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34-586: 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

68-485: 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

102-567: 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

136-596: 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

170-668: 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

204-808: 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

238-614: 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

272-668: 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

306-482: 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

340-476: 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,

374-619: 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

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408-611: 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

442-645: 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

476-626: 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

510-654: 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

544-924: 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

578-515: 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

612-722: 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

646-566: 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

680-463: 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

714-434: 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

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748-463: 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

782-456: 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,

816-467: 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

850-494: 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

884-632: 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

918-509: 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

952-697: 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 Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 217166290 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:57:54 GMT Muscadine Vitis rotundifolia , or muscadine ,

986-475: 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

1020-631: 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

1054-584: 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

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1088-478: 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

1122-411: 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

1156-476: 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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