|
Where did the Nashville Communities Get Their Names?
It’s interesting to know how cities, counties and communities get their names. Here’s some information about how a few areas in Nashville Tennessee’s Williamson County were named.
Williamson County itself was named for Dr. Hugh Williamson, a surgeon-general and colonel of the North Carolina Militia. He was later elected to the Continental Congress….serving three terms. He was one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution.
In the beginning, Brentwood was a fort called Mayfield Station…just east of town. The first settlers in Brentwood were the Mayfields, who came to the area in the late 1700’s. They settled on what is now Wilson Pike and Old Smyrna Road…and built a fort for their family and neighbors.
The name Brentwood apparently came from the home of Horatio McNish who named his home “Brentwood” after two ancestral homes in Virginia named Brenton and Woodstock. The McNish Family lived in Brentwood until the 1850’s….in a 2-story Colonial home just off Franklin Road.
Brentwood didn’t actually get its’ name until the railroad came through in 1856, at which time a station was built on Church Street near the post office.
Franklin was named after Benjamin Franklin, a close friend of Dr. Hugh Williamson. It is the county seat of Williamson County…and was incorporated in 1799.
The oldest religious structure in Franklin is the Masonic hall on 2nd Avenue, which isn’t surprising because Benjamin Franklin was a Masonic leader. This building was also the first 3-story building in the state of Tennessee. President Andrew Jackson, John H. Eaton and John Coffee met with a group of Chickasaw Indian Chiefs to discuss the sale of land. This meeting later led to the Trail of Tears.
Leiper’s Fork was first known as Bentontown, for the Benton family that resided there. Thomas Hart Benton served as a U.S. Senator from Missouri. This area was also known as Hillsboro. Today, the village is still known as Hillsboro…but the area is called Leiper’s Fork, for the creek (Leiper’s Creek) that runs through it. It’s a beautiful area and many well-known country music stars now live in Leiper’s Fork.
When 40 acres of land was granted to Hugh Leiper in 1785, the area became Leiper’s Fork.
Spring Hill got its’ name in the early 1800’s, when settlers Albert Russell and Abram Hammonds cleared the land and petitioned the Maury County Court for a road from Columbia. Another settler, Henry Wade, visualized the town and decided to sell lots along what is now Main Street. The settlement was named in 1825 for a large spring on the hill of the first home of Albert Russell. Today this property is the Tennessee Children’s Home.
Thompson’s Station began with a train depot. The depot was named after the man who donated the land for the town, Dr. Elijah Thompson.
Triune was first called Hardeman Cross Roads in the early 1800’s. It eventually took the name of the Methodist Church and became known as Triune, which means “trinity” in Latin. At the time, Triune was one of the richest areas in the county. It was a center of commerce and agriculture, as well as academics.
The community of Arrington was first known as Petersburg. But, when it was granted a post office, they found that there was already a Petersburg in Bedford County. So, the name was changed to Arrington for the nearby creek that ran through the Paschall farm. The Paschall’s were one of the first families to live in the community.
An early settler to Arno was a postal official from Italy. He named the community for a river in Italy.
Bethesda is a biblical name that means ‘house of mercy’. This community had the first county school bus.
College Grove was once called Harpeth….then Poplar Grove. It was settled in 1800 when James Allison obtained 400 acres on Grove Creek. The town’s name was changed to College Grove with a post office was established in 1861. This was after they were told that there was already a Poplar Grove community. It was named College Grove in honor of two schools….one for boys and one for girls. College Grove Elementary Schools now sits on the same land. In fact, the College Grove PTA organized at the boys school was the 1st parent-teacher organization in the county.
Fairview has had many names over the years. Names like Barrens, Christiana and Jingo. The name was officially changed to Fairview in 1937 apparently because there wasn’t another Tennessee town by that name.
Remember, you've got a friend in Nashville Real Estate. We're you Buyer's Agents - working exclusively for you - 100%.
Contact us today to get started on finding your new Nashville home.
|
