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Jay Brothers

Drane-Leigh Home/ Fairfield Farm

Updated: Jun 25

53 Taylor Rd. off the Hopkinsville Pike Clarksville, TN

Circa 1825. 2 story brick Federal style home


Hugh McClure (1769-1828) built this home off the Hopkinsville Pike. It sat on a 640 acre estate. McClure wed Susan Gibson McClure (1783-1835) in 1805 and was a wealthy Clarksvillian who built the first brick storehouse in the city on Main St. McClure hailed from Ireland.


In 1828, McClure’s daughter, Elizabeth (Eliza) Jane McClure Drane (1808-1889), inherited the property along with her husband Dr. Walter Harding Drane (1798-1865) and used it as a country home. Over the years, the family grew the farm to 1,500 acres. Dr. Drane was also prominent and active in city affairs. He was very supportive of Clarksville Male Academy (1837)- precursor to Austin Peay State University and the Female Academy. He helped organize and fund multiple turnpikes, bridges and railroads - contributed $10,000 to complete the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad. In the 1850s, Dr. Drane funded the covered bridge, the Mouth of Red River Bridge. In 1843, Dr. Drane retired from medicine and moved to Fairfield permanently. The Drane’s sons built Minglewood (Edward Drane), Highlands and Belmont. When Dr. Drane passed away, he left a large estate estimated at $1M - interests in tobacco, railroad construction and banks.


His sons, Hugh McClure Drane (1836-1878), and then Dr. Henry Tupper Drane (1850-1920) and his wife Elizabeth Bruce Thomas Drane (1851-1892) owned Fairfield later. Another son Wesley McClure Drane and Amelia Washington Haddex Drane built Belmont nearby.


Wesley Drane (1860-1943) was the last family owner. He was married twice: Mary Chapman Macrae Drane (1858-1901) in 1885 and to Willie Frances Elliott Drane (1880-1965) in 1903. Drane purchased an interest in what is now the Clarksville Foundry, Inc. in 1892, and the foundry operated as Whitfield, Drane & Co. Later, about 1892, other relatives, S.M. Drane and C.H. Drane buy out Whitfield's interest and the found then becomes Drane & Co. He was chairman of the board of First National Bank.


Drane sold the property in 1908 to Walter Washington Leigh (1846-1927) and Lillian Wilson Leigh (1859-1932) enjoyed the home. Next, their daughter, Martha "Mattie" Elizabeth Leigh Buckner (1890-1976) and Lewis Douglas Buckner (1890-1957) inherited the property. They wed in 1920. The Buckner family owned it in the 1950s.


In 1961, the present owners purchased and renovated it. In 2021, the home sat on almost 9 acres. In 2012, Larry and Anne Swanson sold the Drane-Leight Home. They own Swan Manor Enterprises. See Drane-Foust House, Drane-Patch-Catlett Place, Minglewood


Sources:


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