Mausoleum of Adelicia Hayes Franklin Acklen Cheatham

"Adelicia Acklen was a resourceful and shrewd business woman who was not defeated by the Civil War. She was born in Nashville and was the daughter of one of the city's most highly educated men, Oliver Bliss Hayes, who had moved to the city from Massachu­setts. As a child, Adelicia was required to learn 5 languages.

Adelicia Hayes' first marriage was to Isaac Franklin, a wealthy, 50 year old bachelor from Gallatin, Tennessee, who owned 6 cotton plantations in Louisiana and more than 600 slaves. The Franklins had 4 children, but all of them died before reach­ing the age of 14. Franklin only lived seven years after their marriage; with his death Adelicia became the wealthiest woman in the United States, with much land as well as money.

Adelicia Acklen is best known for her home in Nashville, the Belmont Mansion. Belmont was built as a summer home and pat­terned after an Italian villa. The extensive grounds and gardens included a zoo with a glass enclosed bird house for exotic birds from all over the world, a bowling alley, and a water tower. Belmont had running water throughout the house before the White House in Washington."

- belmontmansion.com/about-us/history/