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History
Along the Trail (Link to Map of Trail)
"It was the fertile
land that brought them. First
came the nomadic, archaic Indians, then the more settled Woodland Indians
and later the Creeks, Chickasaws and Cherokees who revered this land as
sacred hunting ground. In
1779, the James Robertson Transylvania Company led a band of settlers
across the frozen Cumberland River to French Lick, or Nashville, as it
became known. Within
a year, Robertson was followed by John Donelson, who floated down the
Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers with another group of adventurers looking
for a better life. What
they found along the way were Indian attacks, white water rapids, and
other hardships. Upon
their arrival, the Donelson party found the newly constructed fort named
Nashborough. Tales
of rich land and fertile valleys for the taking fueled the western expansion
fever. The
Indian lands of Middle Tennessee were never the same after the land rush
began. One
of the first acts was to free this newly won land from under control of
North Carolina. After
several false starts, Tennessee became the 16th state in the Union on
June 1, 1796.
"In the late 18th century,
settlers began discovering and settling the rich lands south of Nashborough
in what is now known as Brentwood. By
the turn of the century, thousands more would follow. On
October 26, 1799, Williamson County, named for General Hugh Williamson
of North Carolina, was formed by an act of the Tennessee Legislature.
The town
of Franklin was created by the same act and laid out on the land of Abram
Maury. Further
south was still Indian land, and it was not until the Dearborne Treaty
of 1806 that the land south of the Duck River could be settled. Knoxville
was the capital of Tennessee, and John Sevier was governor when Maury
County was created by the Tennessee Legislature on November 24, 1807.
"The county was named
for the same pioneer surveyor, Abram Maury, that laid out Williamson County.
Much of
Williamson and Maury Counties was settled by Revolutionary War soldiers
who came to take up land grants as compensation for their services. Descendants
of these soldiers continued the patriotic spirit their forefathers established.
It is said
that every single able-bodied man of enlistment age in the 15th District
of Williamson County volunteered for the Mexican War. This war primarily
resulted from President James K. Polk's attempt to annex Texas. This
native Maury Countian hoped his aggressive expansion of the nation would
extend from 'sea to sea.'
"Davidson County's
own General and President Andrew Jackson frequented what would be today's
Antebellum Trail on an ongoing basis. One
of his most famous journeys led him down this trail on the Natchez Trace
to the destination that would launch him to the presidency: the
Battle of New Orleans. The
Natchez Trace had seen many such adventurers travel this route before.
The Trace
also witnessed shady characters preying on the gold-laden rivermen and
businessmen returning up river by land. The
rich soils helped spur the wealth that launched the plantation era. Middle
Tennessee became one of the richest areas of the state. As
wealth was accumulated, crude log cabins in an untamed wilderness evolved
into splendid plantation homes on thousand-acre tracts. Slaves
were needed to turn this raw land into cotton, corn, and livestock centers.
It seemed
as though this rich earth would keep producing wealth as easily as it
did crops, but that was not to be. The
world that built this grand plantation society tumbled with the onslaught
of the Civil War. The
passing of time has altered lifestyles and landscapes, but visitors can
still glimpse a time gone by--a time when cotton was king and the southern
belle was queen along the Antebellum Trail.
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Historic
Sites Along the Trail
Athenaeum
Rectory (931/381-4822) Belle
Meade Plantation
(615/356-0501): "Presents
a remarkable 200 years of Tennessee history and architecture. World
renowned as a 19th century Thoroughbred farm, the 30-acre site includes
eight historic buildings, from a 1792 log cabin to a colossal carriage
house and stable that houses an antique carriage collection. Belmont
Mansion (615/460-5459): "Completed
in 1852 by Joseph and Adelicia
Acklen, Belmont
Mansion is recognized as one of the most elaborate and unusual homes in
the South. The
lavish furnishings, art, and statuary are an exemplary early Victorian
collection. The
Grand Salon, with its regal staircase, is considered the most elaborate
domestic room built in antebellum Tennessee. Today,
Belmont Mansion is the largest historic house museum in Tennessee. However,
Belmont is far more than a beautiful house. It's
the incredible story of a woman. The
beautiful and wealthy Adelicia secretly conspired with both the Confederate
and Union forces to emerge from the Civil War with her fortune intact.
She prevailed
through the deaths of a fiancé, two husbands and six of her ten children,
while managing one of the largest fortunes in America. Carnton
Plantation (615/794-0903): "Built
in 1826 by Randal McGavock shortly after his term as mayor of Nashville,
this late Neo-classical plantation house was the scene of important social
and political gatherings. Frequent visitors included Andrew Jackson, James
K. Polk, and Sam Houston. After
Randal's death, his son, Col. John McGavock, and John's wife, Carrie Winder
McGavock, updated the mansion to a more Greek Revival style with the addition
of a massive two-storied veranda across the back of the house. They
also changed the interior with stunning French wallpapers and bold colors.
On the evening of November 30, 1864, Carnton's doors were opened to the
wounded and dying soldiers after the costly five-hour Battle of Franklin.
The bodies
of four Confederate generals were brought to the back porch of Carnton
while hundreds of their injured and dying troops sought comfort and shelter
inside the great house. By
morning, an estimated 150 more died under Carnton's roof. This
had been the last decisive battle of the war. In 1866, the McGavocks designated
two acres adjacent to their family cemetery for the interment of nearly
1,500 Southern dead killed at Franklin. President
Polk's Home (931/388-2354): "The
only surviving home of our eleventh president (other than the White House),
the Federal-style residence was built by James
K. Polk's father, Samuel, in 1816. The
future president began his legal and political career while living here
with his parents. Today,
the home displays original family furnishings, White House artifacts,
political memorabilia, and personal belongings of President and Mrs. Polk.
The adjacent
Sisters' House museum describes James K. Polk's accomplishments, including
his successful effort to extend the nation's boundary to the Pacific Ocean.
Rippavilla
Plantation (931/486-9037) Travellers
Rest (615/832-8197): "The
historic home of John Overton, one of Tennessee's first Supreme Court
justices, has been welcoming visitors to Nashville since the late 18th
century. Today,
the plantation is an exciting and active history museum that interprets
the city's historic past, from the early frontier, to Jacksonian America,
through the Civil War. Overton,
who died in 1833, played a significant role in the political and economic
development of the state. During
his early years as a judge, he was instrumental in shaping the state's
legal system and was once called the architect of the plan to elect Andrew
Jackson, his close personal friend, as president. Overton
is also known as the 'Father of Memphis,' a venture he, Jackson, and James
Winchester developed in the late 1810s. During
the Civil War, the house served as headquarters for the Army of Tennessee
for two weeks prior to the 1864 Battle of Nashville. Once
a working plantation of more than 2,300 acres, Travellers Rest is, today,
the place where Nashville's historic past has a home."
(Text
used by permission of the Antebellum Trail Organization.) |