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With its sweeping views of Old Hickory Lake, original wood floors and fireplaces in every room, it’s little wonder why The New York Times once noted Fairvue mansion was “thought to be the most splendid house in Tennessee.”
The magnificent home, built in 1832 by one the South’s most successful slave traders from the antebellum period, is for sale at $6.9 million.
“It’s been an amazing privilege to live here,” said owner Linda Moore. “When I look at the house and I think about how beautiful it is and its history, it’s surreal; and then at the same time it’s just home.”
If Fairvue’s walls could talk what stories they would tell.
A prosperous, working plantation during the era of slavery, the home was occupied by federal troops during the Civil War. It later became the setting for steeplechases and racehorse breeding and played witness to the financial despair of the Great Depression of the 1930s.
After its original owner, Isaac Franklin, died in 1846 the property was transferred to his wife, Adelicia. She remarried Joseph Acklen in 1849 and together they built Belmont Mansion in Nashville.
Adelicia sold Fairvue in 1882 and the home changed ownership several times until 1934 when it was purchased by William H. Wemyss. He and wife Ellen Stokes Wemyss undertook a multi-year restoration of the home.
“Miss Ellen” as she was widely known, was a beloved Sumner County figure and one of the Nashville area’s most prominent citizens for many decades until her death in 2001 at 106. She began her adult life as a women’s suffrage activist during the early 20th century and later was a significant force in the restoration of historic homes, including President Andrew Jackson’s home, the Hermitage.
Fairvue was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977 under the Wemyss’ stewardship, according to the National Park Service website.
Upon Ellen Stokes Wemyss’ death, Fairvue was sold to Leon Moore, a local real estate developer who helped bring Nashville’s Union Station back from ruins.
Leon Moore announced plans to develop the property into a luxury lakefront community known as the Last Plantation, complete with a golf course and other amenities. The mansion became Leon and Linda Moore’s private residence after the couple spent two years making repairs and renovations.
But some of those upgrades caused the home’s designation as a National Historic Landmark to be withdrawn in 2005 after various alterations were made to the main house, according to the National Park Service’s website.
“We wanted to keep its history as far as preserving the integrity of the house, but we wanted to make a home for our family,” Linda Moore said.
Her husband loved Fairvue and set a very high bar for how the home should be renovated and cared for, said Linda Moore.
“It’s very well put together and I know it will be here a while,” she said.
Deciding to sell the home comes with mixed feelings. Linda Moore thought she’d live at Fairvue forever, but life changed course when her husband died unexpectedly in his sleep on Dec. 3, 2012 at 71.
“I really miss Leon being here,” Linda Moore said. “He had so much love for this house and it’s just not the same without him.”
Because the $6.9 million price tag brings a very limited market, Moore expects it to take some time to sell. She has high hopes whoever takes over the reins of Fairvue will have a heart for its history and will be able to financially support its proper upkeep.
A change in ownership will likely begin a new era for the house with a storied past, but Fairvue will always be an important piece of Tennessee history.
“The home has always been an economic asset for Sumner County,” said local historian Bill Puryear, whose parents met at Fairvue in 1930. “I think it continues to be to this day (with the development of the Last Plantation) when you consider the money and the people it’s brought to the area.”
Beth Molteni with Nashville realty firm Fridrich Clark Realty LLC is the listing agent. According to the firm’s website, the mansion has 11,288 square feet and includes five bedrooms and six bathrooms. The lakefront home features and infinity pool with a 1,600-square-foot pool house and boat slip. The listing price includes nearly 13 acres.
To view the complete listing, visit http://fridrichandclark.com/listing/1630275
Reach Jennifer Easton at jeaston@mtcngroup.com or at 615-575-7143. Follow her on Twitter @JenniferMEaston.