In 1847, David Sevier purchased "Mount Ida," a log house built about 1790. In 1884, the large 2-story brick house was constructed. This farm became the Mt Ida historical district with the Sevier Terrace neighborhood.
From the NRHP application (Secondary Website 1 below), we learn that its significance is:
Nearly one hundred years separate the building of the two houses on the Mount Ida complex. Together they reflect the settlement and development of the Kingsport area, not only through their architectural differences but also through their association with important families and a major industry.
The land was originally part of the 1280 acre land grant belonging to Christian Rhodes and James Menefee, who sold the property in 1790, along with other acreage, to David Ross of Carolina County, Virginia. Ross’s agents immediate came to the area to establish the “Great Furnace” and forge on the North Fork of the Holston River. The land purchased by Ross became known as “the furnace tract,” and by 1795, the furnace is indicated on a map of North Carolina. Ross’s agents, who managed his furnace and other extensive business ventures, lived in the nearby log building at Mount Ida, named for Ross’s Virginia home.
Ross’s heirs owned the property until 1847, when it was sold to David Sevier. Sevier, a successful farmer, financier, and landholder, built the red brick house in 1884, at which time the log building was moved. His wife, Annis Netherland, was a member of another influential early family in the Kingsport area: the Netherland Inn, listed on the National Register, belonged to her grandfather. Mr. and Mrs. Sevier and other members of their family are buried at Mount Ida near the brick house. Sevier heirs stil own the property [statement made in 1972], of which the log house is thought to be the oldest building standing in Kingsport.
Covering register listings #73001844 and #91000817. The latter appears to be giving more definition of the district for local regulation.
From book "Kingsport Heritage: The Early Years 1700 to 1900", we learn that Ross's Great Furnace was located on fall of Furnace Creek that flows into Reedy Creek - roughly where Super 8 Motel is located today in Transbarger Hollow.