Matt Franklin Allen (1844-?) and Elizabeth Catherine McCasland Allen (1861-1915) built Belair after 1884.
They wed in 1880. The 2 story frame Victorian house sat on 132 acres on the east corner of Belair St. (now Woodlawn Ave.) and 25th Ave. South. Matt worked with the state prison in manufacturing. Then Allen worked with Cherry, O’Connor & Co. which manufactured the Tennessee Wagon. In 1894, he bought W.L. Waters and Sons and renamed it Allen Manufacturing Co. with a plant downtown at Tenth Ave. and Union St. He operated it until 1914. In 1890, the Allens sold Belair to developers to move to the city.
James Orville Shackleford (1809-1880) and Sabrina Metcalf Shackleford owned it in the late 1890s. They wed in 1836. Shackleford was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of Tennessee and chancellor of the 7th Chancery Nashville Division in 1868. Mrs. Shackleford remained in Belair and lived with extended family. Before 1914, the house was moved to its present address 2500 Woodlawn Ave. across the street.
A large portion of the property to the south was purchased by Bertrand Howe. He built his home Bonnie Brae overlooking the valley to the south in 1914. The next owner was Frederick Lowe. Then Jane Lealand Black owned it and made it into a duplex. In 1977, it was sold to Glenn W. and Cynthia Hull Petach. The Shackleford family is remembered by Shackleford Dr. nearby. See Bonnie Brae
Sources:
Nashville Pikes: Vol Two 150 Years along Hillsboro Pike, Ridley Wills II, p. 90
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