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(#13) There Is A Second Mansion On The Property Called Tulip Grove
Andrew Jackson Donelson, Rachel Jackson's nephew, was Andrew Jackson's private secretary in the White House. He built a home for himself and his wife on a piece of land adjoining the Hermitage and named it Tulip Grove after the tulip-shaped blossoms on the poplar trees nearby.
Construction was finished in 1836; the mansion was done in a Greek Revival style with Doric columns in the facade. After Andrew Jackson Donelson sold the property, it passed through several hands and eventually came into the care of the Ladies Hermitage Association.
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(#11) Former Staff Believed The Hermitage Was Haunted
There are many ghost stories about the plantation. In the late 1890s, the Ladies Hermitage Association reportedly grew convinced the place was haunted. They took to staying up at night to witness supernatural phenomena and reportedly saw and heard various apparitions.
Along with the ghosts of former servants and enslaved people, the women claimed the spirit of Andrew Jackson himself still rode across the grounds.
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(#7) The Driveway Was Shaped Like A Guitar Long Before Nashville Was Called Music City
The city of Nashville is known for its country music scene and colorful downtown district. But back in 1804, when Andrew Jackson first purchased the land on which he planned to build his plantation, Nashville was just a small frontier town.
The exact reason for the unusual shape of the driveway isn't known. But one possibility is that Andrew and Rachel wanted a long and elegant entryway for visitors, worthy of such a grand home. The guitar shape simply became a fitting coincidence years later.
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(#12) The Hermitage Still Raises Cattle And Grows Several Types Of Crops
In its heyday, the Hermitage produced crops like cotton, hemp, and maybe even tobacco to sell in nearby Nashville. Its location on the Cumberland River provided an easy method of shipping the goods to other nearby cities.
Most of the land that the Ladies Hermitage Association owns (about 1,100 acres) is still used for farm production, with cattle raised alongside cotton, corn, and other goods.
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(#10) Two Natural Springs Exist On The Property
Andrew Jackson is thought to have picked this particular piece of land for his permanent home partly because of the two natural springs located on the property. They produce clean, clear, and icy cold water that both the Jackson family and the people they enslaved slaves would have put to good use.
Likely, the cold springs would have served as a place to keep certain food items chilled, acting like a refrigerator.
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(#3) One Former Enslaved Person Is Buried In The Garden
Alfred Jackson lived at the Hermitage longer than any other person. He was in charge of the horses and wagons of the plantation. Alfred was even a tour guide when the Hermitage opened as a museum; he had stayed on after emancipation as a tenant farmer. His home, known to visitors as "Alfred's Cabin," sits very close to the main house.
He passed in 1901 and was buried in the mansion's garden near where Andrew and Rachel Jackson and the rest of their family lie.
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The Hermitage is a historic plantation that was once owned by Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, and opened to the public in 1889. Andrew Jackson was once so respected, but his behavior and the huge plantation were greatly controversial. Because he strongly supported slavery and profited from it, Jackson owned more than 160 slaves, they worked for him on the Hermitage and even the White House.
Now the Hermitage is one of the oldest and largest historical site museums in the United States, as well as the most iconic landmark. Each room in the Hermitage has its own story and witnessed the history of slavery. There are random 13 details about the plantation which most people do not know.
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