Daniel Smith Donelson started construction of Hazel Path Mansion in 1837. Hazel Path was completed in 1857. Brick was made on the site and stone was quarried nearby.
Daniel Smith Donelson was the grandson of Daniel Smith who built Rock Castle and was one of the first settlers in this area. He was also the nephew of President Andrew Jackson.
Daniel Smith Donelson was a graduate of West Point and attained the rank of brigadier general in the Tennessee Militia in 1829. In the Confederate Army he attained the rank of Major General. General Donelson selected the site of Fort Donelson in West Tennessee, but was not present at the battle for the fort.
At the Battle of Murfreesboro General Donelson commanded the First brigade of Cheatham's division and was in the charge which broke the right wing of the Federal army.
He died while in command of The Department of East Tennessee and is buried at the Presbyterian Cemetery located 600 meters west of Hazel Path on Gallatin Road.
Hazel Path was confiscated by the Union Army at the start of the War Between the States. President Andrew Johnson returned the home to General Donelson's widow after the war after learning that he knew her father.
Hazel Path was given its name by Nannie Smith Berry because hazel trees once lined its drive. By 1900 it was the center of an active farm containing 3800 acres. Nannie Smith Berry lived at Hazel Path for 100 years.
The City by the Lake, A History of Hendersonville, Tennesseee, 1780-1969 by Timothy L. Takacs
Roads Less Traveled: Exploring America's Past on Its Back Roads By Lyn Wilkerson