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Alexander Ewing House/ Woodlon Hall

Updated: Oct 29

5101 Buena Vista Pike Nashville, TN

Circa 1821. 2-story early Federal style home


Woodlon Hall was built by Alexander Ewing (1752-1822) and Sarah “Sally” Smith Ewing (1761-1840). They wed in 1789.


Photo by Christina Blust


Ewing only lived in it a year before his death in 1822. He was an officer under Gen. Nathaniel Greene and Ewing earned the nickname “Devil Alex.” He had been awarded 2,666 acres in what is now Davidson, Wilson, Sumner counties for his service in the American Revolution. Alex was one of the founders of the Nashville area along with Donelson and Robertson and others when Alex and his family came in 1786. His will in 1822 gave nearly 2,800 acres of land, many shares of stock in the Bank of the State of Tennessee and some Nashville town lots to his family.


He bequeathed the house and about 500 acres to his wife, Sally, and their son, William Black Ewing (1795-1852). William’s wives were Sarah Bryson Ewing (1806-1836) and Martha Catherine Graves Ewing (1822-1908). They continued working the farm and other operations on the property. Alex's sister, Lucy, married James McGavock of the Franklin McGavock family.


Almost 25 years later, in 1846, Williams’s brother Randal McGavock Ewing (1790-1853) and wife Martha Vaulx Drake Ewing (1805-1880) sold to Cornelius Waggoner but continued residing there for four years.


Waggoner (1789-1873) and his wife Elizabeth Hoffman (1789-1870) lived there until 1872 and passed Woodlon to their son, Benjamin F. Waggoner (1828-?). He owned a lumber business on Long Creek with 1,000 acres of timberland. Later, in 1859, Benjamin started a business making sheet iron stoves. In 1869, Benjamin married Tennie V. Cato.


The property had several owners until Charles Woody and Charles London purchased it in 1979. Then about 1997, London bought Woody out and was living there in 2017 on about 9 acres.


In 2019, Woodlon Hall was on the market in an absolute auction with over 9 acres.


There is conflicting information about this property. The NRHP document references the above information, but Betsy Philips of the Nashville Scene remarks that Woodlon may simply be a home that Alexander Ewing owned - not the primary residence. She notes that the family home was likely very near the area of Ewing-named streets but is gone now. The Ewing family is remembered by Ewing Dr., Ewing Creek, Ewingdale Dr., Ewingwood Dr. which are all to the east of Woodlon. NRHP 1980 See Carnton & McGavock family


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