Belle Meade Plantation , now officially titled Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery , is a historic farm established in 1807 in Nashville, Tennessee , built, owned, and controlled by five generations of the Harding - Jackson family for nearly a century. The farm, named "Belle Meade" (beautiful meadow), grew to encompass 5,400 acres (22 km) at its zenith and used a labor force of 136 enslaved workers. The farm's centerpiece was a Greek revival mansion built in 1853. Belle Meade Farm gained a national reputation in the latter half of the 19th century for breeding thoroughbred horse racing stock, notably a celebrated stallion, Iroquois . In the Civil War , when the Union Army took control of Nashville, the mansion was pillaged and looted by soldiers who spent weeks quartered there; the owner was imprisoned. In the aftermath, the plantation recovered, but with greatly reduced capacity. Roughly half of the enslaved persons returned as paid employees after the war and lived in their own homes nearby. After a financial downturn in 1893 and later the death of the owner and his heir, the estate was dismantled and sold in parcels in 1906.
62-586: Much of the vast area of the original plantation became incorporated in 1938 as the City of Belle Meade that became an upscale residential area that included Nashville's Cheekwood Botanical Gardens , Percy Warner Park , and The Belle Meade Country Club. Since 1953, the mansion has been administered in trust by the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities, a private non-profit corporation. In
124-485: A cellar, which was uncommon at the time. It contained a steam engine and a boiler to power the hot and cold running water for the home. Today, Belle Meade's grounds cover 30 acres (120,000 m) and have 10 outbuildings scattered throughout the estate, including the original 1790s log cabin purchased by John Harding in 1807 with the property. Harding added the Smokehouse in 1826, and through various expansions, became
186-644: A fee. Percy Warner Park and Edwin Warner Park – They are technically two connecting parks, but Nashville locals often refer to Percy Warner Park and Edwin Warner Park simply as "The Warner Parks". The northern border of Percy Warner Park lies at the southwestern edge of Belle Meade. Combined, the parks include more than 3,100 acres. Amenities include picnic grounds and shelters, a nature center, hiking and biking trails, scenic overlooks, sports fields, horse trails, an equestrian center, and golf courses. The parks also have historical significance and are listed in
248-567: A limited fresh market or for winemaking. For consumer acceptance, fresh market grapes need to be large, sweet, and with relatively thin skin, whereas those for wine, juice or jelly need high yields of high-sugar, color-stable berries. Fresh-market cultivars include Black Beauty, Carlos, Cowart, Flowers, Fry, Granny Val, Ison, James, Jumbo, Magnolia, Memory (first found on T.S. Memory's farm in 1868 in Whiteville, NC), Mish, Nesbitt, Noble, Scuppernong , Summit, Supreme, and Thomas. Produced by
310-596: A natural setting, muscadine provides wildlife habitat as shelter, browse, and food for many birds and animals. It is also a larval host for the Nessus Sphinx Moth ( Amphion floridensis ) and the Mournful Sphinx Moth ( Enyo lugubris ). Although in the same genus Vitis with the other grapevine species, the muscadine species belongs to a separate subgenus, Muscadinia (all other grapevine species belong to subgenus Euvitis ). Usually
372-426: A thoroughbred breeding farm and cotton plantation. He conducted various service businesses on the property, including a grist and saw mill, a cotton gin, and a blacksmith shop – all primarily operated by enslaved African-Americans. Harding's son, William Giles Harding , inherited the estate in 1839. In 1866 his daughter Selene married brigadier general William Hicks Jackson, who controlled the land from 1883 and made
434-561: Is $ 195,208, which exceeds the median annual income in the U.S. by more than three times. The city's history dates back to 1807, when John Harding of Virginia purchased the Dunham's Station log cabin and 250 acres (100 ha) on the Natchez Trace near Richland Creek . He named the property Belle Meade , which is French for "beautiful meadow". Over the next few decades, enslaved African Americans built Harding's mansion, and established
496-668: Is a grapevine species native to the southeastern and south-central United States . The growth range extends from Florida to New Jersey coast , and west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma . It has been extensively cultivated since the 16th century. The plants are well-adapted to their native warm and humid climate; they need fewer chilling hours than better known varieties, and thrive in summer heat. Muscadine berries may be bronze or dark purple or black when ripe . Wild varieties may stay green through maturity. Muscadines are typically used in making artisan wines , juice, hull pie and jelly. They are rich sources of polyphenols . In
558-808: Is one of the grape species most resistant to Phylloxera , an insect that can kill roots of grapevines. Appellations producing Muscadine wines: 100 grams of muscadine grapes contain the following nutrients according to the USDA: Consumer research indicates that the thick skins and variable in-season quality of fresh muscadine grapes are significant deterrents to retail acceptance. One report indicated that muscadine grapes contained high concentrations of resveratrol , but subsequent studies have found no or little resveratrol in muscadine grapes. Other muscadine polyphenols include anthocyanins , tannins , and various flavonoids . The rank order of total phenolic content among muscadine components
620-614: The Battle of Nashville . Early on December 15, 1864, Union and Confederate forces fought at the family's racetrack about a mile northeast of the Mansion After the Civil War, Harding resumed his successful horse farming operations with a reduced workforce. Of the 136 enslaved people who worked and lived at Belle Meade prior to the war, 72 chose to work for pay with Harding immediately after slavery's end. Most lived in housing off
682-606: The Natchez Trace , an ancient Native American path connecting their settlements in present-day Tennessee and Mississippi. He began to develop a farm, naming it " Belle Meade " — French/Old English for "beautiful meadow". Harding operated various businesses, such as a blacksmith shop, cotton gin, and grist and saw mills. By 1816, Harding was boarding horses for neighbors such as Andrew Jackson and breeding thoroughbreds , as well as racing them. Middle Tennessee became known for raising purebred livestock, including cattle, sheep and horses. In 1823 Harding registered his own racing silks with
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#1732798251487744-567: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km ), all land. Belle Meade Boulevard ends at the main historic entrance to Percy Warner Park , the city's largest park, and Richland Creek flows through the neighborhood. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 2,901 people, 853 households, and 748 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 Census , there were 2,912 people, 1,074 households, and 872 families residing in
806-482: The 1892 Carriage and Stable House showcases the Harding and Jackson families' carriage collection and includes one of the most impressive carriage collections to be found. A Visitors' Center was constructed on the grounds in 1990 to serve as a central point for guests to arrive, sell tickets and serve as a Gift Shop. In 2009, Belle Meade opened Nashville's first Winery; it features Tennessee red and white wines made from
868-476: The 1970s, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The historic site is now operated as an attraction, museum, winery (non-profit), and onsite restaurant together with various outbuildings on 30 remaining acres of property. Many original outbuildings are preserved, including a dairy, gardener's house, carriage house, stable, mausoleum, and the original Harding Cabin. Since the 1990s,
930-532: The American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimate conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2016, the economy of Belle Meade focuses mainly on three industries: Healthcare and Social Assistance (22%); Professional, Scientific, and Tech Services (17.6%); and Finance and Insurance (15.6%). Other sectors like Manufacturing (6.3%), Retail (5.1%), Education Services (7%), and Real Estate, Rental, and Leasing (6.9%) have smaller concentrations. Based on
992-581: The City of Belle Meade had total annual revenues of $ 6,191,617 and total annual operating expenses of $ 3,918,521. The city's total net position as of June 30, 2017, was $ 20,412,803. The city's primary sources of revenue are property taxes and state sales and income taxes. Belle Meade is part of State House District 56 for the Tennessee General Assembly . The city is part of State Senate District 20, with Heidi Campbell (politician) as
1054-619: The Civil War, he held 136 enslaved African Americans. In 1853 he incorporated his father's house into a much larger mansion. William Giles Harding would marry Elizabeth McGavock of Carnton ; they had two daughters who survived to adulthood named Selene and Mary. With the onset of the Civil War in 1861, Harding had to suspend his racing and breeding operations. As a staunch supporter of the Confederate States of America , he donated $ 20,000 of his own money, and raised $ 500,000 total to
1116-682: The Metro government and to the City of Belle Meade. Belle Meade streets have distinct signage, and the city has its own police force, mayor, and city hall. Many houses in the city have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since July 7, 2004. The vast majority of the Belle Meade area is designated as ZIP code 37205. A few homes are in ZIP code 37215. Rusty Moore is the current mayor. His term expires in November 2026. According to
1178-611: The Nashville Jockey Club (an association of thoroughbred owners). He trained horses on the track at his farm at McSpadden's Bend, which he bought for his son William. William Giles Harding first worked the McSpadden Bend property along the Cumberland River . He inherited Belle Meade in 1839. During the following decades he acquired additional property to total 5,400-acre (22 km); by the time of
1240-518: The National Register of Historic Places. Colonel Luke Lea and his second wife, Percie Warner, donated almost 900 acres of land – a large portion of which came from the former Belle Meade Plantation – to establish the park in 1927. Margaret Warner, the widow of Percy Warner, donated the funds to erect the sandstone gates and stone eagles that have marked the entrance of Percy Warner Park since 1932. The limestone staircase known as The Allee
1302-582: The South ); and David Shepherd bought Belle Mead Company. They began the development of Belle Meade's main streets, including Jackson Boulevard and Belle Meade Boulevard. Meanwhile, Johnson Bransford built Deer Park, Berkley Hills, Reservoir Hill, and the Belle Meade Golf Links. Belle Meade was absorbed into the metropolitan government of Nashville-Davidson County in 1963, but it retained its independent city status. Residents pay taxes both to
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#17327982514871364-645: The Southern states. These include bronze, black and red varieties and consist of common grapes and patented grapes. Unlike most cultivated grapevines, many muscadine cultivars are pistillate , requiring a pollenizer to set fruit. A few, such as 'Carlos' and 'Noble', are perfect-flowered , produce fruit with their own pollen, and may also pollinate pistillate cultivars. Muscadine grape cultivars may have low or inconsistent yields, small berries, flavor and thick skin unsuitable to consumer acceptance, and disease susceptibility. Cultivars tend to be developed either for
1426-505: The Tennessee Supreme Court Frank Drowota ; co-founder and former CEO of Hospital Corporation of America Thomas F. Frist, Jr. ; Frist's son, investor Thomas F. Frist, III ; convicted cocaine smuggler Russell W. Brothers ; fast food business executive C. Stephen Lynn ; and chairman and CEO of Ingram Content Group John R. Ingram . Muscadine Vitis rotundifolia , or muscadine ,
1488-499: The U.S. Census Bureau, the median income for a household in Belle Meade was $ 195,208, and the median income for a family was $ 228,472. Males had a median income of $ 209,063 versus $ 100,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 129,928, which is the highest in the state and among the highest in the nation. About 4.4% of families and 4.3% of the population were living below the poverty line , including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over. According to
1550-626: The U.S. Wing Shot Championship in October, 1998. Celebrity exhibition marksman, Annie Oakley , visited the Belle Meade Gun Club on October 26, 1899, as a special guest in a shooting competition. William Hicks Jackson died in 1903, and his adult son, William Harding Jackson, died later the same year from Typhoid fever . Due to financial problems since the Panic of 1893 combined with the advent of baseball, which meant that horse racing
1612-654: The University of Florida, the cultivar, 'Southern Home', contains both subgenera Muscadinia and Euvitis (more precisely, V. rotundifolia × V. vinifera ) in its background. Crops can be started in 3–5 years. Commercial yields of 20–45 tonnes per hectare (8–18 tons per acre) are possible. Muscadines grow best in fertile sandy loam and alluvial soils. They grow wild in well-drained bottom lands that are not subject to extended drought or waterlogging. They are also resistant to pests and diseases, including Pierce's disease , which can destroy other grape species. Muscadine
1674-413: The age of 18 living with them, 77.2% were married couples living together, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 0.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 18.8% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71, and the average family size was 3.08. In
1736-503: The attraction hosts world-renowned art exhibits, festivals, and family events throughout the year. Belle Meade Country Club – This members-only club is home to an 18-hole, par 72, 6,885-yard golf course and various other amenities, including tennis courts and a pool. Use of the club requires membership – a lengthy and challenging process – or entering as a guest with a member. Originally designed by architect Donald J. Ross and later renovated by architects Rees Jones and Bryce Swanson,
1798-403: The chief administrative officer. Five commissioners are elected by the residents and serve four-year terms. Those commissioners then elect two members to serve as mayor and vice-mayor for shorter terms of two years. The current mayor of Belle Meade is Rusty Moore, and the vice-mayor is Haley Dale. The three other commissioners include: According to the annual audit report ending June 30, 2017,
1860-399: The city, the population was spread out, with 30.9% under the age of 20, 1.8% from 20 to 24, 13.4% from 25 to 44, 35.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males. According to 2012–2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates conducted by
1922-487: The city. The racial makeup of the city was 98.2% White , 0.2% African American , 0.1% Native American , 0.8% Asian , 0.2% from other races , and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race accounted for 0.8% of the population. The population density was 944.2 inhabitants per square mile (364.6/km ). There were 1,162 housing units at an average density of 376.8 per square mile (145.5/km ). There were 1,074 households, out of which 37.7% had children under
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1984-459: The community in addition to routine policing. Those services include a neighborhood watch program, fingerprinting, prescription drug collection, house check service when owners are out of town, and hiring of off-duty officers for special events. Belle Meade residents include former U.S. vice president and 2000 presidential candidate Al Gore ; entertainers Vince Gill and Amy Grant ; Pulitzer Prize winning author Jon Meacham ; Chief Justice of
2046-924: The costs of the Confederate States Army . In return he was made a Brigadier General and placed in charge of the Nashville Munitions Factory. After Union forces took control of Nashville in April 1862, Harding was arrested. He was sent North and imprisoned in Fort Mackinac in Michigan for six months before paying a $ 20,000 bond and signing the oath of allegiance to the United States before being released under house arrest at Belle Meade. Confederate General James Chalmers occupied Belle Meade as his headquarters during
2108-538: The course has Bermuda grass fairways and bent grass greens and was rated by Golf Digest as a top Tennessee course in 2005–2006. Percy Warner Golf Course – This golf course is located in the northeastern corner of Percy Warner Park at the southwestern edge of Belle Meade. It is a 9-hole, par 34, 2,600-yard course with tree-lined fairways. The course uses a first-come, first-served, open play concept, and greens and rental cart fees are modest. Rental clubs and pull carts are also available, and private carts are allowed for
2170-810: The current state senator for the district. At the national level, Belle Meade is in Congressional District 5 in Tennessee, and Andy Ogles is the current representative for the district. Belle Meade is part of the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools District . No public schools are located inside the city's boundaries, but various public schools are located nearby, including Julia Green Elementary (grades K-4), H.G. Hill Middle School (grades 5–8), and Hillwood Comp High School (grades 9–12). Additionally, several private schools are located very near
2232-515: The deer from the fenced park. In 1938, most of Belle Meade's former acreage was incorporated into the independent city of Belle Meade, Tennessee . The Mansion and 30 acres (12 ha) were preserved by private owners. Five other families would live in the home until 1953, when the State of Tennessee bought the Mansion and eight outbuildings on the property to ensure its preservation. The state deeded
2294-521: The estate gain international recognition for its horses. In 1906, debt forced the Harding family to sell Belle Meade. Belle Meade Land Company built the first road and in 1938 developed the neighborhood that established the City of Belle Meade. The mansion was converted into a museum. On December 30, 1969, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The city of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km ) takes its name from Belle Meade Plantation , which once encompassed 5,300 acres (2,100 ha). It
2356-722: The first red brick Federal-style house on a small hill near Richland Creek . The entrance façade featured a two-story, five-bay block constructed on a limestone foundation and flanked with symmetrical one-story wings. Chimneys flanked the central block as well as the two hyphens (wings). His son William Giles Harding took over operating Belle Meade in 1839, as his father was developing another farm in Arkansas. William G. Harding began to acquire more land for breeding and raising high-quality livestock, first emphasizing thoroughbred horses and adding cattle, sheep, and other breeds. He ultimately owned 5,400 acres (2,200 ha). In 1853, he had
2418-678: The general counsel of the Illinois Central Railroad . He later served as the United States Secretary of War from 1909 to 1911. In 1906 he co-founded the Belle Meade Land Company with J. M. Overton, Stuyvesant Fish , James Theodore Harahan , and J. C. Welling. They hired Ossian Cole Simonds to design the community. In 1910 Luke Lea , publisher of The Tennessean ; Telfair Hodgson Jr. (the treasurer of Sewanee: The University of
2480-438: The history and culture of the area. The plantation is home to a number of historical buildings, including Dunham Station's cabin and a Victorian-style manor that houses a museum filled with artifacts that once belonged to the Harding family. Cheekwood Estate and Gardens – now a 55-acre botanical garden and museum of art – is the former home of Leslie and Mabel Cheek. Located just outside the southwestern boundary of Belle Meade,
2542-417: The home of Parmer School, which burned in the 1980s, this park consists of open green space, basketball courts, playground equipment, and a baseball field. The entrance of the former school still stands in the middle of the park. The form of government for the City of Belle Meade is a city manager-commissioner structure. Policy is made and carried out by a board of commissioners, and the city manager serves as
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2604-566: The horses by train to Long Island, New York. The two men developed Belle Meade into a nationally renowned thoroughbred farm and showplace for high-quality livestock. The farm also sold breeding stock of ponies, Alderney cattle, Cotswold sheep, and Cashmere goats. The estate also featured a 500-acre deer park. Belle Meade had many successful thoroughbred studs, including Bonnie Scotland and Enquirer, whose bloodlines long dominated racing in America. Jackson attracted international fame in 1886 by buying
2666-463: The house altered and enlarged in a Greek-Revival style. Stucco was applied to cover the red bricks, and a two-story veranda was created on the central block, featuring six solid limestone pillars quarried at Belle Meade and styled in the Doric order. A solid limestone pediment entablature is set above the columns. A two-story kitchen extension was attached to the house via a two-level breezeway. This
2728-434: The house from west to east, following the prevailing wind direction for natural cooling. The walls display thoroughbred horse paintings by 19th-century painters Edward Troye , Harry Hall , Henry Stull, Herbert Kittredge, and Henri De Lattre that depict some of the most famous horses. On the north end of the hall, double parlors feature wood of the tulip poplar , Tennessee's state tree. The library and dining rooms are found to
2790-463: The interior of the house in 1883, adding three full bathrooms, complete with hot and cold running water. In 1907, just after being sold, the home was outfitted with an additional bathroom complete with a surrounding needlepoint shower which was believed to help circulation and those suffering from arthritis. The third level is known as a Garret and has two single rooms flanking the central hall with 8 feet (2.4 m) high ceilings. The Mansion also has
2852-404: The largest in the South. As much as 20,000 pounds (9 t) of pork was recorded as smoked here annually. Other buildings that were added later by William G. Harding and his Harding-Jackson descendants include: an 1870s Children's Playhouse that was used by the Harding children, the 1884 Dairy that supplied fresh milk, cream, cheese, and produced up to 240 pounds (110 kg) of butter each week,
2914-467: The management has made an effort to reconcile the past by featuring stories of African Americans who worked there before and after emancipation. John Harding bought a cabin and 250 acres (100 ha) near the Natchez Trace; enslaved people began to clear and develop the land. They also built their own slave quarters, which are documented as two-family cabins. In the 1820s Harding commissioned
2976-494: The marriage if the couple agreed to live at Belle Meade following their wedding. Selene managed the household affairs, and Jackson co-managed the farm with his father-in-law Harding. Among their children were son William Harding Jackson (1874–1903), Eunice Jackson Marks, and Selene Jackson Elliston. In 1875, Harding and Jackson decided to retire the racing silks and focus exclusively on breeding. Harding held annual yearling sales, sometimes at Belle Meade, and on some occasions taking
3038-632: The native southern grape, the muscadine , and blackberry fruit. Additionally, the onsite restaurant, the Belle Meade Meat and Three, offers smoked meats, fresh cooked vegetables, biscuits, cornbread and homemade desserts. The landscape and drainage was designed by Ossian Cole Simonds in the 1910s. His design emphasized the landscape's topography and created the first pocket parks in Nashville. In 1807, Virginian John Harding bought Dunham's Station log cabin and 250 acres (100 ha) on
3100-692: The perimeter, including Harding Academy, Harpeth Hall School , Montgomery Bell Academy , and The Ensworth School . Several colleges and universities are located within a few miles of Belle Meade, including Vanderbilt University , Nashville State Community College , Tennessee College of Applied Technology , and Aquinas College . Belle Meade has its own Public Works Department offering trash pickup; recycling service for paper, boxes, some plastics, and metal and aluminum cans; and brush and chipper services for lawn and landscaping debris. The city also maintains its own pressure sewer system. The city maintains its own police department and offers various services to
3162-509: The property though some would continue to live in cabins on site. Everyone who remained as paid staff had to sign a contract of "18 Rules & Regulations" that included fines for breaking any of them. In 1868, Harding's eldest daughter Selene married William Hicks Jackson , a friend of the family from before the Civil War. He had served in the Confederate Army, reaching the rank of Brigadier General. William Guiles Harding agreed to
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#17327982514873224-471: The property to the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities. It is operated as an attraction, museum, winery and onsite restaurant. In the 1970s, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Belle Meade, Tennessee Belle Meade is a city in Davidson County, Tennessee . Its total land area is 3.1 square miles (8.0 km ), and its population was 2,901 at
3286-407: The same report, the top three occupations in Belle Meade were Management (28.2%), Sales (16.7%), and Health Practitioners (13.3%). Notable occupations in smaller numbers included Legal (7.7%), Arts and Recreation (6.3%), Business and Financial (7.8%), and Education, Training, and Library (6.2%). Built in the 1820s by John Harding, Belle Meade Plantation is a primary attraction for those interested in
3348-475: The south. These rooms feature portraits of the Harding family and chandeliers that were once lit with methane gas. The central hall configuration is found on the second and third floors as well, accessed by the winding cantilevered, Second Empire-style staircase carved from cherry. The second floor contains two connected bedrooms to the north and a guest bedroom and master bedroom to the south. William Hicks Jackson , son-in-law of William Giles Harding, modernized
3410-631: The species is divided into three varieties, Vitis rotundifolia Michx. var. rotundifolia (southeast USA), Vitis rotundifolia Michx. var. munsoniana (Florida), and Vitis rotundifolia Michx. var. popenoei (Central America). Some taxonomists have suggested giving the muscadines standing as a separate genus. It has also been suggested that the muscadine varieties be upgraded to species rank and so splitting off Vitis munsoniana and Vitis popenoei from Vitis rotundifolia . All muscadines have 40 chromosomes, rather than 38, are generally not cross-compatible with Euvitis subgenus, and most hybrids between
3472-584: The stallion Iroquois to stand at stud; the horse was ranked in 1892 as the leading sire in the United States. In 1881, Iroquois was the first American-bred Thoroughbred to win the Epsom Derby in England. Jackson enjoyed the sport of live bird wing shooting . He donated a parcel of land on the estate to build a shooting lodge, and founded the Belle Meade Gun Club in 1898. The club hosted
3534-478: The subgenera are sterile. A few are moderately fertile, and have been used in breeding. A commercially available Euvitis × Muscadinia hybrid is the Southern Home cultivar. Although muscadines are hearty grapes with tough skin that protects them from many plant diseases , these grapes nonetheless appear to be susceptible to parasitic nematodes . There are about 152 muscadine cultivars grown in
3596-401: The time of the 2020 census . Belle Meade operates independently as a city, complete with its own regulations, a city hall, and police force, but it is also integrated with the Nashville government. Developed in part on the territory of the former Belle Meade plantations, residential areas are suburban with tree-lined streets and wooded areas. The median annual income of Belle Meade residents
3658-411: Was customary to keep the heat of the kitchen away from the main house. The breezeway was enclosed in the 20th century by successive families living at Belle Meade. Through the 1880s and 1890s a Dairy, Carriage House , and Stable were also added. William G. Harding had a mausoleum built in 1839 for the interment of family members. The 14 feet (4.3 m) high central Entrance Hall runs the full length of
3720-432: Was designed by landscape architect Bryant Fleming and built in the mid-1930s to mark the entrance to Percy Warner Park at Belle Meade Boulevard. Other historical sites in the park include 10 pre-Civil War cemeteries and a World War I memorial that honors Camp Andrew Jackson, a WWI army training site previously located at the site of Percy Warner Golf Course. Parmer Park – Located on a section of land that used to be
3782-650: Was founded by planter John Harding and inherited at 1,200 acres by his son, William Giles Harding . Before the Civil War, the younger Harding more than doubled the property and built a new mansion, with the labor of the 136 enslaved African people. His descendants founded the Belle Meade Country Club here in 1901. Because of debt, the trustee of the Belle Meade Estate sold the mansion and 2,200 acres in May 1906 to Jacob McGavock Dickinson ,
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#17327982514873844-416: Was no longer the top American sport, and the temperance movement against horse racing and associated gambling, the trustee of the estate decided to sell Belle Meade in 1906. A business syndicate called The Belle Meade Land Company purchased a large portion of the Belle Meade acreage to develop a residential community that would also be called "Belle Meade". After raising private donations, the company released
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