Falcon Rest "New" Name for Historic Falcon Manor

Historic Falcon Manor is celebrating the 110th anniversary of Clay Faulkner building his mansion by changing its name back to the one he originally gave it: “Falcon Rest.”

“We’re changing the name but the fun is the same,” said Charlien McGlothin, General Manager.  “Folks can be sure that the food, entertainment and beauty they have come to love will only get better."

It was some time after he restored the mansion and opened it to the public 12 years ago that "the Victorian Gentleman" George McGlothin discovered Faulkner had called it “Falcon Rest.”

When he bought the abandoned mansion at auction, the "Gent" visited his high-school Latin teacher, Mrs. Edith Bryan, who lived down the road in the home built by Clay’s father, Asa, called "Falconhurst."  The widow of famed Tennessee composer Charles Faulkner Bryan, she was the local expert on Faulkner family lore.  Mrs. Bryan said the Faulkners often used ‘falcon’ in the names of their homes because “Faulkner” is derived from “falconer.”  He chose “Falcon Manor” in keeping with that tradition.

Faulkner’s granddaughter, Mary Saunders Wiltshire, revealed the actual name when she visited the mansion shortly after it was opened to the public.  A local newspaper article from the early 1900s confirmed her recollection.  Discovered by Chris Keathling of McMinnville's Southern Museum of Photography, History and Culture, it said the wedding of Faulkner’s daughter Virginia took place “at the family home Falcon Rest.”

Returning the mansion to its historic name reflects what has been its actual function for many years … a historic tourist attraction.

“We’ve come a long way from the time the Faulkner mansion was the only building we had, and we provided all of our services from within its solid-brick walls,” said Charlien.  In fact, when the American Bus Association held its annual convention in Nashville this winter, Tennessee included Falcon Rest in one of the tours designed to familiarize national motorcoach operators with tourism highlights of the state.

The Victorian Carriage House (site of entertainment and meals for tour groups, plus special events and weddings), and the mansion, Victorian Gift Shop and Tea Room (open for guided tours, shopping and lunch for walk-ins daily year round) will fall under the "Falcon Rest" banner.

The "Falcon Manor" name will be retained for overnight guest rooms in other buildings on the grounds.  Though the mansion itself has been used exclusively for tours since 1999, Tennesseans have honored those accommodations by naming them among their favorite places to stay for the last five years in Tennessee Magazine’s “Best of the Best” reader’s poll.