The Hermitage

While in Nashville, we took the opportunity to visit The Hermitage, a former cotton plantation and now historical museum, once owned by Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States. We started off watching a film about Andrew Jackson, followed by a guided tour through the beautifully restored Ante-bellum mansion that was his home, and a lengthy stroll on the manicured grounds. Initially Jackson operated his cotton farm with nine enslaved African Americans, but this number gradually grew to 44 by 1820. Jackson rapidly converted the farm into a prosperous 1,000-acre plantation and supervised the construction of many outbuildings, including a distillery, dairy, carriage shelter, cotton gin and press, and slave cabins. At the peak of operation, Jackson had more than 100 enslaved men, women, and children working in the fields. Additional enslaved families provided for the domestic necessities of the Jackson Family, such as cooking, cleaning, gardening, driving, and a multitude of other daily tasks. Although The Hermitage doesn't try to hide these realities, it is none-the-less hard for me to accept that slave labor, owning slaves, was a common occurrence during these times. Pictures weren't allowed inside the mansion, but we were able to take as many as we wanted outside, on the grounds, and of the former slaves quarters.

Nashville, Tennessee

We wrapped up July 2011 with a capital visit to Nashville, Tennessee. The State Capitol building sets atop a high hill in downtown Nashville, and offers spectacular views of the surrounding area. It is one of only eleven state capitols (along with those of Deleware, Hawaii, Louisiana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Alaska, and Virginia) that does not have a dome. Designed by architect William Strickland, construction on the Capitol Building began in 1844 and was completed in 1859. Strickland died during the construction in 1854 and is buried within its walls.