Upon hearing the name Ravenswood, Edgar Allan Poe’s eerie but enthralling poem “The Raven” immediately comes to mind. (Nevermore, nevermore, I hear.) In actuality, Ravenswood stands as a stately 1825 antebellum mansion that rises up almost surprisingly inside the perimeter of Marcella Vivrette Smith Park in Brentwood, Tennessee. Beautifully positioned in the foreground of plenty of rolling hills, which now contain six miles of hiking trails, Ravenswood opened to the public for special events just over a year ago—November 8, 2014 to be exact. However, anyone visiting the park can venture up to the house to admire its most charming architecture and peek inside the windows for a glance at the full restoration.
Nicknamed “The Raven” because of the dark black hair of his younger days, Sam Houston inspired Ravenswood’s name. Why you might ask? Well, he served as the best man at the wedding of the house’s original owners, James Hazard Wilson II and Emeline Wilson. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine. As far as the color black appearing on the house, it is readily evident in the many shutters that line the front and sides of the structure.
Notice the detailed gingerbread trim in the Queen Anne style along the porch roofline and inside the railing. It evokes a cottage feel even though the house itself is anything but. The boxwoods planted against the porch lend charm as well.
If facing Ravenswood, be sure to walk around the left side for features no house built today would usually contain: a cistern and root cellar. The latter of the two was an ingenious precursor to modern-day refrigeration. Not ever having seen a root cellar, I was quite amazed by the underground, tomblike structure’s efficiency and pleasing design.
Is there anything more Southern than a back porch, especially one of this scale? When walking along Ravenswood’s L-shaped porch, pay attention to how the sunlight splays pretty architectural shadows across the floor, and on the house’s outer wall, iron shutter dogs make for some eye-catching hardware against the white painted brick.
The back fence also casts interesting woven shadows across the field, which eventually gives way to a hillside of hiking trails that are interspersed with split-rail fencing indicative of yesteryear. Don’t forgot trail shoes and a camera if you want to snap the changing leaves dotting neighboring hillsides and the train in the distance below.
*All Images by House + Soul®
Your House + Soul® guru,
Leah
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*House + Soul® founder and CEO Leah Fitzpatrick proudly holds REALTOR status and hangs her license with Keller Williams Realty in Franklin, Tennessee. A passionate communicator and editor for nearly nine years, thoroughness to detail and unrelenting research tactics are her fortes—both of which translate well when tracking down houses and writing contracts in the Nashville area’s booming real estate market. She’ll also happily engage in any conversation about winemaking or vineyards, hiking, travel, cocker spaniels, art and interior design. Leah welcomes you to reach out to grab coffee with her should you want to discuss any real estate needs.
