Status: Preserved

Address: 1020 Rayner Street, Memphis

Built: 1856

Architectural Style: Greek Revival

Original Function/Purpose: Residential

Date Listed on the National Register: May 9, 1977

National Register Reference Number Link: 77001292

History: In 1856, Eli Rayner, a scientific farmer, moved his family to a large plot of prime cotton land along the route of the yet-unfinished Memphis and Charleston Railroad, and built this house near what would become Southern Avenue. One of very few Antebellum period structures to remain standing in Memphis, the two-story Greek Revival-influenced home served as a campground, first for Union troops during the Civil War and then for refugees from Memphis during the 1878 Yellow Fever Epidemic.

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION (approved July 6, 2023): This additional documentation clarifies the Eli Rayner House’s property boundaries provided in the original nomination, and updates the inventory of contributing buildings. 

City Council District: 6

Super District: 8

County Commission District: 8