THE MOORE-CORTNER Funeral Home, adorned with Greek Revival columns and antique brick walls, has been in Jim Cortner’s family for nearly six decades. Jim and his father, Bob Cortner, currently own this piece of Franklin County history.
“This is a beautiful building. If I were to design the perfect funeral home from scratch, I would try to replicate exactly what we have here,” Jim said. “The hallways are over 24 feet wide on every floor, and the layout is perfect. It was designed to be a grand home, and it still feels like one.”
The stately building at 300 First Avenue NW is one of several historic homes lived in or built by the Estill family in the 1800s.
THE ESTILL HOME HISTORY
Wallis Estill, a Revolutionary War veteran who settled in Winchester, owned a home where Harvey’s Botanical Gardens is now located on Old Cowan Road. That house is gone, but the Estill family cemetery rests among the beautiful gardens on the property’s back edge. The other Estill homes still stand strong today, and the Cortner building is one of those legacy homes.
THE MOORE-CORTNER FUNERAL HOME
Joy Gallagher, a historian with the Franklin County Historical Society, wrote this excerpt about the Moore-Cortner Funeral Home in her 2022 article, “History of Moore-Cortner Funeral Home.”
“The earliest deed recorded for this Greek Revival house, on the corner of present-day First Avenue NW and North Vine Street, was in January 1836 when it was transferred from John Turner to Joseph Klepper, reputed to be an Indian trader. The 1836 deed stated it was ‘the same in which James H. Estill now lives.’”
The Moore-Cortner Funeral Home was built by James H. Estill, a master carpenter and nephew of the Revolutionary War veteran, Wallis Estill.
“The craftsmanship is incredible,” Jim noted. “The outer walls are at least 16 inches thick, and when they were doing restoration work, they found buffalo hair in the basement plaster. The original kitchen was down there, and you can still see the ash floors throughout the building.”
THE CORTNER FAMILY’S PURCHASE
The Cortner family became the owners of the building in 1966 when Jim’s father purchased the funeral home from Sarah Watson, the widow of Watson Moore.
“My dad was working in the Donelson community near Nashville when Mr. Watson Moore hired him,” Jim explained. “Watson had already suffered one heart attack and was told he’d never work again. My dad was given the opportunity to buy the property, where he would eventually own his own place.”
The family has maintained the building’s historic character while adapting it for modern needs. The expansions have tripled the facility’s size but have stayed in keeping with the original architectural style.
“We have tried to keep the same look with all the additions that we made. With the brickwork and everything, we duplicated the Greek Revival look of the home to keep it as close to the time period’s style as we could.”
THE FRANCIS THOMAS ESTILL HOUSE
In addition to the Moore-Cortner Funeral Home, other Estill family homes have been used for different purposes over the years. The Francis Thomas Estill House on Sharp Springs Road, built in 1859, was famously the residence of Dr. Reynolds Fite, Winchester’s most beloved physician. Fite practiced from the 1950s to the 1970s, delivering babies throughout Franklin County and making house calls in his well-known Volkswagen Beetle. Jim has a special connection to this home’s former owner.
“Dr. Fite delivered me in 1971,” Jim said, smiling. “He was at the end of his career by then, but there are lots of people around here named ‘Reynolds’ in honor of him.”
DR. HENRY RUTLEDGE ESTILL HOUSE
Another one of the historic Estill homes from the 1850s is Dr. Henry Rutledge Estill’s house on South Jefferson Street, built by Mark Mitchell Henderson. It was used years later as a tourist home because of its proximity to the railroad tracks. Visitors would visit and even stay overnight on their journeys. It was also once a funeral home, and now it is the office of Bean, Rhoton, and Kelley Accounting Firm. The bricks used to build this historic home were reportedly made by hand, using horsehair and plaster.
Moore-Cortner Funeral Home serves generations of families, some of whom have descended from the original Estill family.
“We’ve got a long history in this county. My dad’s family has been here since the early 1800s,” Jim said. “My wife, Holly’s, family connects back to the Moore family, who owned this funeral home. It’s these kinds of connections that make this place special.”
THE JUDGE BENJAMIN FLOYD ESTILL HOUSE
Another Estill house is the two-story antebellum home on Lynchburg Road, also built by Mark Mitchell Henderson. Judge Benjamin Floyd Estill lived in it for years, and after that, it was called The Antebellum Inn. Several years ago, the house was renamed Magnolia Hill. Though its name and ownership changed, the beautiful home has stood faithfully for 164 years.
These Estill family houses represent an integral chapter of Winchester’s history. The Cortners are grateful to own one of these homes.
THE CORTNER FAMILY’S CONTINUED SERVICE
“The Estill homes are among the oldest still standing,” Jim said. “When you walk through this building and think about the history these walls have seen — the families who’ve lived here, the community members who’ve been served here — it’s humbling.”
The Moore-Cortner Funeral Home is a beautiful facility for families to find solace and strength within its historical walls. The Cortners honor the community with this service.
Their staff now includes four family members: Jim and Bob Cortner, who are co-owners; Jim’s wife, Holly, a funeral director; and their son, Robert, who is also a funeral director. Robert represents the fifth generation in the business.
Jim Cortner and his family want to keep this historical home a place where memories are cherished and history is honored. They do this by helping families during times of loss and by preserving the building’s rich history.
Special thanks to Joy Gallagher, with the Franklin County Historical Society, for her time assisting with the history of these houses and families. GN
