In the fall of 1951, the Ward-Belmont college-preparatory division reopened on a new campus and with a new name—the Harpeth Hall School. Harpeth Hall began the new school term with 161 students in grades 9 through 12, almost all of whom had transferred from Ward-Belmont. A Nashville historical marker at the 3801 Hobbs Road site commemorates the event. The first head of school, Mrs. Susan S. Souby had previously headed the high school department at Ward-Belmont. The first administrators and all but two members of the faculty were former members of the Ward-Belmont staff. The existing house on the newly acquired property served as Harpeth Hall's first school building, later named Souby Hall. Within the next year, the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools accredited Harpeth Hall. The school rapidly gained membership in the National Association of Independent Schools, the Southern Association of Independent Schools, and the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools.