Photo by Wptitus
Spencer Buford (1778-1845) and Elizabeth Giddens Buford (1783-1832) built their home on part of her family’s Homestead Manor property between 1815-20. They wed in 1835.
Elizabeth’s parents, Francis S. and Mary Elizabeth W. Giddens, were among the earliest settlers in the area. They owned and ran Gidden’s Stand (tavern) in northern Maury Co. at what is today the southern edge of Williamson County in Thompson Station in the early 1800s, and just south of what is now Critz Lane. A “stand” was a safe place to stay and eat. It is a 2 story Federal home they built on a knoll now called Roderick Place. They wed in 1801. Buford’s second wife was Mary Whitaker Anthony King Buford (1804-1881).
Spencer was one of the commissioners to establish the Franklin and Columbia Turnpike Company in 1831. The turnpike which was established about a mile from the old route south became Highway 31. The Buford plantation eventually increased to 3,000 acres. One of Buford’s daughters, Amelia H. Buford Thompson (1802-1840), married Dr. Elijah Thompson (1805-1871). When the railroad was built through that area in 1850, the Thompson family donated land for a town and train station to be established. In recognition, the town was named Thompson’s Station for Dr. Thompson. [The area was first known as White House; then changed to Littlebury for an early postmaster.]
The home’s name of Roderick comes from a horse. Gen. Nathanel Beford Forrest rode a faithful mount, Roderick, in his cavalry service. In the Battle of Thompson’s Station, Roderick was killed. The horse was brought to the Buford property to bury and soon after, the home was called Roderick in its honor. In 1988, Barbara Freeman owned Roderick Farms, and it was listed on the National Register. In the early 2000s, an owner listed as KMK Acres raised Aberdeen cattle on the property. C&L Development purchased the land in the mid-2000s and proposed a residential plan which was approved in 2007. The property was removed from the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
In 2016, the Roderick Farm was owned by a development company C&L Development, LLC which intended to transform the property into a mixed-use community. The site size is now nearly 80 acres which includes the historic Roderick House and other buildings. NRHP 1988, removed 2015 See Homestead Manor
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