Description

A photograph of the historic Glen Leven home, located in Nashville, Tennessee at 4000 Franklin Road, as it appeared circa 1973. This ancestral home of the Thompson family was built in 1857 by John Thompson, son of Thomas Thompson, the pioneer settler who signed the 1780 Cumberland Compact at Fort Nashborough and as a Revolutionary War soldier received a land grant where this Glen Leven home would be built. The structure was constructed in the Jeffersonian style, without benefit of architect, from brick made on the site by African American slaves. The Jeffersonian details of the construction and design include the Corinthian-topped, fluted entry columns across the front which hold up a balcony. During the first day of the Battle of Nashville, December 15, 1864, the home stood between the Union and Confederate sides and the brick walls show chipping made by bullets. Glen Leven was used as a field hospital by federal troops. Extensive renovation restyled the interior during the late 19th century. The home was the residence of several generations of Thompson family members before being bought in 1971 by Susan West, a direct descendant of Thomas Thompson. The historic Glen Leven home and its surrounding sixty-five acres were bequeathed by the late Ms. Susan West to the Land Trust of Tennessee for preservation. Forms part of the Nashville Room Historic Photographs Collection. 1 photograph : b & w ; 5 x 7 in.

Record Contributed By

Nashville Public Library

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Tennessee