1573 N. Highland Ave. Jackson, TN
Willow Banks Circa 1824
Chevy Chase Circa 1915/18. Huge 2-story Greek Classical Revival mansion
In 1824, William Espy had a home built for his family at this site on 640 acres.
Shortly afterward, Col. William Henry Stephens (1816-1887) and Barbara Martha Miller Stephens (1820-1896) bought the property. They built a home called Willow Banks. He was a Confederate colonel, prominent attorney and banker in West Tennessee. Stephens was appointed clerk of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, West Tennessee Division, Jackson in 1840 and held office until 1857. He became a trustee of West Tennessee College in 1839, and was a director of the Branch Union Bank in Jackson as well as serving as president. About 1875 they moved to Los Angeles, CA. Willow Banks was torn down by the turn of the twentieth century.
About 1915, Clarence E. Pigford (1873-1945) and Sarah B. “Sally” Person Pigford (1885-1973) constructed their home on the same property and incorporated portions of the old buildings. They wed in 1907. His family were planters in Mississippi. He was a lawyer and owner of The Sun Publishing Co., publisher of the Jackson Sun. They built the mansion on what was the old Trenton Rd. - leading north to Trenton, TN. The couple was heavily involved with First Presbyterian Church and in the community.
After Clarence died, Sally donated their mansion and 7 acres in 1952 to First Pres. Church to enable the church to move from downtown on Main to the suburbs and have better room for growth. She also donated 7 acres adjacent to the new First Baptist Church. The Chevy Chase mansion was renamed Memorial Hall and incorporated as the central building of the First Presbyterian Church complex. The First Pres. historian noted that First Presbyterian Church is the oldest church in Jackson - founded in 1821, a couple years prior to Jackson, TN being recognized as a town. Sally moved to Crescent Rd. The family and home are remembered with the Chevy Chase community and the Chevy Chase Arboretum at the church. NR 2015
Sources:
Jackson and Madison Co.: A Pictorial History, p. 102
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