Renovation
By the 1990s, the house had fallen into significant disrepair; photographs from the period show peeling exterior paint, a deteriorated wraparound porch, and general decline of the property as a whole.
Following her purchase of the property in 1998, Ms. Mary Leo undertook an extensive renovation of the house. A later real estate listing described the restored house as a 5,000-square-foot residence on 7 acres with five bedrooms and three full bathrooms, a formal living room and dining room, a study, and a renovated kitchen and pantry. The renovation also included a new attached four-car garage with a bathroom added above it, as well as crown molding and plantation shutters throughout. New electrical and plumbing systems were installed, in addition to complete restoration of the porch and its stone foundation. As part of the kitchen renovation, a full servant staircase was removed and replaced by cabinets; the patched hardwood flooring marking its former location on the second floor is still visible.
The original butler pantry and a full summer kitchen immediately behind the house kitchen were retained during the renovation.
Prior to Renovation
Ms. Mary’s Pride and Joy
Ms. Mary had magnolias planted, lining the driveway on both sides, 27 of which remain currently.
Later Ownership
Emma Puckett Parks inherited the property upon her husband's death in 1931 and sold it to J. A. Lane in 1934. The Lane family retained the property until 1953, when a Chancery Court decree (Ellen M. Alexander, Guardian, et al. v. Albert McGee, et al., Case No. 2999) conveyed a two-thirds interest in the property to Albert McGee and his wife, Velma Tipps McGee, and a one-third interest to Glendon Tipps. Albert and Velma McGee had been renting the property since 1947, before acquiring their interest in 1953. In September 1980, Albert McGee conveyed his interest to Velma Tipps McGee by deed, shortly before his death that year.
In 1986, Velma Tipps McGee, Glendon Tipps, Terrell McGee, and Dianne M. Smith sold the property to Will Brown Wellman and his wife, Marilyn Toth Wellman, after which it was occupied by renters. On May 1, 1998, the Wellmans sold the property to Ms. Mary Leo. Leo sold the property to Westco Lynchburg, LLC in July 2013. In 2016, a 7.03-acre portion of the original tract where the house is situated was conveyed to the current owner. The remainder of the original tract, approximately 152 acres, was sold to another buyer; the cemetery is situated approximately 200 feet northwest of the house, on the adjoining parcel.
All information obtained from the following resources:
1. "Sylvan Hill Stock Farm." Lincoln County News Supplement: An Epitome of Progress (Illustrated Magazine Edition), edited and compiled under the direction of R. H. McKinney, produced in cooperation with the First National Bank of Fayetteville. Fayetteville, Tenn., May 1904, p. 31.
2. Parks, Joseph H., and Joe Parks. Aaron Parks, His Ancestors & Descendants. Winchester, Tennessee; Austin, Texas: J. Parks, J. Parks, 1983
3. Leonhirth, Jim. "Stones for Water Trough Were Brought by Ox Cart" and "Life of Prosperity Was Enjoyed on Large Parks Plantation." Elk Valley Times, TEMPO section, October 1984, pp. 12–14.
4. 1850 U.S. Federal Census, Lincoln County, Tennessee.
5. 1850 U.S. Federal Slave Schedule, Sub-Division No. 2, Lincoln County, Tennessee, enumerated by Alfred Bearden, Assistant Marshal, September 1850; NARA. Accessed via FamilySearch, "Lincoln, Tennessee, United States records," image 439 of 502, Image Group Number 004206175.
6. 1860 U.S. Federal Slave Schedule, Civil District No. 7, Lincoln County, Tennessee, enumerated by Assistant Marshal [John W. Chatman], August 7, 1860; NARA, Image Group Number 005171461. (Catalogued by FamilySearch under a "Lauderdale, Tennessee" collection title, though the document's own heading identifies it as Lincoln County.)
7. Lincoln County, Tennessee Chancery Court records (estate settlement of Woodruff Parks, 1878).
8. Chancery Court of Lincoln County, Tennessee, Ellen M. Alexander, Gdn., et al. v. Albert McGee, et al., Case No. 2999, decree dated November 30, 1953, Minute Book 38, page 544, Clerk & Master's Office, Lincoln County, Tennessee.
9. Deed, Albert McGee to Velma Tipps McGee, dated September 1980, Deed Book J-9, page 237, Register's Office of Lincoln County, Tennessee.
10. Warranty Deed, Velma Tipps McGee, Glendon Tipps, Terrell McGee, and Dianne M. Smith to Will Brown Wellman and Marilyn Toth Wellman, dated May–June 1986, recorded Deed Book D-10, Register's Office of Lincoln County, Tennessee.
11. Warranty Deed, Will Brown Wellman to M. Mary Leo, dated May 1, 1998, Deed Book H-12, page 918, Register's Office of Lincoln County, Tennessee. (Recorded as "M. Mary Leo"; her obituary records her full name as Mary Alice Leo.)
12. Warranty Deed, Mary Alice Leo to Westco Lynchburg, LLC, dated July 2013, Register's Office of Lincoln County, Tennessee. (Recorded as "M. Mary Leo.")
13. Warranty Deed, Westco Lynchburg, LLC to grantee, dated 2016, based on survey by John G. Phillips, TRLS #1994, dated February 8, 2016, Register's Office of Lincoln County, Tennessee.
14. Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, TN Property Viewer, Parcel ID 059 003.02, Lincoln County, Tennessee, accessed July 18, 2026.
15. Warranty Deed, Will Brown Wellman to M. Mary Leo, dated May 1, 1998, Deed Book H-12, page 918, Register's Office of Lincoln County, Tennessee.