American in Tennessee. For this reason the author relied heavily on newspapers in the Sevier County Library; on public records, such as deeds, marriage license and probate records, housed in the Sevier County Courthouse; and on census records and slave schedules found in The University of Tennessee Main Library and the Lawson McGhee Public Library, McClung Collection. In addition, oral history was recorded through discussions with descendants and other persons who had first-hand knowledge of Lewis Buckner.

A comparative study of the carved and applied decoration used by Buckner for his own pieces in relation to pattern books or patterns in existence has established some idea as to possible sources for his designs. The carved architectural details-butterfly wings, scroll brackets, jig-saw designs-are similar to ones illustrated in pattern books such as A. J. Bicknell's Detail, Cottage and Constructive Architecture and W. T. Comstock's Modern Architectural Designs and Details. The carved and applied decoration on his furniture and mantels-such as lunettes, stippled work, wheat designs, corner fans, diagonal line motifs-have been found in numerous nineteenth century pattern books as well. The diagonal line motif and corner fans are similar to those illustrated by Buck in his Album of Mantels in Wood, Stone, Slate and Brick, while the lunettes with fan spokes and "fantastic heads" are similar to those in Home Interiors by Eugene Clarence Gardner. Some of the motifs used by Buckner are very similar to those found on pieces from the seventeenth century in America.

In an extensive investigation of available nineteenth century pattern books as for possible sources of Buckner's designs it became apparent that Buckner used what he saw only as an idea to create his own unique and robust designs. He was a creative artisan.

Apparently Lewis Buckner never signed or marked his work because no markings have been found. However, his work is documented by the oral histories of the descendants of families that he worked for during his lifetime in Sevier County, Tennessee, and by the one remaining family piece.