The Hermitage, Home of General Andrew Jackson

by Mary C. Dorris

MANSION AND GROUNDS

The Hermitage is built in “Southern Colonial” style of architecture, with large verandas in front and rear, a wide hallway, with two rooms on either side, and wings supplementing these. The rooms are spacious, and are eleven in number, besides pantry, storeroom, kitchen, cellar. There is a smoke-house and other outhouses. In 1922 a steam furnace was installed at a safe distance from the mansion, eliminating danger of fire from this source.

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.

Scene I. The landing and the Queen advancing to meet them. Scene II. Telemachus relating the story of his travels to Calypso, the faithful Mentor by his side. Scene III. Calypso gives a fete in his honor, and Cupid begins to play a part. Scene IV. Telemachus resolves to escape; Calypso’s maidens burn his boat, and he jumps from the cliffs.

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.

1. Brass candlestick, presented by Mrs. Percy Warner. 2. Glass Celande or Hurricane shade.

The Front Parlor

1. Two carved chairs presented to Jackson by the Khedive of Egypt, when Jackson was President. 2. Portrait of General Jackson presented by Mrs. Thomas M. Stegor. 3. Portrait of Mrs. Jackson in ball dress. 5. Pair Dresden vases used in the White House while Jackson was President. 6. Bronze andirons, representing the Vestal Virgin. 7. Portrait of Andrew Jackson by Healy, the artist who was commissioned by Louis Philippe to paint the portrait, only two of which are in existence. The other one hangs in the Louvre, Paris, painted eight days before Jackson’s death. See Healy letter in Museum. 8. Opal vases presented by Andrew and Albert Marble Jackson. 9. Two liqueur bottles, presented by Lafayette to General Jackson. 10. One of a pair of brass lamps with crystal prisms used at the Hermitage by the Jackson family. Purchased from the heirs of Samuel Jackson Lawrence by the Ladies’ Hermitage Association. 11. Silver filigree basket. 12. Chair used in the White House during President Jackson’s administration. Presented by Miss Laura Friesbee of Washington, D. C. 13. Portrait of General Jackson by R. E. W. Earl, given by Mr. and Mrs. William Randolph Hearst, Jr.

Back Parlor

15. Sewing box inlaid with mother-of-pearl belonged to Mrs. Andrew Jackson; Mrs. Jackson presented it to Mrs. Emily Donelson; Mrs. Donelson gave it to Mrs. Wilcox (her daughter); Mrs. Wilcox gave it to Mrs. Andrew Price; through Mr. and Mrs. Richard Plater it was presented to the Ladies’ Hermitage Association. 16. Portrait of General Coffee. 17. Portrait of General Bronaugh. 18. Portrait of Colonel Gadsden. 19. Portrait of Lieutenant Eastland.
(These four constituted the Staff Officers generally called “General Jackson’s military family.”) 20. Clock, one of the oldest relics, in the Hermitage before the death of Mrs. Rachel Jackson. The hands are set at the hour Jackson died. 22. Jackson piano presented by Colonel Andrew Jackson, grandson of Andrew Jackson. 23. Music book belonging to Mrs. Emily Donelson, First Lady of the White House. Presented by Mrs. Bettie M. Donelson. 24. Two gilt wall brackets bought by Andrew Jackson, Jr. 25. Flower jar presented by Andrew Jackson, IV, and Albert Marble Jackson (on wall bracket). Duplicate in front parlor. 26. Mirror willed to the Association by Mrs. Alice Watkins Shields of Knoxville in 1934, originally at the Hermitage. 27. Nut bowls, and compote (on pier table). 28. Guitar of Mrs. Jackson, loaned by the Rev. Walton Lawrence Smith, a descendant. 29. Mahogany center table. The only piece remaining of the set presented to General and Mrs. Jackson when on a visit to New Orleans after the battle. The gold spectacles on the table were worn by Mrs. Jackson and the volume of Robert Burns’ poems is inscribed, “Rachel Jackson from her beloved husband, Andrew Jackson.” 30. Mahogany sofa bought by Mrs. Hoffstetter at the sale of the adopted son’s effects in 1866. Presented to the Association in 1897 by Miss Bettie Hoffstetter of Nashville. 31. Pair of silver lustre vases sent to General Jackson from the Czar of Russia.

General Jackson’s Bedroom

1. Portrait of his wife by Earl, over the mantel, upon which his dying gaze rested. 2. Portrait of the adopted son, Andrew Jackson, Jr., in childhood, by Earl. 3. Earl portrait of the granddaughter, Mrs. Rachel J. Lawrence (eldest child of the adopted son), the pet and companion of his declining years. 3A. French china teapot or veilleuse, with place for light at bottom, sometimes used as night light. This relic of General Jackson’s was sold by descendants to the McIver family. The Association purchased it in 1959 from Miss Effie McIver, in memory of Miss Felicia Grundy Porter. 4. Chinese Mandarin scent bottles. Belonged to Mrs. Jackson. 5. Shell jewel case, which was Mrs. Jackson’s. 6. Portrait of Jackson. 7. Shell vases on mantel, which belonged to Mrs. Jackson. 8. Steel engraving, the “Sixth Seal.” This is an illustration of The Revelation, Chapter 6:12, 17, engraved by G. H. Phillips from the original picture by F. Danby, A. R. A., in collection of Wm. Beckford, Esq. 9. Colored print, “Battle of the Thames.” 10. Colored print, “Battle of North Point.” 11. Tobacco box, used by the General. 12. His leather hatbox. 13. Rachel Jackson’s sewing box, made by an admirer who gathered the shells. 14. Picture of Judge John Overton, bearing his signature, Judge Overton was Jackson’s law partner and lifelong friend.

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 chair was one used constantly by her.

The wallpaper is a reproduction, presented by the Robert Graves Company of New York and copyrighted (1925). The wood blocks from which the paper was made were purchased by the Association.

Candlestick on mantel, presented by Mrs. Anne Hoyte Hicks Joyce, which was purchased by her grandmother, Mrs. Maggie L. Hicks, at an early auction, was used by General Jackson at the Hermitage.

Bohemian glass jar, which belonged to Rachel Jackson. Presented by Mrs. W. T. Mallison.

Andrew Jackson’s signature is on fly leaf of open volume, History of England, 1793.

Side Hall

1. Famous Military Portrait (by Earl). 2. Secretary presented to General Jackson. 3. Original sofa purchased by the Association in 1937. 4. The wallpaper in the side hall (downstairs) is a copy of the original, the part upstairs is the original. 5. Marble bust of General Jackson, presented by Hon. Lawrence Cooper, of Huntsville, Ala. 6. Precepts, given to Jackson in his early youth by his mother, which he said ruled his life. This copy presented by E. A. Lindsey and Reau E. Folk. 7. Jackson’s Masonic Apron loaned by Stanley F. Horn. 8. Copy of Jackson’s portrait, which hangs in the Nashville Masonic Temple, the original having been painted when Jackson was Grand Master. Presented by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Tennessee. 9. Presentation copy of Masonic Manual, dedicated to Jackson and presented to him by the author, Wilkins Tannehil. 10. Early portrait of Jackson, showing in the background the Hermitage as it was before it was remodeled in 1831 and preceding the fire of 1834. It was presented by Mrs. Charles W. Frear, of Troy, N. Y., in memory of her husband, who owned it for many years. 11. Jackson portrait by Sully. Presented in 1958 by Mrs. John Valentine Mershon of Philadelphia, whose grandfather, Jonathan Paul Worrall, was one of the group who originally proposed Jackson’s nomination for the presidency, and who previously owned the portrait. It was carried at the head of political parades. 12. 1819 Map of the United States given by Mrs. James Wemyss of Gallatin, Tennessee.

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, cut glass celande or hurricane shade, brass spittoon, boar paperweight, and owl inkstand are all original. The carpet, not originally in the Hermitage, was obtained from the home of Mrs. Edgar Foster, which was built in the period of the Hermitage. Other original furnishings are:

1. Three cherry bookcases. 2. Chair, made from wood of the frigate Constitution, presented to Levi Woodbury, Secretary of the Navy, 1837; Secretary of the Treasury, 1834, to March, 1837; during the administration of President Jackson. Presented to the Hermitage by Miss Ellen C. Woodbury, daughter of Levi Woodbury, in 1900. 3. Mahogany bookcase and desk. 4. Bust of General Jackson by Hiram Powers. This Powers bust of Jackson, by the sculptor before he went to Italy for study, is one of the best examples of pure American art. 5. Old map of New Hampshire. 6. and 7. Pair of paintings of DeSoto and his wife, Isabella. Presented by Louis Philippe to President Jackson. 8. Jackson’s bound copies of the Globe Democrat, Published at Washington, D. C., while he was President of the United States. Presented by Mrs. Bettie M. Donelson. 9. Old Newspapers of Jackson’s time (Bound). Presented by Mrs. Rachel Jackson Lawrence. Atlas with Andrew Jackson’s signature Sept. 12, 1835. 10. Bust of Levi Woodbury, of General Jackson’s cabinet. 11. Case, made of historic wood taken from the old building first used as a statehouse in Nashville, 1812-1815. The case was made to protect the bound volumes of newspapers of Jackson’s day. Wood given by Mrs. Jennie C. Buntin. 12. Invalid chair, presented to General Jackson by the mechanics of Nashville. Invented by Dr. Holmes of South Carolina, who presented duplicates to Queen Victoria and John C. Calhoun. 13. Mahogany candlestand, upon which General Jackson always opened his mail, and candlestick on beaded mat; his Bible and spectacles. 14. Marble-topped table at which General Jackson issued directives at the Battle of New Orleans. Presented by Judge John Minnick Williams of Altus, Okla., formerly of Nashville. 15. Chair, presented to Jackson by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. 16. Pair of bronze and crystal oil candelabra on mantel. 17. Portrait by Earl of General Jackson on Sam Patch, white horse presented him in 1833 by the citizens of Pennsylvania. General Jackson rode this horse in a civic and military parade given in his honor in Philadelphia, after which it was sent to Nashville. Federal soldiers whom General Geo. H. Thomas had placed as guard at the Hermitage fired a military salute over the grave of the horse. 18. The walnut office desk with a number of secret drawers; used constantly when Jackson was practicing attorney. 19. Steel engraving of George Washington. 20. Bust of Lewis Cass, Secretary of War and Minister Plenipotentiary to France under General Jackson. 21. Liquor Chest of General Jackson. Presented by Mrs. Michael Mullens of Baltimore, Maryland.

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 washstand were part of the original Hermitage furnishings, and the china toilet set, of the Jackson period, was presented by Mrs. Edgar Foster. The clock and the unique china candlesticks were also part of the Hermitage furnishings, and the thermometer was General Jackson’s.

The silver cup was presented by Martin Van Buren to his godson, Andrew Jackson, III, on the occasion of his christening at the White House. The portrait over the mantel, which was at the White House and also hung in the Hermitage nursery, is of the twin children of Marcus Talmage, of New York, namesakes of Andrew and Rachel Jackson. Presented by the Talmages. The French doll of 1830 was given to The Hermitage by the Dixie-Dollers Club.

The wooden hat box, which belonged to Jackson’s mother, Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson, was given by Mrs. Clara Hudgins Cowgill. The print of General Jackson is by Currier and Ives. One of the pictures is of Mrs. Lucius Polk and her son, William. As Mary Eastin, she spent much time at the White House with the Jacksons during her young ladyhood and was married there. The other picture is of Mary Eastin and Madame Pageot (daughter of Jackson’s close friend, Maj. Wm. B. Lewis) who was also one of the Jacksons’ favorites and was married there. Both pictures, made from portraits owned by the family of Mrs. Lucius E. Burch, were presented by Mrs. Burch. The small oil painting by the ten-year-old daughter of Peter G. Washington was a gift to Jackson during his presidency.