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26 chapters
The Hermitage Home of General Andrew Jackson
The Hermitage Home of General Andrew Jackson
Registered National Historic Landmark Seventh President of United States P. O. HERMITAGE, TENN. Originally Compiled by Mrs. Mary C. Dorris Revised June, 1963 Mrs. A. MacDowell Smith , Regent Mrs. Horatio B. Buntin , Secretary Mrs. Douglas M. Wright , Research...
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Advice to Andrew Jackson by His Mother
Advice to Andrew Jackson by His Mother
In 1781 Andrew Jackson, then fourteen years of age, enlisted in the American Army; was captured and thrown into prison, where he had smallpox. His mother, Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson, through exchange, arranged for his release and nursed him back to health. Responding to an urgent appeal, she left him to go to Charleston to nurse some sick neighbors who were confined there on a British hospital ship. This errand of mercy cost her life. She caught yellow fever and died. Almost her last words to
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Youth
Youth
Andrew Jackson’s father, for whom he was named, died several days before he was born. His mother, Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson, to whom tribute should be paid as a truly remarkable woman, heroically met the hard situation of rearing and educating her three small sons. Young Andrew was nourished in the Revolutionary sentiment, which was rife in the late sixties and early seventies, bursting into flame in 1775. He and his mother and brothers were patriots from the inception of the Revolutionary mo
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New Orleans
New Orleans
The victory at New Orleans, one of the most decisive defensive victories of history, will always be celebrated as an illustrious feat of the American arms and of the military genius of Andrew Jackson. Jackson mobilized incongruous elements, every available resource, into defense against the enemy attack. The forces thus assembled, consisting of Tennessee militia, Kentucky militia, Louisiana militia, and small contingents of regulars, Baratarian privateers, free men of color, Mississippi Dragoons
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Interim
Interim
In 1823-24 General Jackson again represented Tennessee in the United States Senate. In 1824 he was a candidate for President of the United States and received a plurality of the votes in the electoral college, but no candidate having received a majority, under the Constitution the election went to the House of Representatives, where John Quincy Adams was chosen....
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The President
The President
His administrations were the first to be classed as “Democratic.” Those of Washington and John Adams were known as “Federal,” those of Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and John Quincy Adams as “Democratic-Republican.” General Jackson’s two administrations were marked by the force and power of his great personality. One of his memorable achievements was his prompt and effective dissipation of the cloud that hung over the Union when South Carolina sought to nullify the Tariff Act, which her citizens cl
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DOMESTIC
DOMESTIC
General Jackson’s wife was Rachel Donelson. She first contracted a marriage with Lewis Robards, who lived in the territory of Kentucky, then under the jurisdiction of Virginia. The marriage was not a happy one and she returned to her paternal home near Nashville. Robards presented a petition for divorce to the Legislature of Virginia, alleging desertion. At that time Legislatures passed upon and granted divorces. The news came in 1791 that the divorce had been granted. Later in the year Jackson
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An Appraisal of Jackson
An Appraisal of Jackson
He was absolutely without fear, having not only superb physical courage but moral courage of the same degree. He was intensely patriotic, and having been cradled in the Revolution in which as a boy he took part, he was imbued with the underlying spirit of that conflict, and carried that spirit throughout his life and expressed it in his acts. He agreed with Thomas Jefferson’s construction of the fundamental purposes of government and became an active, dynamic exponent of Jefferson’s democratic i
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The Duel With Dickinson
The Duel With Dickinson
The mock heroic challenge of one Thomas Swann, to which he responded by a public caning of the challenger, Jackson regarded as inspired by Dickinson, and in his letter to Swann (before Swann’s challenge) he charged that Dickinson was the instigator. Dickinson responded, using this language in conclusion: “As to the word ‘coward,’ I think it is as applicable to yourself as to anybody I know. And I shall be very glad when an opportunity serves to know in what manner you give your ‘anodynes,’ and h
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MRS. SARAH YORK JACKSON
MRS. SARAH YORK JACKSON
By Mrs. Walter Stokes No history of the Hermitage could be complete without a sketch of Mrs. Sarah York Jackson, the beloved daughter-in-law of General Jackson. She was the daughter of Peter Stilley and Mary Haines York, a wealthy shipowner of Philadelphia. She and her two sisters were left orphans at an early age and were educated at Miss Mallon’s School for Young Ladies in Philadelphia. Sarah was the second and most beautiful of the sisters and always said she would never marry unless the Pres
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THE LADIES’ HERMITAGE ASSOCIATION
THE LADIES’ HERMITAGE ASSOCIATION
Mrs. Andrew Jackson, III (Amy Rich), conceived the idea of the Ladies’ Hermitage Association. The organizers were Andrew Jackson, III, Mrs. Mary C. Dorris, Mr. and Mrs. William A. Donelson. On February 19, 1889, Mrs. Rachel J. Lawrence, Mary W. May, Mrs. Mary Hadly Clare, Mrs. E. L. Nicholson, Miss Louise Grundy Lindsley, Mrs. Henry Heiss, and Mrs. Mary C. Dorris applied to the State of Tennessee and were granted a charter incorporating the Ladies’ Hermitage Association. The objects of the Assoc
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The Carriage House
The Carriage House
The skeleton of the phaeton is all that is left of the beautiful vehicle presented to General Jackson by the “Democratic-Republican” citizens of Philadelphia. It was made from timbers taken from the old ship Constitution. The phaeton in which General Jackson rode with Martin Van Buren to the latter’s inauguration was damaged by fire in Cincinnati, where the Jackson relics were stored before being acquired by the Ladies’ Hermitage Association. (Photograph is on wall.) Stone doorstep in front of c
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NORTH ROOM (MUSEUM)
NORTH ROOM (MUSEUM)
Clothing and personal possessions of the Jacksons: The red velvet dress, worn by Sarah York Jackson at the White House (which is the same as in the Earl portrait of her in the Hermitage dining room) was given by her great-granddaughter, Sue Rhea Symmes McCutcheon, in memory of her grandmother, Rachel Jackson Lawrence. Velvet sample shows original color. The shawl, which was presented by Mrs. W. H. Wemyss, belonged to Miss Jennie Treanor, who lived at Tulip Grove and was a friend of the Jacksons.
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The Hall
The Hall
The paper represents the legend of the travels of Telemachus in search of Ulysses, his father, and is that part of the story of his landing on the island of Calypso. He is accompanied by Mentor. In October, 1930, the paper was removed from the walls by Mr. James Wilson from the Metropolitan Museum in New York, for the purpose of treating the walls to insure the preservation of the paper, and was then put back....
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Andrew Jackson, Jr.’s Bedroom
Andrew Jackson, Jr.’s Bedroom
The mahogany bedstead, one of eight purchased after the fire of 1834, the mahogany bureau with toilet articles, mahogany washstand with original washstand set, original hair brush and clothes brush, strawberry design painted on back, mahogany marble top center table, triple mirror, brass andirons, cut glass oil lamp, the brass candlestick were all used in this room. The carpet is not original, but an old one of the period. The portrait of Sarah York Jackson was painted by Healy. The leather chai
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Office or Library
Office or Library
The books are those that constituted General and Mrs. Jackson’s library and some of those of the two succeeding generations. The bookcases, which were General and Mrs. Jackson’s, hold volumes of history, poetry, fiction, theology, military regulations, law, medical practices for the home, veterinary science, gardening, bound state papers and newspapers of the time, school books, etc., numbering over 400. The tables of mahogany, the brass candlestick, mahogany chairs, pair of bronze oil lamps, cu
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The Nursery
The Nursery
The cherry cradle was made at the Hermitage for Andrew Jackson, Jr., and was purchased by the Association from a member of the family. The quilt on the cradle was made by Mrs. W. L. Nichol, neighbor and friend of the Jacksons, for her daughter, Julia Nichol More. Coverlet, given by Mrs. Minos Fletcher, Jr., and Paul Shwab. The bed and the rug are types used in that period. The chair, which was given by Mrs. D. W. Cantrell, belonging to a member of the Jackson family. The chest of drawers and the
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Earl’s Room
Earl’s Room
The bed, the chest, the mirror, the chair of Venetian ironwork, used as a barber’s chair, all belonged to the original furnishings. The wallpaper is also the original. The carpet which is of the same period was presented by Mrs. Horatio Berry. A quilt of the period is the gift of Mrs. Louise Blackwell, of Warrenton, Va....
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Little Rachel’s Room
Little Rachel’s Room
The bronze lamp on mantle was among the original Hermitage furnishings....
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The Dining Room
The Dining Room
The dining room contains the original sideboard, table, some of the chairs, side table, pier table, sugar chest, andirons, and some of the silver and glass. The drapery fabric is an exact reproduction of an old brocatel pattern, by Scalamandre Silks; the curtains are of the type originally used; the carpet is one of the period. The floor is the only one in the mansion that has had to be replaced; a piece of the original flooring is in the Museum. Adjoining the dining room is the pantry and farth
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The Old Smokehouse
The Old Smokehouse
Original trough for salting meat made from one log, presented by Mrs. Cleves Symmes, granddaughter of Jackson’s adopted son. The iron kettle, used for rendering lard, was given by Mrs. E. W. Graham, great-great-grandniece of Rachel Jackson. The imitation hams show how they were hung from the beams. A normal supply of meat for the 100 slaves, family and guests when hogs were killed was from 20,000 to 25,000 pounds....
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The Garden
The Garden
It was designed by William Frost, a well-known English Landscapist, and it is considered by authorities to be an outstanding example of early American garden design. More than an acre in area, the garden contains about fifty varieties of old fashioned plants and great hickory and magnolia trees planted by General Jackson. Other interesting varieties of trees in the garden and on the grounds have markers showing their common and botanical names. Copy of an old English sundial given by Thomas H. B
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THE SARCOPHAGUS OFFER
THE SARCOPHAGUS OFFER
In March, 1845, Commodore Elliott offered to General Jackson a sarcophagus which he had obtained at Palestine. In a letter of appreciation, but ringing with American spirit, General Jackson declined the offer. Copies of two letters touching this incident were presented to the Association by Hon. John Wesley Gaines and are as follows: Washington City, March 18, 1845. My Dear General —Last night I made something of a speech at the National Institute, and have offered for their acceptance the sarco
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GENUINENESS OF THE RELICS
GENUINENESS OF THE RELICS
That there might never be a question raised as to the genuineness of the relics purchased, the Association has obtained from Colonel Jackson and his sister, Mrs. Rachel Jackson Lawrence, the following affidavit: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: This is to certify that all the articles of furniture or relics purchased by the Ladies’ Hermitage Association from Mrs. Rachel Jackson Lawrence, granddaughter, and Col. Andrew Jackson, grandson of General Andrew Jackson are the identical pieces of furniture owned
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FOR YOUNG READERS
FOR YOUNG READERS
In addition to the above, the State Library has many valuable, rare, and out-of-print pamphlets on General Jackson. Microfilms of Hermitage Letters and Documents are available at Joint University Library. Entrance to the Hermitage...
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