Story by Gregg L. Parker

Photos by RAW Images

David and Tammy Eddy purchased their home in 1993 from the family for which Hartselle is named.

A “Bethel Road Historical District” marker on the property details the progression of the site over the years. The marker states that “Old Bethel Road first came into use during the mid-19th century. It ran adjacent to the property deeded to George Hartselle by President Polk in 1845 and President Buchanan in 1858.

“The road later connected with Fletcher Ferry Road and Georgia Road. In 1914, work was completed on a new route, which ran from Bethel Baptist Church to East Pike. Immediately after its completion, families moved from the valley and built Edwardian-styled homes along the roadside.”

In the early 1950s, the road was designated as a farm-to-market route and extended northward to the Tennessee River.

Simple lines of luxury

“Our home is Edwardian, which was an understated style just behind Victorian. (The house has) clean lines and lighter interior colors with less patterns and clutter,” explained Tammy. The home’s exterior siding is painted in Pashmina, and the doors are painted in Jute.

The two-story home has about 3,200 square feet – five bedrooms, three baths, living room, dining room and den. A conventional floor plan suits the lifestyle of the Eddys. “I love the floor plan because I love furniture and need walls to put it on,” Tammy said.

Tammy said she appreciates many different styles in decorating, but she chose to accentuate and accessorize in a motif that is “mostly English with a bit of Asian. I adore anything chinoiserie” – Chinese and Asian artistic trends in decor and design.

Comfortable elegance

“My daughter-in-law Carrie describes my decorating style as ‘elegant but comfortable.’ Due to my intense love for the Bible and my years of study, I do have touches of anything from Egyptian to Babylonian to Persian,” Tammy said. “My favorite place in our home is the living room. I spend a couple of hours every morning watching the sunrise from the sofa, sipping tea and studying God’s Word. I have the privilege of teaching an amazing bunch of women each week – one of the greatest joys in my life.”

Tammy has been in the antiques and interiors business for more than 30 years, “so we have antiques all the way through,” Tammy said. “My maternal grandmother was an avid collector with beautiful taste, so there are things of hers everywhere.”

Extraordinary antiquities

Some of Tammy’s favorites she and David have collected are a Griffin desk; a tester bed, which is a four-poster design that can accommodate a canopy; and a poker table from Cullman.

“We also purchased an oak bedroom suite with a high-back headboard that the Hartselle family bought for this home when it was built,” Tammy said. “My favorite recent acquisition is a crystal chandelier with lots of different fruit prisms from the Wyker estate in Decatur.” David and Tammy also cherish pieces of art that they have brought back from travels in Europe.

In pleasant weather, David and Tammy spend their evenings “out back” watching the sunset. “The house has a beautiful east/west placement,” she said.

The home’s lawn has Old South standards of boxwood shrubbery and azaleas; however, the most notable features in the yard are the 100-year-old oak and pecan trees.

David is employed by Walmart Transportation in Cullman. He also owns Bank Street Properties, a small commercial company in Decatur, along with a farm in Cullman County.

They have two adult sons. D. Matthew Eddy and his family live in Brookhaven, Mississippi, where he teaches history and physical education at Enterprise Attendance Center. Micah Eddy and his family are Hartselle residents; Micah works as a computer scientist on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.

They also raised two great-nephews, Christopher Holloway and Antonio Mendoza – who now live in Sierra Vista, Arizona, and Decatur, respectively – and have five grandchildren.