Welcome to another installment of Homes of Bell Buckle Past! Today, we venture just a wee bit outside of town to the Mathews House. If you have ever driven by the Cascade schools, chances are you have seen this home. And if you’re like me, you’ve wondered its story.
This old home sat quietly for years near the corner of Bell Buckle Wartrace Road and Fairfield Pike, often surrounded by cows. The cows slowly started to disappear and one day, so did the house.
Philadelphia : D.G. Beers & Co., 1878.
Shows the W. Mathews property circled.
This home is located on the 1878 map of Bedford County, labeled as belonging to W. Mathews. I traced the property all the way back to William Holder Mathews and his wife Alice. In the 1860s, they owned this home and about 100 acres stretching from the crossroads all the way back to the railroad tracks. For reference points, Cascade High School is located on the old Mathews property.
William Holder Mathews was born in Franklin and raised in Shelbyville where he lived for many years. He met his wife Alice there and they were wed in November of 1867.
I found a letter written by William on January 26th, 1869 to his cousin that was coming for a visit. He mentions his “new home” in Bell Buckle, a little over a mile from the train station. On one census, William is a trader for occupation. He may have traveled for work because his wife Alice wrote in an 1870 letter about missing her husband -
“I dislike to see him leave as much as I did at first. I wish I could hasten the time when we will be together again”.
William later worked for the N. C. & StL. Railroad until his death in 1891.
Via Shelbyville Times-Gazette October 27th, 1994. The man in the picture is Leonard Chapman.
As for the house itself, its build date remains a bit of a mystery. However, it bears a striking resemblance to the Heidt Tavern/Singleton House down the road in the Fairfield community, dating back to around 1850.
It seems to have sat vacant for quite some time. The Cunningham family owned it for a solid 52 years and the Young family had it for 48. It was purchased in 2005 by Bedford County Schools and just last year, it was razed.
Via Taylor Walkden – thank you!
Via Taylor Walkden – thank you!
Though it stands no longer, the pieces of its story have at least come together enough to mark its time and place here. It will always remain a House of Bell Buckle Past.
Leave a Reply