Ravenwood High School Nashville Tennessee

Ravenwood High School Nashville Tennessee

Ravenwood High School Nashville Tennessee

Posted on: January 26, 2012 - 7:40 pm
by Admin

Situated on the sprawling campus of Belmont University in Nashville, the Belmont Mansion is Tennessee’s largest house museum and one of the few 19th century homes with a history centered on woman. And quite a woman, she was. Widowed twice and losing six of her 10 children, Adelecia developed a steely resolve and a business acumen that would rival any Scarlett O’Hara or Donald Trump. Her story remains an inspiration, and her storied home remains a top tourist draw for Nashville.

History of Adelecia and Belmont Mansion

Born to a prominent Nashville family in 1817, Adelecia dreamed of marrying her teenage sweetheart and was devastated when he died before their wedding date. At 22, she married Isaac Franklin, a wealthy planter 28 years her senior, and bore him four children, all of whom died before age 12. Franklin died seven years into their marriage, leaving Adelecia an enviable inheritance that included 8,800 acres of Louisiana cotton plantation land; 50,000 acres in Texas; a 2,000-acre Tennessee farm called Fairvue; stocks, bonds and 750 slaves.

Three years later, Adelecia married Alabama attorney Joseph Acklen. The couple soon began construction of Belmont, then spelled “Belle Monte,” French for “beautiful hill.” Completed in 1853, the estate was reminiscent of an Italian villa, surrounded by elaborate gardens and; a large greenhouse and conservatory; art gallery; gazebos; a bowling alley; and a zoo and bear house. Six years later, an architect hired to remodel the home enclosed the back porch to create the Grand Salon, which architectural historians consider the most elaborate domestic space in antebellum Tennessee. The 36-room home was resplendent with fine furnishings and an impressive art collection. Adelecia opened the estate to the public, as Nashville lacked a public park at the time.