The Oaklands Mansion

The Oakands Mansion is situated at 900 North Maney Avenue in Murfreesboro Tennessee. You may wonder why I’m sharing its address since I didn’t for any of the other plantation houses. This one is significant, however, because it was built on land inherited by Sally Mufree Maney, who was the daughter of Revolutionary War Colonel Hardy Murfree—who the city of Murfreesboro was named after. And of course, Maney Avenue was named after Sally Maney. Nice how they keep it all in the family, isn’t it?

It was Sally and her husband Dr. James Maney who built the Oaklands Mansion. The original house sat on 274 acres—and the plantation grew to almost 1,500 acres. It’s kind of sad that when I visited the mansion, it was clear that most of that land has been taken up by both historical housing and a brand-new development just now going in.

After Sally Maney’s death in 1857, her son Lewis and daughter-in-law Adeline Maney took over management of Oaklands. They hired a local architect to design the front Italianate addition (finally, something that isn’t Greek Revival!) The work was completed in 1860 and made it one of the most elegant homes in Middle Tennessee. It was only a year later, the Civil War Broke out.

The Oaklands Plantation was caught in the middle of that war, and officers from both the Confederate and Union armies stayed at the mansion. The most notable visitor to the home was Confederate President Jefferson Davis. He stayed there from December 12-15, 1862. His aid, who was with him, was George Washington Custis Lee—son of Confederate General Robert Edward Lee. Just a little familial plug here—my own father was named Robert Lee. Now maybe I’m making an assumption here, but he was born in the South, so it stands to reason he was named after General Robert Lee.

According to Wikipedia, the First Battle of Murfreesboro took place on July 13, 1862, which the Maney children watched from the window of the second-floor hallway. I have included a picture in my video below. It’s the one with arched windows and plants around it. After the surrender was signed, both armies supposedly gathered for a meal of black eyed peas and sweet potatoes. Southern hospitality runs deep!

Adeline Maney inherited the deed to Oaklands Plantation because her husband Lewis was sickly, and her father-in-law figured she’d outlive him—which she did. However, she lost the plantation and home after the Civil War to pay for debts Lewis incurred in a lawsuit.

A wealthy Memphis widow named Elizabeth Swope purchased the mansion and property for $8,505 in 1884. The property was eventually inherited by her daughter, Tempe, and son-in-law George Darrow who was Murfreesboro’s first millionaire. Here is an interesting piece of trivia. George Darrow was the godfather of Frank Gumm of Rutherford County (right next to Bedford County where Shadow Dancing is set). Frank Gumm was the father of Frances Gumm—known to the world as Judy Garland.

Sadly, from 1954 to 1957, Oaklands was vacant and fell prey to vandals. By 1958 the mansion and about thirty-five acres was sold to the city of Murfreesboro for $40,000 in order to expand public housing in the area. But in 1959, Oaklands Association was organized by a group of concerned women who wanted to save the historic site (gotta love those passionate women). Eventually Oaklands Mansion and a third of an acre was deeded to this association for $1 with the promise that the mansion would be open to the public as a museum within three years. The ladies began the restoration and had it open for tours within one year.

You will see by the video I put together below that I have lots of indoor pictures. Not only was the tour self-guided, but we were left to wander the mansion on our own for as long as we wanted. If you’re in the area, the Oaklands Mansion is offering a Free Day scheduled for May 7, 2023, for their self-guided tours. Check here for more information.

And don’t forget to sign up for your chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card here. This is the last Plantation post. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.

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