Fairvue

Plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

was created as an

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern US ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum architectu ...

plantation near

Gallatin, Tennessee Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 30,278 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census and 44,431 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Named for United States Secre ...

Isaac Franklin Isaac Franklin (May 26, 1789 – April 27, 1846) was an American slave trader and plantation owner. Born to wealthy planters in what would become Sumner County, Tennessee, he assisted his brothers in trading slaves and agricultural surplus alon ...

. After the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, it was turned into a horse farm by Charles Reed, and was later purchased and restored by the Wemyss family. By 2004 it had been transformed into a golf course community of luxury homes with various buildings from its past restored.

Antebellum History

Fairvue Plantation was created in 1832 by

(1789–1846). In 1836 after a

career A career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work (human activity), work and other aspects of personal life, life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ...

as a partner in the largest

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

-trading firm in the southern United States -

Franklin and Armfield The Franklin and Armfield Office, which houses the Freedom House Museum, is a historic commercial building in Alexandria, Virginia ( until 1846, the District of Columbia). Built c. 1810–1820, it was first used as a private residence before be ...

- prior to the

, Franklin transitioned to a career as a wealthy planter. Franklin and his family divided their time between his 2,000 acre Fairvue Plantation near Gallatin, Tennessee in the summer and his

West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana West Feliciana Parish (French: ''Paroisse de Feliciana Ouest''; Spanish: ''Parroquia de Feliciana Occidental'') is a civil parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,310. The parish seat is St. F ...

estate of several adjoining plantations, known as the Angola Plantations, in the winter. Franklin's 1847 estate inventory listed 138

enslaved Africans Slavery has historically been widespread in Africa. Systems of servitude and slavery were once commonplace in parts of Africa, as they were in much of the rest of the Ancient history, ancient and Post-classical history, medieval world. When t ...

on Fairvue Plantation. The inventory also listed 276 sheep, 500 hogs, 65 head of cattle and 16 blooded racehorses. Fairvue's main purpose, rather than growing cotton or tobacco, was to supply his Louisiana plantations with corn, mules, bacon and other commodities. Franklin often shipped corn from Fairvue to his

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

estate; however, it wasn't enough. Under Franklin's ownership the approximately 8,000 acre Louisiana estate was made up of the adjoining plantations of Angola, Bellevue, Killarney, Loango, Panola, and Lochlomond. When the Franklins were in Louisiana, they stayed in a large residence on Angola Plantation. Angola Plantation was on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

; and it operated mainly as a

woodlot A woodlot is a parcel of a woodland or forest capable of small-scale production of forest products (such as wood fuel, sap for maple syrup, sawlogs, and pulpwood) as well as recreational uses like bird watching, bushwalking, and wildflower appre ...

, making it's profits from the sale of wood that

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

s on the river needed for fuel. His other Louisiana plantations were cotton plantations. At Isaac's 1846 death, Isaac's will put some of his assets into trusts for his children (all of whom died in childhood), and Adelicia was provided for until she remarried. She remarried in 1849 to Joseph Alexander Smith Acklen. Isaac's will stipulated that Fairvue was supposed to become a school that was endowed by the Louisiana plantations at some point. After marrying Joseph, Adelicia went to court and got the will declared void. She, thus, at least acquired the Louisiana plantations, but Fairvue stayed in Isaac's estate with John Armfield as executor. Without the income from the Louisiana plantations, the school never formed. Even without Fairvue, Adilicia's inheritance from Isaac's estate made her the wealthiest woman in Tennessee. The estate was valued at approximately $750,000. It included: * 2,000 acre Fairvue real estate worth $40,000 * Personal property at Fairvue Plantation worth $62,819, which included 138 enslaved Africans on Fairvue worth $51,931 of the $62,819 * 50,000 acres in Texas worth $25,000 * The Louisiana estate valued at approximately $570,000, which included seven plantations and land in Mississippi A Home on the Mississippi

Joseph increased the fortune. In Louisiana the couple eventually had 659

working on the 4,000 improved acres of the approximately 8,000 acre Louisiana estate, which produced 3,149 bales of cotton in 1859. Adilicia changed her summer residence from Fairvue Plantation to her newly created Belmont Mansion and estate near

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. Adelicia's second husband Joseph Acklen died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

at Angola Plantation in 1863. In 1863 Adelicia's husband had died, her cotton crops from 1861 and 1862 at her Louisiana plantations were still in storage in Louisiana. The

had all left because the

allowed them to be free, and the 1863 cotton crop was rotting in the fields. Thus, in 1864 Adelicia travelled to Louisiana to try to save her cotton. By convincing the

Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

that she would use her money from the sale of her cotton to help them, she persuaded the Confederates to help her get her cotton to New Orleans. In New Orleans, she convinced the Union soldiers that she would use her cotton money to help them, so they opened the naval blockade for her cotton to be sold in Britain. She travelled to Britain and got the approximately $800,000 proceeds from the sale of her 2,800 bales of cotton herself, so that she could keep either army from getting the money. This left her once again a very rich woman, in spite of the wealth she lost when her approximately 659 enslaved Africans were set free by the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...

American Civil War and postbellum history

In 1869, Adelicia bought Fairvue from John Armfield - executor of Franklin's estate. Adelicia, who in 1867 married for a third and final time to Dr. William A. Cheatham, separated from him in 1880; and sold her Louisiana plantations for $100,000, moving to Washington D.C. where she died in 1887. These plantations eventually became the

Louisiana State Penitentiary The Louisiana State Penitentiary (known as Angola, and nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the South", "The Angola Plantation" and "The Farm"Sutton, Keith "Catfish".Out There: Angola angling. ''ESPN Outdoors''. May 31, 2006. Retrieved on August 25, 2010. ...

known as Angola. In approximately 1882, New York banker and Racehorse enthusiast Charles Reed purchased the 2,000 acre Fairvue Plantation for $50,000 from Adelicia. Reed had changed his last name from Weed to Reed, because his New York family disowned him for running Confederate ships between New Orleans and England. Reed transformen Fairvue Plantation into a race horse breeding farm. Reed had many famous race horses at Fairvue. He sold his horses in about 1900 because he realized that he was overspending on them. For example, Reed had bought the English Derby winner St. Blaise for $100,000 in 1882. He sold Fairvue in 1908 to a syndicate who subdivided it's 2,000 acres into smaller farms. For 20 years after 1908, Fairvue had a succession of owners. Then in 1929 the plantation was purchased by the Sumner Land Company. It became the headquarters of Grasslands Hunt and Racing Club - a sixty to eighty farm fox hunting and steeplechase club between Hendersonville and Gallatin. Plans were made to restore the mansion and remaining estate, developing it into a recreation area for riding, Hunting and fishing. The

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

prevented this restoration of Fairvue. In 1932 the Sumner Land Company declared bankruptcy. In 1934, after about 20 years of neglect, William Wemyss bought Fairvue Plantation. Wemyss was the founder of the company that became

Genesco Genesco Inc. is an American publicly owned specialty retailer of branded footwear and accessories and is a wholesaler of branded and licensed footwear based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded back in 1924 as ''Jarman Shoe Company'', a footwear ma ...

. William married Ellen Stokes Moore in 1939. She restored Fairvue. In 1956, three hundred and twenty acres of Fairvue Farms was flooded when Old Hickory Dam was built on the Cumberland River. This left the mansion on a peninsula. Fairvue was named a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1977. Five Hundred and fifty acres was the size of the Fairvue Plantation historic landmark. It included the mansion, three slave quarters, the overseer's house, spring house, ice house and the ruins of Isaac Franklin's burial vault. The remaining Fairvue Plantation site, was bought by developers in about 1999. They developed the site into a luxury golf community with over 400 homes, which opened in 2004. Thus, in 2005 the historic site's landmark status was withdrawn due to development that had damaged its historic integrity.

Gallery

File:Acklen - Panola Belle View Killarney Angola plantations Louisiana 1858.jpg, Map of some of Isaac Franklin's and later Adelicia Acklen's plantations in Louisiana in 1858 File:Fairvue Plantation Historic Marker Isaac Franklin.jpg, Fairvue Plantation Historic Marker Isaac Franklin File:Fairvue Plantation Historic Marker; Ellen Stokes More Wemyss; Gallatin, Tennessee.jpg, Fairvue Plantation Historic Marker; Ellen Stokes More Wemyss; Gallatin, Tennessee File:Fairvue Plantation Historic Marker Fairvue Mansion Gallatin Tennessee.jpg, Fairvue Plantation Mansion; Gallatin, Tennessee File:STAIRHALL, FIRST FLOOR, FROM WEST. NOTE BRASS NEWELL (probably an original feature of house) - Fairvue, U.S. Highway 31-E, Gallatin, Sumner County, TN HABS TENN,83-GAL.V,1-21.tif, STAIRHALL, FIRST FLOOR, FROM WEST. NOTE BRASS NEWELL (probably an original feature of house) - Fairvue, U.S. Highway 31-E, Gallatin, Sumner County, TN HABS TENN,83-GAL.V,1-21 File:DOUBLE PARLORS, NORTH SIDE OF FIRST FLOOR FROM WEST. NOTE INTERIOR TRIM - Fairvue, U.S. Highway 31-E, Gallatin, Sumner County, TN HABS TENN,83-GAL.V,1-22.tif, DOUBLE PARLORS, NORTH SIDE OF FIRST FLOOR FROM WEST. NOTE INTERIOR TRIM - Fairvue, U.S. Highway 31-E, Gallatin, Sumner County, TN HABS TENN,83-GAL.V,1-22 File:GENERAL VIEW OF WELLHOUSE, FROM NORTH - Fairvue, Wellhouse, U.S. Highway 31-E, Gallatin, Sumner County, TN HABS TENN,83-GAL.V,1A-2.tif, GENERAL VIEW OF ICEHOUSE, FROM NORTH - Fairvue, icehouse, U.S. Highway 31-E, Gallatin, Sumner County, TN HABS TENN,83-GAL.V,1A-2 File:Fairvue Plantation; restored well house; Gallatin, Tennessee.jpg, Fairvue Plantation; restored icehouse; Gallatin, Tennessee File:Fairvue Plantation Historic Marker Living Quarters Gallatin Tennessee.jpg, Fairvue Plantation Historic Marker; Overseer's House; Gallatin, Tennessee File:Fairvue Plantation; restored living quarters; Gallatin, Tennessee.jpg, Fairvue Plantation; restored

slave quarters Slave quarters were buildings or districts where enslaved people were housed. Slave quarters may refer to: * Barracoon, temporary holding quarters for the transatlantic slave trade * , housing for enslaved people in colonial Brazil Colonial Bra ...

; Gallatin, Tennessee File:Fairvue Plantation; restored spring house; Gallatin, Tennessee.jpg, Fairvue Plantation; restored spring house; Gallatin, Tennessee File:Fairvue Plantation Historic Marker; Blacksmith Shop; Gallatin, Tennessee.jpg, Fairvue Plantation Historic Marker;

Blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

Shop; Gallatin, Tennessee File:Fairvue Plantation; restored blacksmith shop; Gallatin, Tennessee.jpg, Fairvue Plantation; restored

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

shop; Gallatin, Tennessee File:Fairvue Plantation; porch of restored blacksmith shop; Gallatin, Tennessee.jpg, Fairvue Plantation; porch of restored blacksmith shop; Gallatin, Tennessee File:Fairvue Plantation Historic Marker; Mare Barns; Gallatin, Tennessee.jpg, Fairvue Plantation Historic Marker; Mare Barns; Gallatin, Tennessee File:GENERAL VIEW OF STALLION BARNS (built in late 19th century) FROM SOUTH - Fairvue, Stallion Barns, U.S. Highway 31-E, Gallatin, Sumner County, TN HABS TENN,83-GAL.V,1B-1.tif, GENERAL VIEW OF MARE BARNS (built in late 19th century) FROM SOUTH - Fairvue, Mare Barns, U.S. Highway 31-E, Gallatin, Sumner County, TN HABS TENN,83-GAL.V,1B-1 File:Fairvue Plantation Mare Barn; Gallatin, Tennessee.jpg, Fairvue Plantation, restored Mare Barn; Gallatin, Tennessee, File:Fairvue Plantation; restored stables; Gallatin, Tennessee.jpg, Fairvue Plantation; restored stables; Gallatin, Tennessee

References

External links

{{commons category-inline Former National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee Former National Historic Landmarks of the United States Franklin & Armfield Gallatin, Tennessee Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee Horse racing in the United States Houses in Sumner County, Tennessee Houses completed in 1832 Landmarks in Tennessee National Register of Historic Places in Sumner County, Tennessee Plantation houses in Tennessee 1832 establishments in Tennessee

Antebellum History

American Civil War and postbellum history

Gallery

See also

References

External links