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Jay Brothers

Marymont: One of the last built

Updated: Dec 13, 2023

Marymont, located at 1124 Rucker Lane west of Murfreesboro, is the last of the huge antebellum mansions.


Aaron Jenkins (1750-1807) came to Tennessee in the late 1990s to settle his Revolutionary War grant of 1,920 acres in what became Rutherford Co. About 1795, he bequeathed those tracts to his two sons: Hiram Jenkins (1780-1857) and Nimrod Jenkins (1822-1855). By 1860, Nimrod had purchased his brother’s portion.



Photo by Skye Marthaler


Between 1861-67, Nimrod Jenkins and Jane “Mittie” Woodson Moore Gresham Jenkins (1834-1905) built the 2 story Marymont in Southern Colonial style in 1861. They wed in 1854. Five generations of the family proceeded to live there. Unlike many other homes in the area, the Jenkins home was not destroyed during the Stones River battles. In 1879, Nimmie Jenkins Rucker (1856-1927), niece of Hiram Jenkins, and her husband Dr. James Joseph (J.J.) Rucker were owners. They wed in 1878 and bought the home. Sarah Childress Polk was a great friend, and eventually became a regular guest. Dr. Rucker was a well-known physician in the area. In 1885, Dr. Rucker was vice president of the Rutherford Co. Medical Society and was the county representative in the Tennessee State house.


In 1936, great-granddaughter Mary Harrison Rucker Donnell (1891-1972) and Ridley Edward Donnell (1868-1930) inherited Marymont. Marymont was named for Mary Rucker. In 1973, James


Rucker Donnell (1918-2008) and Emily Stansberry Nichols Mortimer Donnell were owners. Marymont was owned by the Jim Donnell Family Trusty in 2004 when fired damaged the home. In 2005, Bob Parks, ParkTrust chairman and partner Mel Adams purchased Marymont and its land. They intended to use the mansion as an information center. Three years later, in 2007, ParkTrust Development, a local community developer, won a 2007 Statewide Preservation Award by the Tennessee Preservation Trust for Marymont.


The restored home is a part of the development of Marymont Springs residential development. The Great Recession about 2008 changed their plans and disrepair set in during the delay. Early in 2019, Jeff and Shari Brown were trying to repurpose the home as the Black Crown Wine Bar, but in late 2019, Marymont was on the market. NRHP 1973


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