November 12, 2021 Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage

Today’s adventure took us to Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, the home of the 7th president.

We signed up for the Mansion Tour which gave us an interpreter led tour of the mansion and various audio tours of the grounds.

There was a lot of information about Andrew Jackson and his family but here I am only going to talk about the tours and the property.  If you would like more information on Jackson, it can be found here:  https://thehermitage.com/ – Check under the “Learn” Tab.

We ordered tickets for the 1030 tour.  Once we arrived and checked in, we went past the museum and walked to the mansion.  Our first glimpse:

Impressive, isn’t it! Waiting in line for our tour:

 

We could not take any pictures inside.  Our docents were wonderful, giving us the history of the house, the rooms and their use, and even some of the events and culture of the day.

Once outside, we were able to take pictures of some of the rooms.  Andrew Jackson was said to be the “People’s President.”  He had an open door policy at the White House and here at his home.  It was said that if you came to visit him, you would get a meal and be able to sleep over (although you may not get a bed).

Here is the dining area:

The kitchen is on the left and the smokehouse on the right.  Both are separate from the house:

The kitchen:

The back of the Mansion:

This was originally two separate quarters for slaves and their families.  Eventually it became know as Alfred’s House..

Interesting information on Alfred – he was dedicated to the Jackson family and one of the first tour guides in his later years.

 

The Spring House:

The original Hermitage.  It was a two story home where they lived for 17 years.  When they moved to the Mansion, the floors were separated and they both became slave quarters.

The inside of the above unit:

The Root Cellar:

Information on the Jackson family:

They did not have any biological children but did take children in as their own.

One of the VIP Tours included a ride throughout the property.  (It was sold out – )

Beautiful horses:

The property was absolutely beautiful and the weather was the best!

In the tree line, there was a family of deer and a large buck!  It was hard to get a good picture cause they were so far away.

The garden area was laid out in four quadrants with pathways thru the middle and along the edges.  Vegetables would have been planted in the quadrants.  In the center and along the edges were the flowers that Mrs. Jackson loved.  On one branch of the pathway, herbs were planted to use for food and medicinally.

One of the pathways:

The center of the gardens:

 

The Jackson Cemetery was right behind the gardens.

The tomb of Andrew and Rachel:

Interesting Tombstone.

The side of the Mansion:

The Hermitage archaeology program began in the late 70’s with several excavations throughout the site.  Researchers have found a collection of about 800,000 artifacts including animal bones, ceramics, work tools, and personal items.  This is one of the digs:

From there we went to the museum to see a film on Andrew Jackson and his life.  If you know some of the history of him, he was not very kind to the Native Americans and the slaves.  The movie addressed this.  One quote was we need to acknowledge the history, good and bad, whether we like it or not, so it does not happen again.  Great quote.

We walked thru the museum that contained information on Jackson’s military career and stories of the slaves.

Andy and I both enjoy history and it was a great day for us.

We stopped at Walmart on the way back and lo and behold, they had my favorite wine.  Oak Leaf is Walmart’s answer to Costco’s two buck Chuck.  I haven’t had this since AZ in 2016.  And it was still under $2.00 – how about that!

 

Tomorrow we have tickets for the Grand Ole Opry so stay tuned and enjoy today.