The Nashville Mansion Where Presidential History Meets the Story of Enslaved Families Who Lived on the Property

The Hermitage

Andrew Jackson owned four thousand acres of prime Tennessee land, but The Hermitage became more than just another rich guy’s house. A cotton farm turned presidential estate turned museum, this Nashville landmark tells a complex story of power, slavery, and the birth of American politics.

Here’s the full tale of our seventh president’s famous home.

The Original Log Home

Jackson and his wife Rachel first lived in a log blockhouse built to protect from potential attacks. The sturdy building had belonged to Nathaniel Hays before them.

Rachel picked the plantation’s spot herself, choosing a quiet meadow that gave them privacy and natural beauty. Their first home included several log buildings—the main cabin plus the West, East, and Southeast cabins nearby.

Once their brick mansion was built in 1821, these log buildings became housing for enslaved workers. The original log structures were carefully restored in 2005, letting visitors see the modest beginnings of what would become a presidential estate.

The Federal-Style Mansion

After becoming famous as a military leader in the War of 1812, Jackson wanted a home that matched his rising status. Work on a Federal-style mansion began in 1819 and ended in 1821.

Enslaved workers made the bricks on the property and built the two-story house. The home had four rooms on each floor, with every room having its own fireplace and chimney for heat.

In total, the house featured nine fireplaces, a basement kitchen, and metal gutters—all modern features for that time. Large hallways running through the center could be opened during hot weather to create a cooling breeze through the home.

Benjamin Decker, the main builder, created a house showing the Federal style, known for its balanced design and classical details.

Rachel Jackson’s Beloved Garden

In 1819, Jackson hired William Frost, an English gardener from Philadelphia, to design a garden for Rachel. The one-acre space followed an English foursquare kitchen garden layout, with four equal sections divided by crossing paths.

Rachel filled her garden with flowers she loved—irises, roses, peonies, geraniums, daisies, and crepe myrtles. The garden wasn’t just for show; it also grew fruit trees, berry bushes, herbs, vines, and vegetables to feed the household.

This garden became Rachel’s favorite place, a spot where she found peace away from the political storms that often surrounded her husband. Her love for this space would later guide Jackson when choosing her final resting place.

The Greek Revival Transformation

In 1831, while serving as President, Jackson hired architect David Morrison to update The Hermitage. Then disaster struck on October 13, 1834, when a chimney fire badly damaged most of the house, destroying all but the dining room wing.

Jackson hired architects Joseph Reiff and William C. Hume to rebuild the home in the popular Greek Revival style. They used design ideas from pattern books like Asher Benjamin’s “The Architect” (1830), which showed the classical Greek elements then sweeping across American buildings.

The new design gave the front of the house a Greek temple look with six tall columns featuring tobacco leaf designs instead of the traditional acanthus leaves, honoring Tennessee’s important tobacco crop.

To make wooden columns look like stone, workers coated them with sand and painted them light tan. Inside, the architects built an impressive curved staircase in the center hall that seemed to float without support.

Rachel’s Death and Memorial

Rachel Jackson died on December 22, 1828, shortly after her husband won the presidency but before he took office. The harsh campaign of 1828 had attacked Rachel over her first marriage, which many historians believe worsened her health.

She was buried in her white inauguration dress, which she never got to wear at the White House. Jackson, heartbroken by her loss, buried his beloved wife in the garden she loved.

In 1831, Jackson had a stone tomb built, topped with a copper roof. He chose a special message for Rachel’s gravestone: “A being so gentle, and yet so virtuous,” showing his lasting love for her.

Throughout his presidency and later years, Jackson carried a small portrait of Rachel painted by artist Louisa Catherine Strobel, keeping her memory close. When Jackson died in 1845, he was buried beside Rachel in their garden, fulfilling his wish to be with her again.

The Plantation and Its Enslaved Residents

Over time, Jackson expanded The Hermitage to about 1,000 acres, with 200 acres growing cotton. Cotton was the main cash crop, requiring hard work from enslaved people.

Starting with nine enslaved people in 1804, the number grew to 110 by Jackson’s death in 1845. By 1840, The Hermitage was among the largest estates in the region. Records show only 24 Tennessee estates in the 1850s had more than 100 enslaved people.

A large brick smokehouse built in 1831 processed 20,000 pounds of pork each year, feeding both the Jackson household and the enslaved community. Beyond The Hermitage, Jackson owned 51 more enslaved people at his Halcyon plantation in Mississippi.

The rest of the land grew food and supported Jackson’s passion for breeding and training racehorses, a popular hobby among wealthy Southern landowners of that time.

Lives of the Enslaved at Hermitage

The enslaved workers at The Hermitage typically lived in two-room cabins about 400 square feet in size. These small buildings were made of logs or bricks, each with a fireplace, one window, a loft for extra sleeping space, and a single door.

Digs at the site have uncovered over 800,000 items related to enslaved life, showing how they lived day to day. In the Field Quarter where field workers lived, four brick duplex buildings formed a square, creating a shared community space.

Researchers found storage cellars under many cabins, built by the enslaved people themselves to keep food and personal items.

While Jackson provided basic food, evidence shows enslaved people hunted and fished to add to their meals. They also kept their own garden plots, growing vegetables like sweet potatoes, beans, and peas.

Perhaps most surprising, archaeologists found signs that some enslaved people at The Hermitage might have known how to read and write, skills often forbidden to enslaved people in the South before the Civil War.

Alfred Jackson’s Story

Alfred Jackson was born into slavery at The Hermitage around 1812. As he grew up, he worked caring for Jackson’s horses and fixing farm tools, gaining special skills that made him valuable to the plantation.

His cabin, built in 1841 from red cedar logs, still stands on the property today. Unlike many formerly enslaved people who left after gaining freedom, Alfred stayed at The Hermitage after the Civil War, first working as a tenant farmer on land he once worked without pay.

When the Ladies’ Hermitage Association bought the property in 1889 to save it as a historic site, Alfred became the first tour guide, sharing firsthand stories of life during Jackson’s time. He knew unique details about the estate and its famous owner, having lived his entire life at The Hermitage.

Alfred asked to be buried near Andrew and Rachel Jackson when he died, a wish granted upon his death in 1901. His grave beside the presidential tomb hints at a complicated relationship with the Jackson family that historians still study today.

The Hermitage After Jackson

When Jackson died in 1845, his adopted son Andrew Jackson Jr. inherited the estate. Sadly, poor money choices and growing debts forced him to sell parts of the property over time.

By 1856, Jackson Jr. sold the remaining 500 acres to the State of Tennessee. The deal let his family stay as caretakers of the estate, keeping a tie to their family home.

The state planned to turn the property into a southern version of West Point Military Academy. However, the Civil War in 1861 disrupted these plans as the nation split apart.

In 1889, as The Hermitage began falling apart, a group of women, including several of Jackson’s relatives, formed the Ladies’ Hermitage Association (LHA) to save the site and preserve Jackson’s legacy. Over the years, the Association bought back all previously sold portions of land, returning the estate to its original size.

Preserving the History of the Hermitage

The Hermitage stands as the best-preserved early presidential home in the United States. About 80% of the furnishings shown in the mansion are original to the home, giving visitors an authentic view of Jackson’s daily surroundings.

The Ladies’ Hermitage Association, started in 1889 by women including several of Jackson’s relatives, received 25 acres from the Tennessee legislature, including the mansion, garden, and tomb. Their work began what would become one of America’s first historic house museums.

In recent years, the organization, now named the Andrew Jackson Foundation, has broadened its focus to include stories of all who lived at The Hermitage.

In 2024, researchers found a cemetery with about 28 graves of enslaved people after decades of searching, offering a chance to honor those whose work built and maintained the estate.

Natural disasters have also shaped preservation efforts. In 1998, a powerful F-3 tornado crossed the property, knocking down about 1,000 trees but miraculously missing the house and grave site. Many of these trees had been planted by Jackson himself nearly 200 years earlier.

Visiting The Hermitage

The Hermitage is located at 4580 Rachel’s Lane in Nashville, about 12 miles east of downtown. It’s open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, with last entry at 4 PM.

Plan to spend 2-3 hours for your visit. The mansion tour takes about 45 minutes, and you’ll want extra time to explore the grounds, gardens, and Andrew Jackson’s tomb.

Audio tours are included with admission and available in multiple languages.

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