Henry George Washington Mayberry (1823-1897) carved a 1,608-acre farm from the original 5,000-acre land grant of Col. Hardy Murfree in 1848. The fertile land along Murfree's Fork supported a rich antebellum agrarian lifestyle, complete with a cotton gin, grist mill, and slave quarters. Beechwood Hall, built in 1856 by master builders Byron and Jasper Lillie, is a two-story brick and stucco residence with Greek Revival and Italianate influences, famous for the freestanding spiral walnut staircase in its 40 by 60 foot central hall. In time, Mayberry's son-in-law Robert Bailey took over the farm, and it remained in the family until it was sold in 1949. In 1951 country music legend Hank Williams, Sr. bought Beechwood Hall and 507 acres, but after personal setbacks he sold the estate at a loss to Truman Ward the following year.