‘The Adventures of the Big Boy’ – initially ‘The Adventures of Big Boy’ – was a promotional comic book given free to children who visited the Shoney’s Big Boy restaurants. Intended to ‘give the kids something to do while they waited for their food,’ the book involves the escapades of Big Boy…

The Church of the Holy Rosary is pictured circa 1968 in Donelson. The new church at the time is pictured on the left, and the former church is in the center. The school is on the right. PHOTO COURTESY OF FRED AIKEN

Benson’s Foodland Market was at the corner of Central Pike and Dobson Chapel. It closed in 2015 after 65 years and was one of Nashville’s oldest independently owned grocery stores. The market was owned by five generations of the Benson family. Richard Benson started working at the store with…

A two-day chance to jumpstart the Christmas holiday shopping is on tap Nov. 6-7 at the grounds of the historic Two Rivers Mansion on McGavock Pike in Donelson.

The Donelson Plaza was opened in 1961 with Castner Knott serving as its anchor tenant. EAI completed the demolition of the former three-story Castner Knott, as well as building separation and demolition of three adjoining suites to the west. The portion of the plaza consisted of about 50,000…

Local Phillip Clairborne loves to draw local venues in the Hermitage, Donelson and Old Hickory areas, including a drawing of President Andrew Jackson’s tomb at the Hermitage. When Rachel Jackson died suddenly Dec. 22, 1828, Andrew Jackson had yet to make any preparations for their final rest…

A picture shows what Two Rivers Mansion looked like in 1910. Historians believe at that time, Frank McGavock and his second wife, Clara, lived in the mansion at the time. Two Rivers Mansion still stands on McGavock Pike in Donelson and is one of the last of the elaborate antebellum country h…

Anyone who has ever wondered whether Two Rivers Mansion in Donelson is haunted could get their answer at an upcoming event.

An image from the 1960s shows the winding stairway at Clover Bottom Mansion in Donelson. Claude A. Wilson, principal of the Tennessee for the Blind, stands at the base by the carved newel post that, at the time, was missing the pineapple that used to grace the top. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN HARWELL

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were your born and raised? How long have you lived in Donelson?

Built in 1832, the Belair Mansion is currently a historic inn in Donelson. The mansion was a home to many prominent Nashville residents. The picture was taken in 1940. It was built as a wedding present from John Harding, the owner of the Belle Meade Plantation, to his daughter, Elizabeth, an…

Kempton of Hermitage had a Labor Day parade for the residents’ families and loved ones. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RACHEL THOMAS

An aerial view shows Opry Mills Mall in Donelson after floodwaters from the flood in early May 2010 reportedly reached as high as 10 feet inside the mall and forced the closure of the facility temporarily. The entire property was remediated. In September 2010, restoration work was halted whi…

Nashville Mayor Beverly Briley proclaims Donelson Progress Week on Jan. 21, 1965. With him are some of Donelson’s oldest businessmen at the time, Arthur Bowen and Cliff McClendon – descendants of early pioneer families – Mrs. Nell Radford, R.M. Mires and Sam Carver. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEONA T…

Those who work at the Hermitage and are familiar with the 200-plus-year-old mansion built by President Andrew Jackson agree there’s a supernatural vibe to the place.

A miniature photo of Rachel Jackson, the wife of Andrew Jackson, is propped against her Bible and prayer book at the foot of his bed each night. There’s a candle he reportedly lit to showcase the picture at night. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LADIES’ HERMITAGE ASSOCIATION

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were your born, raised, and where you live now? Family? Married? Children?

Though no longer living, Uncle Hummy Rinaldo is remembered in the Donelson area. Humbert Rinaldo came to Donelson in 1884 when he was 6 years old with his father, Rineri Rinaldo, originally from Italy, and his German mother. He lived and farmed on his family’s 12 acres until his death Sept. …

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were your born, raised, and where do you live now?

A picture shows Mr. and Mrs. John Donelson VII at a home in Donelson. They are at Stone Hall on Lebanon Road near the east end of Stone’s River Bridge in the late 1960s. They sit in front of a painting of Capt. John Donelson. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEONA AIKEN

C. Lawrence Winn, great-great-grandson of Andrew Jackson, is pictured holding a painting of his young mother who died when he was an infant. His grandmother was Andrew Jackson’s granddaughter, Rachel, who rode 30 days in an old carriage from the Hermitage to the White House in Washington whe…

Dr. W.M. Crockett, of Donelson history, was a popular resident. He owned one of Donelson’s first general merchandise stores. His brother, Tom, was the druggist. It was in the curve of Lebanon Road, west of Stewart’s Ferry Pike. His home was across the street. He built two stone houses on eac…

Pictured is McGavock Elementary school’s class of 1961. This is Mrs. Weaver’s sixth-grade class. Florence McLean Nelson is pictured in the middle row. Nelson remembers her sixth-grade class experience. ‘McGavock Elementary School was a neighborhood school with a staff of loving and dedicated…