Ramsey's rise to prominence in the failed State of Franklin (1784–1788) kept him occupied for the remainder of the decade, and it wasn't until 1792— after he had been appointed clerk for the newly formed Southwest Territory— that he decided to move to Swan Pond, which lay just outside the territory's new capital at Knoxville. Ramsey chose to build his new house on a peninsula in the pond, although due to malaria concerns, he was forced to drain the pond before the house was constructed. London-trained architect Thomas Hope designed the house, and probably built it between 1795 and 1797.
