Louisa Owen was the youngest child of Marshal and Caroline Thomas Owen, having been born February 26, 1867. She married Samuel Brickell and together they reared five children on part of the Marshal Owen property she and Samuel later acquired title to following Marshal’s death in 1892.
After Louisa’s death in 1950 the Brickell house and farm was bought by one of Louisa’s granddaughter’s and her husband who had a new house constructed. Since then the old house has mostly sat empty and abandoned. That granddaughter recently passed away and the house was purchased by the owner of the surrounding property, who had the house torn down and the undergrowth removed.
Marshal Owen at one time owned all of the land on both sides of what is now McMinn County Road 181 from County Road 186 to County Road 189, comprising about six hundred acres. Starting at Marshal and and Caroline’s place moving west, the houses were in this order: Marshal and Caroline, W. D. and Jane Owen Wade, Samuel and Louisa Owen Brickell, W. C. and Harriet Owen Hughes, and last, Thomas and Martha Ellen Wade Owen. The original houses have either burned or been torn down over the years until the only original house left standing was that of Samuel and Louisa. Now, it too is gone.
For years I have passed the house walking and before it became so overgrown would sometimes seek shelter on the front porch when I would unexpectedly be caught in a rain shower. While standing waiting for the shower to pass I would fondly recall my weekly visits to the Brickell house where I was sent by my mother to pick up a pound of butter from “Aunt Lou”. I remember her as a kind and gentle lady.
