Near Parrottsville in eastern Tennessee, the Swaggerty Blockhouse stands beside Clear Creek as a rare structure whose meaning changed through archaeological study. Once believed to be a frontier family blockhouse from 1787, it is now understood as a mid-19th-century farm building, probably a cantilever barn built around 1860. Its three levels include a springhouse below, storage space above, and a projecting upper story suited to granary use rather than defense. Tree-ring dating and artifacts from 1852 to 1864 tied it to Jacob Stephens's hog farm, showing how archaeology overturned local tradition and revealed a vivid example of rural East Tennessee life.