The Bugle Brentwood, Tennessee 37024 PostOffice Box 788 Brentwood Historic Society Summer 2010 Volume 12, Issue 2 The Bugle The Bugle, a publication of the Brentwood Historic Society T HE C ITY OF BRENTWOOD IS ESTSABLISHED Y RESTON AIN B : P B Any fool can make history, but it takes a genius to write it. - Oscar Wilde I was reminded of that quote recently when I sat down to talk with John Oden about a book he is in the process of writing about Brentwood. Mr. Oden was born and raised in Brent- - wood and as such is armed with an intimate knowledge of Brentwood’s early years. He 0788 shared with me many of the topics that are covered in the book as well as some personal his- tory about the Oden family. In 1815, the Oden family first shows up on the tax records in Williamson County in Thomp- son’s Station. The family migrated to Brent- wood a few years later and bought a large tract of land containing 404 acres. The Oden farm encompassed all of what is now Carondelet ex- tending west over to Franklin Road. The small family cemetery at the Carondelet entrance on Wilson Pike remains deeded to the family today. Thomas H. Oden, Sr., the author’s great grand- father, was one of the original five trustees of the John Oden during a taped interview for the Brentwood United Methodist Church. The first Brentwood History series. The DVD of that “Brentwood Academy”, as it was called, was interview is available at the Brentwood Library. located on the church property and Thomas H. Oden, Sr. was the president of that school. At that time the Methodist Church sat on Frier- Page 2 The Bugle Volume 12, Issue 2 Page 7 son Street where the Towne Centre Theatre speculators created housing developments classmates, friends, and family. On July 24, sits today. and began selling lots. Both of these Mr. McLean and a Historic Commission speculators began lobbying the railroad to representative placed a historic marker at the Dr. Solomon Fletcher Oden, son of Thomas put a train depot in their development. site. Between planning, organizing, and exe- H. Oden, Sr, was born in Brentwood in 1848. The first development named Brentwood cution, over 220 hours were devoted to Mr. Dr. Oden practiced medicine in Brentwood was created in 1855 and consisted of a little for well over 50 more than 30 lots. McLean’s Eagle Scout Project and it gar- years retiring around It was located just nered accolades from the Brentwood His- 1920. John Oden’s north of Old Hick- toric Commission and the Brentwood City father, Marion, was ory Boulevard Commission where he presented his com- a pharmacist and near where Target pleted project at the June 6th meeting. sits today. The went into business with Albert Noble, second develop- Even though this project has successfully A group of tired but proud volunteers take a break for also a pharmacist, in ment named Vil- lages of Brent- come to a close, Mr. McLean plans to con- a photo. Schultz McLean is in the back row as de- 1929 opening a phar- noted by the arrow. macy at the corner wood was created tinue his preservation efforts of this historic of Franklin Road in 1856 and con- site. He hopes to work with professional ar- and Old Hickory sisted of 81 lots. chaeologists in the future to hopefully locate Boulevard where Two early photos of Noble’s Pharmacy. Below, Albert This second devel- all of the gravesites that have been lost to the Noble (left) and Marion Oden inside the pharmacy. Walgreens sits to- opment encom- shadows of time. day. passed the area between Old Hickory Boule- To join the Brentwood Historic Society or renew your membership, please complete the following: Mr. Oden’s book starts around 1850 vard to the North, Hardscuffle/ Membership Levels-tax deductible when Brentwood as ___Individual $ 15 we know it today Church Street to ___Family 25 began to take shape. the South, Frank- ___Contributing 50 ___Corporate/Benefactor 100+ What could be con- lin Road to the West, and to an sidered downtown _________________________________________________________________________ Brentwood prior to area just east of the interstate to- Name Address/Zip Code that time was off Old Smyrna Road day. Mr. Oden _________________________________________________________________________ near where the Cottonport home still stands has identified the location of a majority of Phone Email Address today. Around 1850 the railroad came to these lots and has also drawn from mem- Brentwood and the town center shifted and ory a very detailed map of the stores and Detach this form and send, along with your check payable to: grew. residences in this downtown area in the time between 1936 and 1950 which will be Brentwood Historic Society; Attention: Linda Lynch; City of Brentwood, P.O. Box 788; Brentwood, TN included in his book. 37024-0788 Seeing that the railroad was going to be com- For more information: www.brentwood-tn.org/aboutus/history or Linda Lynch, City of Brentwood, 371-0060 ing through Brentwood, two competing The railroad located the depot in the area The Brentwood Historic Society is a citizen organization supporting the Brentwood Historic Commission, the Boiling Spring Academy School Program, and dedicated to the study and preservation of Brentwood’s history and culture. Page 6 The Bugle Volume 12, Issue 2 Page 3 had deposited their webs of forgetfulness effort among himself, other scouts, and of the second development (Villages of Brentwood Country Club. As Brentwood upon it. The Beech Creek Baptist Church members of the Beech Creek Missionary Brentwood) and the rest, as they say, is his- grew around the railroad, the post office burned in the 1950’s and the new church Baptist Church. Several members of the tory. The first depot in Brentwood was ac- took on the name of this new town and its was relocated to the Bordeaux area in youth group of the church turned out to help tually a railroad boxcar on the side of the first postmaster, George W. Simpson, was North Nashville. clean the cemetery and most of those volun- road. The first free stand- named in September of ing depot building was 1856. At that time, the teers had never seen the site before and were built in 1860 near Church building was located near Remnants of the foundation of the church excited to recapture a long lost piece of their Street. This building also the corner of Wilson Pike and outhouse are still located in the under- own history. contained a post office and Old Smyrna Road. brush closer to the and a grocery store at one Over time, the post office road. I have it on Mr. McLean and his point. As Brentwood con- moved closer to the town good authority that team cleared and tinued to grow, a new de- center and was located in the foundation made mulched a 150 yard pot was built in 1890 to several places including a great fort for area hiking trail to the replace the one built in the first railroad depot 1860. Mr. Oden’s book building off Church Street. kids to play in years cemetery location. A shows a rare photograph In the 1930’s, the post of- ago. It is amazing in large area of the ceme- of both of these depot fice moved into a building all the tromping tery was cleaned al- buildings alongside the with a grocery owned by through the woods though only five grave railroad tracks in Brent- Albert Noble. The gro- that these young ex- markers were located. wood. One of the depot cery store only stayed in plorers did that they It is estimated there buildings was still stand- business for a few years never noticed the are approximately 50- ing when Mr. Oden was a and when the grocery cemetery hidden 80 gravesites in the young boy though it was store closed, the post of- amongst the trees and overgrowth. cemetery. At the end of the project’s com- no longer in use as a de- fice moved to the phar- pot. He remembers play- The first post office to bear the Brentwood macy. Mr. Oden’s father, pletion, more than one ton of mulch had name still stands near the intersection of ing in the building as a Marion Oden, was a post- been laid along the newly established path. Wilson Pike and Old Smyrna Road. Oral history says that Ophelia McClanahan boy. Prior to 1912 the master at this location. donated the property in the 1890’s. The This was no simple feat given that the resto- railroad through Brentwood was at ground The building that housed the grocery store church was established and built in 1906 ration took place shortly after the floods, level. Between 1912 and 1914 the railroad and post office was moved back from with rocks located on Ms. McClanahan’s mandating the need for logistical changes in cut was made placing the tracks 50 feet or Franklin Road and converted into a home property. Ms. McClanahan also donated the staging area. Using Scales Elementary more below street level through downtown for Albert Noble and his family. The build- the logs used to build the Johnson’s Chapel School as the new staging area for the supply Brentwood. The depots became obsolete at ing still stands today and houses the offices United Methodist Church. As no early re- drop off, Mr. McLean continued the success- that point and the buildings took on other of Enterprise Rent-A-Car.