2003 Historic Old Hickory Village
Home & Garden Tour
June 7, 2003
(Page 1 of 4)

THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD OF OLD HICKORY has been called Nashville's "best kept secret," but it was anything but secret when it was built 80 years ago. In January 1918, ads the "Great War" raged in Europe, the U.S. Government contracted with the E.I. DuPont de Nemours Co. to build the world's largest gunpowder plant on 5,600 acres in the hairpin turn of the Cumberland River known as Hadley's Bend. By the time the war ended on Nov. 11--barely 10 months later--more than 3,800 buildings had been constructed, with housing for 35,000 people.
     The end of the war meant there was no longer any reason for Old Hickory to exist. By 1920, Old Hickory was a virtual ghost town, despite having many modern conveniences not available in other neighborhoods, like water and sewer treatment plant and its own fire and police force.
     A group of investors called Nashville Industrial Corp. bought Old Hickory from the government and, after selling off much of the plant's equipment, sold the town and plant to the DuPont Co. in 1923. DuPont built many more homes over the next decade, using the same basic floor plans it had used as the government's contractor on the original construction.
     There were 10 original floor plans for single-family frame houses in Old Hickory, and they were built in a distinct "caste system." The largest, most architecturally interesting homes for top-level managers were built on Riverside Road on the eastern edge of the village, overlooking the stretch of the Cumberland River that was later dammed to become Old Hickory Lake. These floor plans are named Davis, Baytree and Ketchum and Welford (of which there was only one). Middle managers lived in smaller homes called Arlington, Cumberland, Georgia and Haskell, and laborers were able to rent one-story homes called Florence and Denver.
     DuPont maintained Old Hickory as a company town, repairing and renovating the homes on a regular basis, for the next quarter-century. In the late 1940s, as company towns fell out of favor, DuPont sold hundreds of the Old Hickory houses to the employees who had been renting them. Hundreds of other "temporary" houses--most of them then 30 years old--we're razed, making room for the construction of fashionable new brick ranch-style houses scattered among the historic frame homes.
     Floor plans on this year's Old Hickory Village Home and Garden Tour include the Florence, Denver, Georgia, Haskell, Ketchum and Arlington.

1 605 JONES STREET
Old Hickory Church of the Nazarene

Date built: 1938

Located at 605 Jones Street, Old Hickory Church of the Nazarene has been a part of the life of Old Hickory Village since 1938. Beginning with just a dirt floor basement, Old Hickory Nazarene has added to its facilities many times over the years. In addition to the sanctuary and classrooms, the campus now consists of a Family Life Center which houses the church offices and the gym, a parsonage which will accommodate the new Minister of Worship & Music, and a new educational wing which was dedicated in June of 2002. This new wing consists of classrooms for adults and teens, as well as Kingdom Kids' Place, an area dedicated to ministry to children. Since 1997, John M. Bledsoe has been the pastor of this congregation which now averages around 225 in Sunday morning worship.
     We hope you enjoy your visit to Old Hickory Nazarene Church. We would love for you to join us for worship in the near future. Thanks for stopping by.

Sincerely,
The Staff and Congregation-
Old Hickory Nazarene

2  606 JONES STREET
Ted Daniel Edinger

Home style: Florence
Date built: 1928

Ted grew up in a town of 70 people near the Ohio River. "Old Hickory has that same flavor...with its small town feel and Old Hickory Lake a stone's throw away. Things seems a bit slower and the people are friendlier... LOVE THAT! When I decided I wanted to buy a house, the Village was one of the first places I looked. As soon as I walked into 606 Jones...I knew I wanted it. My friends thought it would be too much work...but I had a vision of what it could be. Slowly it is getting there! I'm so blessed that I can call this place home!
     "All the rooms were off white. As an art teacher, I couldn't have that! Oh wait, the bathroom was flamingo pink...that had to go! New floor tiles were put in the bathroom and kitchen. I couldn't have done it all without my friends, sister and mom. I'll have pictures for you to see the changes. You'll be amazed! I have three pets (my kids): two turtles, Seurat and Vinny (Van Gogh); and a furry cat, Solomon." Ted is a teacher at Tulip Grove Elementary.