Dr Ambrose Parks House, Shelbyville

This old house sits in a big curve on the way towards Lynchburg, Tennessee. It’s almost impossible to miss the stately house with double chimneys and large pastures full of cattle.

This home has long been a landmark in this community. It originally belonged to the Pratt family, with no indication of what year it was built. John Wallis, executor of the Pratt estate, sold the land containing 312 acres and the home in 1859 to a Dr. Ambrose (A. L.) Parks. Parks was a physician who completed his medical training in New York and married Miss Nancy Walker who was from Lynchburg.

The property used to have a cistern that provided a constant supply of water. For the most part, the home has remained similar to original condition. After the death of Dr. Parks, the home was aquired by Mr. and Mrs. Joe Kimery. They lived here for several years and then it was bought by Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Kimery who remodeled the home some.

Perhaps this home’s biggest claim to fame is that it was a location for filming in the movie “The Green Mile”. This was the warden’s home. For the film, they built an addition onto the right side of the home. They removed the addition when filming completed.

I spoke with the current owner of this home. He still farms the land here and seemed happy living here.

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