The Venue

The Your Rental Includes

  • Access to the Barn & the Carriage House from Friday morning to Sunday at noon.
  • Complimentary two-night stay in Heritage House.
  • 20 5’ Round tables which can comfortably seat 6-8. Chairs will need to be rented from a 3rd party.
  • Four Rectangle Tables for food service or seating.
  • One wooden conference table for gifts, hors d’oeuvres, or cake.
  • One antique doctor’s carriage.
  • 1 rolling drink bar, manufactured from materials recovered during the barn restoration.
  • Installed warm white icicle and single-strand LED lights.
  • Air Conditioning in both the Barn and Heritage House*.
  • The rental fee for all of this is $3000 for 2023 & $3250 for 2024.
    Additional nights in the house are available at $250 each.

The Barn

The Barn at Heritage House is a lovingly restored, timber pegged, open beamed barn originally built in 1853, located two miles from Nashville, It sits on a five-acre lot with plenty of free parking available.

Here you will find a blank slate, with only white twinkle lights on the beams, so it can be decorated however you wish!

150 people can be seated comfortably in the main hall with room for a dance floor in the main area of the barn.

The back hall can be used for a buffet/food/ catering area. It is closed off from the main hall and can be entered from the Barn or through the back doors. The back entrance is right off the driveway so your vendors can use this entrance to set up your food.

Unfortunately, there is no catering available on site, but that means that you hire whomever you wish! We don’t require you to use anyone specific! However, if you are not from the area, we would be happy to make some recommendations. If you choose to have alcohol, we require you to have a licensed bartender and strongly recommend you get an event insurance policy to protect yourself.

The barn, food service area, and restrooms are all handicap accessible.

The Carriage House

In addition to the space inside the Barn, there is a separate building out front that can be used as your beverage area, photo booth, or food reception line. This is where you will find the antique doctor’s carriage.

Heritage House

Heritage House is a restored, two-story farmhouse. There are three bedrooms with queen-sized beds and a full-size pull-out couch on the main level. The house is completely furnished and includes two full kitchens, one on each level. It also includes the use of a 6-person hot tub.

Though complimentary with your rental, you may rent it longer if you wish. Renting the house for an extra night is a great way for family members, or the wedding party, to be able to stay on the property to help with setup and breakdown. There are also two hotels located within a mile that can also help to lodge any of your out-of-town guests.

Our Heritage

The original owners

In 1853, our ancestor, Samuel McLary, the man depicted in the mural in the men’s restroom, built the Barn. The mural in the woman’s restroom depicts his daughter, Mary, Cathy’s grandmother. (Both murals were painted by Rebecca Pico of Athens, TN.)

Heritage House was built by Samuel in 1880, before Mary, was born. Mary grew up here until she married William Mathis and later moved further down the creek to another part of the farm and raised her eleven children; most of whom remained in Brown County throughout their lives. The house went to Mary when Samuel died. Cathy’s father lived here as a teenager and Cathy lived here until she was six. After Mary passed away, the house went to Cathy’s aunt who owned it until it was sold out of the family.

Getting the property back

In 1998, we were able to purchase the home back and give it a full restoration after the people who bought it from our family nearly destroyed the barn. It truly was a labor of love to recapture the memories we had of living here in our youth. Each year the descendants of William (1873-1932) and Mary A. (McClary) (1880-1961) Mathis still gather amidst the splendor of October in Brown County to continue the tradition.

We are the 4th generation of our family to own the property on which the house and barn sit. Many of the black and white photographs throughout the home are copies of our family pictures, taken right here in Brown County, by Frank M. Hoenberger in the 20s-40s. His entire collection was donated to Indiana University and is available for viewing at the Lilly Library on campus. We believe that family is one of the most important things in life and are glad that we can share our heritage with yours.