The Belle Meade Plantation, located in Nashville, Tennessee, has many historical connections (Belle Meade, nd). John Harding and his wife Susannah Shute Harding purchased the 200 acres soon after they married in the early 1800s. Prior to Harding purchase the lands had been hunting grounds for Native Americans. Overtime tribes had worn a trail that was used as a trade route that was later used for the same purpose by new settlers. Development that turned this trail into a road brought about more settlers that purchased the land with the intentions of turning their properties into farmland. Farmland was also what Harding purchased the acres for. In the early years Harding desperately relied on the assistance of slaves to fulfill all of the tasks…show more content… The Civil War and the army’s need for horses posed a threat to horse breeding and racing industry in the area but General Harding was able to maintain his thoroughbred horses. General Harding was able to pick up his thoroughbred business towards the end of the 1860s. General Harding’s horses went on to win General Harding an incredible amount of purses for that time period. General Harding decided to begin selling thoroughbred horses after the Civil War. The auction system was used for the first time in Tennessee to sell General Harding’s thoroughbreds. The auction system brought General Harding great success in the industry in terms of breeding and distributing horse in Tennessee. Belle Meade thoroughbreds made quite a name for the organization. Secretariat and Seabiscuit are only two of many horses that had huge gains on the track and made history for the sport and for the Belle Meade Plantation for thoroughbred breeding and distribution. After his death, John Harding was recognized for his contributions to the industry. General Harding and his son-in-law, General William Hicks Jackson, worked closely together on the plantation and horses prior to General Harding’s death, in 1886 (Belle Meade,
