Sunday, June 5, 2011

Visit to Belle Meade Plantation---Nashville, Tennessee

We visited an absolutely wonderful and relaxing plantation in Tennessee during this last trip. 

Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville.  You can check them out here.

This was one I snapped as we drove into the driveway.


Belle Meade was famous for Thoroughbred horse breeding.  Many famous thoroughbred horses can have their bloodline traced back to Belle Meade lineage.  These beautiful horses were right beside of the parking area and were very friendly.  The girls were in love!!



While waiting for our tour of the mansion to start, we participated in the scavenger hunt so we could learn more about this neat property.  This little playhouse was build in the 1880s for the children to play in.  It was so cute!  Again...the girls were in love!


The kids posing with the beautiful mansion.  Just before we left, Lydia and I watched most of Gone With the Wind.  I asked her if it reminded her of that big house.  So we had to get this shot.


There was a scurmish on the grounds of Belle Meade during the Civil War, and the scars can still be seen on the right column.  In fact the very young woman of the house stood in front of that very pillar waving a flag cheering on the Confederacy.  With bullets flying around her she stood tall and true for the Blue!


This is the kids with our Guide, Cliff.  He was wonderful!!


This plantation bell was the most expensive one in the whole area.  When the slave went to pick it up for the owner, he spent nearly $1,500.00 on it.  The original one he was supposed to buy was not nice enough.  He paid a ship captain for the bell directly off his ship.  That is why it cost so much.


The original homestead of John Harding.  You can see the "dog trot" breezeway between the two sections. 


A slave cabin.  We held some short discussions about slavery and how it helped to cause the Civil War.  We haven't covered that in our studies yet.  But it obviously comes up a lot as we visit places such as this throughout the South.


Even though the house was absolutely gorgeous!!!  And I so wish I could have taken pictures......bummer:(  This was another very interesting section of the plantation.  The Smokehouse.  I actually had a hard time thinking about ham after this...be warned. 


A boiling pot for the pork.


Samples of how the pork was hung for smoking/drying.


Slaughter table and salt troughs for brining the pork.


The actual step by step process....I'll skip any further detail.  I have so few foods I can eat.....that I cannot give up ham!

What would a Thoroughbred Plantation be without an extensive Carriage House.


I highly recommend this plantation if you are in this area.  They are super nice, and you have to see the horse hoof ink wells in the mansion tour!!!

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