Isaac Kechem

Isaac Kechem (August 6, 1814-July 2, 1898) was an early Nashville resident, businessman, yet often unmentioned and intentionally forgotten historical figure of the Middle Tennessee landscape. Kechem’s family were German immigrants to Middle Tennessee and Isaac showed tremendous promise as a child. Graduating from Law School at 19, Kechem practiced Law for years eventually buying William Walker’s firm, located at present-day 4th Avenue in Downtown Nashville. Kechem was a self-made, wealthy individual who was known in the community for his lavish lifestyle. Living in McWhirtersivlle with his extended family, Kechem began building the greatest Victorian Mansion Nashville had seen to that point on a North Nashville plantation – nicknamed the Beast House – because of it’s enormous size – imitating that of the Biltmore Estate. Over 325 men worked on the construction and it took 5 years to ultimately complete at an unknown expense. Kechem died of presumptive, self-inflicted injuries at his North Nashville home after allegedly slaughtering his family hours before. Despite being purged from many records (apparently sometime in the 1920’s by an unknown party) for unknown reasons, his existence is still evident in population records and newspaper articles of the time available at the Davidson County Archives. A portion of his original Beast House is still standing today along the Dickerson Pike corridor, approximately 11 miles from downtown Nashville. It was converted into a popular country music venue in 1951 until its closing in 2014.