The Hermitage
The Hermitage The Hermitage is one of the oldest historical site museums in the United States and has been open as such since 1889 (“The Hermitage”). I had never been to The Hermitage before this class. And I must say that Andrew Jackson picked a lovely piece of land to build his home. Even before beginning the tour, the landscaping is remarkable. The driveway leading to the mansion is lined with cedar trees, making the house of Andrew Jackson and his family look as if it was taken right out of a fairytale. Also, when I visited with my friend Brittani Moyers, there was a fall festival being held in the lawn between the visitor’s center and the mansion. Because of this, there was lots of food, art, and people. We picked a great sunny weekend to visit. I felt as if I could have very well been back in the early 1800’s when Andrew Jackson lived there. After fighting in the Revolutionary War, Andrew Jackson decided to move to Tennessee where he decided to become a lawyer and get into politics. He purchased 425 acres of land in 1804 and decided to call it The Hermitage. His wife Rachel, whom he married back in 1791, picked out the area of land on which the main house was built (Hankins). I learned on the tour that the Hermitage was redone and expanded twice after it was built. On the tour, there was an informational sign that showed all three versions of the house. The first expansion took place while Jackson was in office in 1831, which had expanded the house mostly outward. Soon after this expansion, I learned from the tour guide that a fire had happened in 1834 which, sadly, left only the exterior walls and the foundation. So the décor we saw on the tour was closely that of the house after this remodel. When walking into the house, the first room I saw was the main hall, which was decorated in the Greek Odyssey themed wallpaper which was very expensive, I learned, and imported from France. It was interesting to me to see what people in that time period decorated
Cited: Hankins, Paula. "The Hermitage Tennessee." Nps.gov. National Parks Service, 2003. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. "The Hermitage." Tnhistoryforkids.org. Tennessee History for Kids, 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. "Home of President Andrew Jackson." Thehermitage.com. The Hermitage, 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.