Springside
researched and written by Debie Oeser Cox
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| Springside, Lindley Home in East Nashville, ca 1895 from Artwork of Nashville. Color added by myheritage.com |
Springside was the name given to the home of Adrian V. S. Lindsley. It was on Lindsley Avenue, an extension of Woodland Street. In 1850 the road ran to the Gallatin turnpike at what is now 10th and Main. At that time, there was little development east of South Tenth. A few houses on large tracts, and the land was thickly wooded. My interest in Springside was for the schools that occupied it in the 1890s. I found out that I didn't know what I thought I knew and decided the house needed a little more investigating.
The earliest deed found for Lindsley buying lots in the Weakley plan was written on August 9, 1850, and recorded September 24, 1850, in Davidson County deed book 13, page 561. The lots in this deed are part of a subdivision of the land of Robert Weakley, deceased, made on January 1, 1846. Lindsley purchased the property from David T. Scott for $10,000. Scott had acquired the land in December of 1847 from Robert Branham for $2720. The price change indicates that Scott had made improvements on the property, probably including a house. The deed describes three lots. Lot 15, contained 18 acres and 140 poles, Lot 16, 14 acres and 140 poles, lot 17,20 acres 132 poles. In 1851 Lindley purchased adjoining tracts, lot 14 and lot 8, each containing just over 14 acres. The deeds mention a lane running past the lots that led to the Gallatin Turnpike. The roadway that would become an extension of Woodland Street ran from the Lockland Mansion along the path of the present Woodland to about 11th Street then veering north to terminate at the current 10th and Main Street. The 1871 map shows the street and the location of the Lindsley home place.
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| 1871 map showing path of Lindsley Ave, later part of Woodland Street from the Lindsley home to Tenth and Main Streets. |
The 1850 census, taken in October, does not indicate to me where Lindsley is living. The names of residents surrounding him are not familiar to the 18th district, though a few lived in Edgefield in the 1855 city directory. The section of 153 pages seems to cover many areas of the county. If he were living on his Springside property, he would have been in a house that existed when he bought the land from David T. Scott. The family believed that he was the builder of Springside. However, we have all encountered well-believed family stories that turned out to be untrue. If he built Springside, it would be in the years following his August 1850 purchase. I don't believe there is a way to find a definite answer as to if or when he built the house known as Springside.
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| 1908 Atlas of Nashville showing site of Springside, A. V. S. Lindley's home. |
The Lindsley family lived in the house from about 1850 until 1886, when A. V. S. Lindsley built a new home in Nashville at 1404 Broadway. In June of 1904, John T. Lindsley, son of A. V. S., moved back to the home place with his family. While the family was gone from the house, it was repaired and renovated multiple times. It housed the East End College and the Nashville Military Institute from 1890 until 1898. When John T. Lindley moved back, the house had electricity, steam heat, and running water. The exterior was painted a Colonial Buff, and the walkways and winding drive were pleasant to see. Inside, the house contained eighteen rooms and three halls. The woodwork was painted white, and the wallpaper was of Colonial design. The home was the site of many social affairs, often described in local newspapers. Dances and parties were held in the home and on the grounds. In 1925, Lindlsey sold the home to William Litterer, who divided the house into apartments. In 1933 the old house was demolished, and a new subdivision of the property was drawn. New homes were built along Lindsley Park Drive. The drive had served for many years as the driveway to the Lindsley home.
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| Plat of Lindsley Park 1925 |
More information can be found on the Lockeland Springs website. There you can download an exerpt of Philip Thomason's paper; A Preservation Study of the East End and Lockeland Springs Neighborhoods.
