Nashville in Davidson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Mausoleum
Belle Meade Plantation
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 18, 2020
1. Mausoleum Marker
In 1839 William Giles Harding commissioned the construction of a limestone burial vault for his recently deceased wife, Mary Selena McNairy Harding. This vault eventually became the final resting place for five generations of Harding-Jackson family members and a few other distant relations. The vault was constructed in the corner of a massive garden. Many ornamental plants and flowers lined the path to the vault creating a beautiful flower border and peaceful resting place.
Following the sale of the Belle Meade farm in 1906, the family decided to remove their loved ones from the vault and have them reinterred at Mount Olivet cemetery in Nashville. On April 26 and May 15, 1906 the Finley Dorris Funeral Home was hired to remove and relocate twenty-four bodies to the new family plots at Mt. Olivet. Although now empty, the mausoleum remains a memorial to the original owners of the Belle Meade farm.
“Warm summer sun,
shine kindly here;
warm southern wind,
blow softly here.”
— Annie D. Richardson Jackson, 1900
Captions:
Left side, clockwise from top left:
Mary Selena McNairy, 1812-1837 William Giles Harding Jr., 1835-1837 Susannah Shute Harding, 1785-1845 John Harding, 1777-1865 Mary Elizabeth Jackson,
this page online
Right side, clockwise from top left:
William Giles Harding, 1808-1886 Selene Harding Jackson, 1846-1892 Elizabeth “Lizzie” Hoover, 1834-1896 Eunice Jackson Marks, 1871-1901 William Harding Jackson, 1874-1903 William Hicks Jackson, 1835-1903 Albert D. Marks Jr., 1896-1897 Judge Howell E. Jackson, 1832-1895
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical date for this entry is April 26, 1839.
Location. 36° 6.365′ N, 86° 51.82′ W. Marker is in Nashville, Tennessee, in Davidson County. Marker can be reached from Harding Pike (U.S. 70S) 0.1 miles north of Leake Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Marker is on grounds of Belle Meade Plantation. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5025 Harding Pike, Nashville TN 37205, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Slave Burials (within shouting distance of this marker); Belle Meade Bourbon (within shouting distance of this marker); Ice House (within shouting distance of this marker); Slave Cabin (within shouting distance of this marker); Dairy (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Belle Meade Plantation
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 18, 2020
2. Mausoleum Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 20, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 357 times since then and 54 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 20, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
