Ravenswood is a historic property in

Brentwood, Tennessee Brentwood is a city in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 45,373 as of the 2020 United States census.Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

, the best man at Wilson's wedding. Houston was known as "the Raven" to the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

. Ravenswood was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1983. In 2010, the city of Brentwood acquired the surrounding acreage and created Marcelle Vivrette Smith Park, which in 2014 became the largest park in Brentwood. After creating the park, the city restored the grounds and opened Ravenswood mansion for tours and special events. The plantation was one of several homes owned by the Wilson family. It comprised more than 1,000 acres and was one of the largest in Williamson County prior to 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 ...

. Records from the 1860 census show that there were 55 enslaved people at Ravenswood. The plantation contained as many as 13 cabins for enslaved people, and the Wilson family also had enslaved people at their plantations in Louisiana and Mississippi. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Wilson hosted one of the area's two Confederate training camps at his Midway Plantation, which today is the Brentwood County Club. In 2010, the city of Brentwood purchased Ravenswood and the surrounding 325 acres, agreeing to name the resulting park as Marcella Vivrette Smith Park. In 2013, the city purchased an additional 80 acres to add to the park. It is now the largest park in Brentwood. The property includes

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

and Federal architecture. When listed on the NRHP, the property included five

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

and three non-contributing buildings on an area of .

References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee Houses in Williamson County, Tennessee Greek Revival houses in Tennessee Federal architecture in Tennessee Houses completed in 1825 National Register of Historic Places in Williamson County, Tennessee {{WilliamsonCountyTN-NRHP-stub

See also

References