WEHO Social: Did You Know?
Developer: AJCP
The Lost & Found Legacy of Nashville's Founding Family: How the Rains Shaped Wedgewood-Houston
Did you know that one of Nashville's most important pioneer families once owned the very land beneath your feet in Wedgewood-Houston? A fascinating historical mystery was solved when the John Rains Cemetery on Nolensville Pike was restored in 2016!
Captain John Rains, who arrived at the Cumberland settlements in 1779 with his family, livestock, and determination, was one of Nashville's original settlers. He built Rains Station—a fort that protected early residents during Indian attacks—on what is now called Rains Hill, right in the heart of what would eventually become our Wedgewood Houston neighborhood. In fact, the intersection of today's Rains Avenue and Merritt Avenue marks the approximate location of this historic fort.
When Captain Rains died in 1834, his 651-acre estate was divided among his eleven heirs. This vast property stretched from present-day Humphreys Street along both sides of Nolensville Pike, encompassing what is now Wedgewood-Houston, the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, and surrounding areas. His daughter Sally Rains Merritt received the first lot of 43 acres "near the dwelling house of the deceased," while daughter Elizabeth Rains Dunn received the adjacent lot.
The marriage of these two families—the Rains and the Merritts—would prove instrumental in developing the foundation of today's Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood. The Merritt-Hagan House on Humphreys Street, built around 1840 for Sally Rains Merritt and her husband Gibson Merritt, still stands as a testament to this legacy. This Italianate brick mansion incorporates logs from the original Rains cabin—a direct architectural link connecting WeHo residents to Nashville's frontier days.
Wedgewood Village: Preserving History Within Modern Development
Today's residents of Wedgewood-Houston might recognize the beautifully preserved Merritt Mansion as the centerpiece of Wedgewood Village, one of our neighborhood's most thoughtful developments. When developers were planning this mixed-use community, they faced a crucial decision about the historic Merritt home, which had fallen into disrepair after changing hands multiple times since leaving the family in the 1920s.
Rather than demolishing this piece of local history, the developers chose preservation and careful relocation. The Merritt Mansion was meticulously documented, temporarily lifted from its foundations, and moved approximately 200 feet to its current position where it now serves as the community centerpiece of Wedgewood Village. The restoration, completed in 2008 by Patrick and Holly Murphy, earned a Metro Historical Commission Preservation Award for its sensitive approach to maintaining the home's historic character while adapting it for contemporary use.
Wedgewood Village now represents the perfect balance between honoring our neighborhood's roots and embracing its future. Modern townhomes and retail spaces surround the historic mansion, creating a physical timeline of Wedgewood Houston's evolution from frontier settlement to industrial district to today's creative hub. The development demonstrates how thoughtful urban planning can incorporate historic preservation while meeting the needs of a growing community.
Next time you walk through Wedgewood-Houston, remember you're traveling through the legacy of one of Nashville's founding families—a legacy that shapes our neighborhood to this day. From the street names to the architectural history, the Rains and Merritt families continue to define WeHo's unique character nearly 250 years after Captain Rains first claimed this land.
WEHO Social celebrates our neighborhood's hidden histories and the ongoing work to preserve them. The Metro Historical Commission Foundation continues to accept donations for cemetery restoration projects like the one that solved the Rains family mystery and connected us more deeply to our community's roots.
