Based on an informal survey of some of the neighborhood, very few of us are from Spring Hill. I moved to the Nashville area in 2004. After moving here last year, I’ve tried to learn a few things about the town we call home.
Duplex Road Has Nothing to Do with Multi-Family Living
Duplex was a champion racehorse in the 1880s. Former Confederate Soldier John Wills Napier Lee lived at Maplewood Farm which is still standing on the east side of Lewisburg Pike. One day, Lee went to visit his friend, Mr. Coffey to buy a donkey. Coffey hoodwinked him and wouldn’t let him buy the donkey unless he also bought a three-year-old horse for $800. (That’s $21,000 to you and me.)
Lee said no and headed down the road a piece. He changed his mind and came back to buy them both. He sold the donkey a year later for $1000 and the horse went on to win him a fortune.
Duplex was a Bay Horse with a brown coat. His mane, tail, and legs were black. Duplex competed on the Grand Circuit north of the Ohio River setting records and earning money. In 1887 alone, Lee reported $2,300 in winnings ($66,000 in 2021). After retirement, ole Duplex fathered 50 foals including some that raced faster than their father.
The Tennessee Children’s Home Wasn’t Always on Main Street
The stately campus on Main Street has served students since 1897. The Campus School of Vanderbilt University moved South to become Spring Hill School. The following year, they changed the name to Brahma and Hughes School in honor of the two founders. In 1918, the school became a military academy and operated until 1932. In 1934, the Tennessee Children’s Home purchased the land and buildings and relocated from Columbia. The Home had been founded a few years earlier to care for three siblings who lost both parents in a tragic accident. Since opening, more than 21,000 children in hard places have been loved and educated.
The Home is moving to their new campus this week. For those runners in our community, their major fundraiser, the 5th Annual Spring Hill Turkey Burn 5K and Half Marathon, is set for Saturday, November 27.
A Fire Wiped Out Most of the Businesses in Spring Hill
On a Sunday morning in 1938 while most of the 600 residents of Spring Hill were on their way to church, all of the buildings on the east side of Jackson Highway (now Main Street) burned. The fire would’ve jumped the street had it not been for firefighters from Columbia, Franklin, and Nashville. Roddy’s Ice House, Hargrove’s Grocery, a barbershop, Watson’s Cafe and Pool Room, Mr. Duncan’s Grocery Store, and Clem Campbell’s Garage all burned.
Today, Spring Hill Elementary stands across the street from the epicenter of the fire. No cause was ever discovered.
What stories from Spring Hill history have you heard? Note them in the comments below.
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