II: ORIGINAL BUILDING, FIRE AND REBUILDING
The Hermitage today is identically as it was when Andrew Jackson died in 1845. Nothing has been added to it; nothing has been taken away. But as it stands now, and as it stood in 1845, it is much more elaborate architecturally than the original house built in 1819. Additions were made to the first building in 1831, and some further elaboration was done in 1834 when the house was reconstructed after being damaged by fire. The fire at that time only partially destroyed the house; it did not seriously injure the stone foundations and the stout brick walls, and these are today practically the same as when they were built in 1819, except that to cover up the smoke stains the front wall was painted white—an idea perhaps borrowed from the painting of the White House in Washington in 1816 to conceal the evidence of its having been burned by the British.
Parton, who had the advantage of talking with Jackson’s contemporaries, is authority for the statement that the Hermitage was built in 1819, the work on it beginning in the summer of that year when the General had returned from the Seminole war in such bad health that he was doubtful whether he would live long. Parton says:
“Major Lewis tells me that he rode out to the Hermitage one day soon after General Jackson began to get about after his severe illness. With slow and faltering steps, leaning heavily on his stick, the General took him to the site selected for the new residence—a very level spot in a large flat field, near the old block-house. Major Lewis recommended another site slightly elevated above the almost prarie-like level of the farm. ‘No, Major,’ said the General, ‘Mrs. Jackson chose this spot, and she shall have her wish. I am going to build this house for her. I don’t expect to live in it myself.’ And there the house was built.”
That Mrs. Jackson had designated the spot where the house should stand was recalled by the General again in 1834 after the fire when it was suggested to him that it might be rebuilt in another location. Then he wrote to his adopted son: “Was it not on the site selected by my dear departed wife I would build it higher up the hill;” but the fact that Rachel had originally selected it definitely settled in his mind any question as to whether the location of the house should be changed.
In the interest of strict accuracy it should be pointed out that the ground where the house stands is not quite so prairie-like level as Parton describes it. On the contrary, it is on the side of a gently sloping hill. The floor of the front portico is but one step off the ground, whereas a flight of several steps is needed to reach the back porch; and there is a quite perceptible rise of ground between the entrance gate and the house.
Detailed and reliable information about the actual construction of the original Hermitage on this site is peculiarly scarce. In all the published Jackson correspondence there is but one reference to the building operations, this being unfortunately without date and merely referring to some difficulties encountered in having the house painted. In a footnote in the published “Correspondence of Andrew Jackson” Doctor Bassett mentions having seen a receipted bill dated June 12, 1818, for $200 for china and silver plate. Doctor Bassett says that it seems fair to assume that this indicates an outlay for the new house, although this is manifestly nothing more than speculation on his part. Most of what we know today about the circumstances attending the construction of the original building is mere surmise, based on inferences and deductions. Jackson was a prolific letter writer; but for some strange reason he seems to have written little or nothing about the building of his new home. Also, unfortunately, there is no information available as to the identity of the original contractor or architect—if there was one.
It has been stated in published articles that the Hermitage was built by an architect named Joseph Reiff; but the only foundation for this seems to lie in the fact that he was the man in charge of the rebuilding after the fire. Mr. Reiff, by the way, did not pose as an architect at all. In the articles of agreement covering the rebuilding he refers to himself simply as a carpenter; and it seems likely that he was one of the class of men known in that time as “journeyman builders”—practical carpenters who went about the country equipped with books of plans of basic architectural designs which they adapted to the needs of their clients. But, regardless of what was his correct technical designation, there is nothing whatever to connect Mr. Reiff with the original building operation in 1819.
Bearing in mind the custom of the times, it is most probable that the house was designed by Jackson himself and the actual construction work done by skilled slave labor, perhaps under the direction of some master builder. The design of the original Hermitage was severely simple and had little about it to suggest that its plans were drawn by a professional architect. It was not at all beyond the capacity of General Jackson. The foundation was of native limestone, quarried on the farm by slaves. The poplar structural lumber and timbers, and the wide red cedar boards for the porch floors, were cut nearby from local timber. The walls were built of brick, burned on the place as was the practice in those days. Brick making was still primitive in its processes. A bed of clay was located, the top soil was removed and lime sprinkled on the clay, and then a black boy on a mule had a good time treading the lime into the clay and thus preparing the raw material for the bricks, which were shaped in hand molds and baked in improvised kilns.
By combining all the available information, it appears certain that the original Hermitage was a simple two-storied, square brick building consisting of four rooms and a hall downstairs and the same arrangement upstairs. There was originally no portico at the back or front, nor did the two wings then grace its sides. It was just a square brick house, with no embellishments or architectural pretensions. From references in letters it seems that, as was common practice at the time, the house and its immediate yard were enclosed in a picket fence, and there is substantiation of this in one of the early prints of the Hermitage, but there are no signs of such a fence today.
It was in this plain house that Jackson and Rachel lived for ten happy years. He was not away from home much in those days. He was elected to the Senate in 1823, but he soon resigned that office. While he was in Washington, chafing under the time-wasting deliberations of Congress, he wrote to John Coffee: “How often does my thoughts lead me back to the Hermitage. There in private life, surrounded by a few friends, would be a paradise compared to the best situation here; and if once more there it would take a writ of habeas corpus to remove me into public life again.” And he was sincere when he wrote that.
In 1831, after he had been inaugurated President, and while he was living in the White House, General Jackson contracted to have the Hermitage enlarged and elaborated in keeping with the increased prestige of its master. Andrew, junior, had just married, too, and the President probably wished to have the house improved for the benefit of his new daughter-in-law, of whom he was very fond. Accordingly, arrangements were made for the addition of the two wings—that containing the dining-room and pantry on the western side and the one embracing the library, or office, the side entrance and the overseer’s room on the garden side of the house. It was at this time also that front and back porticos were added; although, according to engravings made at the time, the front portico was not then two stories high. It merely extended across the front of the lower floor, with its roof below the level of the upstairs windows, except at the front door where it was two stories high with a pediment at the top. The contemporary pictures also show the wings with gables at the front and back, instead of with flat roofs as at present. This remodeling work was done by a contractor named D. Morrison, who had just finished building the stone tomb over Mrs. Jackson’s grave in the garden.
Mr. Morrison wrote to President Jackson on December 6, 1831, announcing the completion of the work on the house and giving some interesting details about the job. In this letter he said:
“The additions and improvements are completed. In addition to the improvements as exhibited in the plan I showed you, I have erected a neat and appropriate portico on the back side of the central building which adds very much to the comfort and convenience of your dwelling. The Hermitage as improved presents a front of 104 feet. The wings project 9 feet in front of the central building and are connected by a collonade of the same breadth. The collonade consists of 10 lofty columns of the Doric order, the entablature carried through the whole line of front, and has wreaths of laurel leaves in the frieze. The upper story consists of a portico surmounted by a pediment which breaks the monotony of the composition in a very satisfactory manner. The materials employed in the improvements are all of the best quality the neighborhood affords. The colonnade is covered with the best copper, the sheets weighing from 12 to 14 pounds each sheet, and the gutters that convey the water from front to back are also of copper. The wing buildings and porticos are roofed with good cedar shingles. The dining room is large and will dine 100 persons at one time comfortably. The wing at the east end contains the library, a large and commodious room; an overseer’s room; and a covered way that protects the three doors leading to the library, overseer’s room and to the back parlor. The old kitchen is removed and the materials employed in the erection of a large and commodious smoke-house which is placed on a line with the new kitchen.”
The reference to the kitchen in Mr. Morrison’s letter, by the way, seems definitely to establish the fact that the present kitchen and smokehouse were built in 1831 and were not parts of the original establishment as built in 1819, as was for a long time supposed. Exactly where the old kitchen stood is not revealed in any records now available; but just to the east of the present kitchen there may be seen in the grass the outlines of a stone foundation which probably indicates its former location.
The total cost of the improvements made at this time was $2,488.50, not including $131.00 paid out at the same time for papering and painting the whole house. The itemized list of expenses was as follows:
| Stone-cutters, masons and bricklayers, | $491.00 |
| Carpenters and joiners, | 678.00 |
| Painters and glazers, | 187.00 |
| Plasterers, | 168.00 |
| Coppersmith and tinner, | 350.00 |
| Lumber and shingles, | 468.50 |
| Hardware, glass, etc., | 110.00 |
| Turner’s bill, | 25.00 |
| Hauling lumber from Nashville, | 11.00 |
| $2,488.50 |
General Coffee, Jackson’s old friend and fellow veteran of the Battle of New Orleans and the Indian wars, drove over to the Hermitage from time to time while the remodeling work was in progress and kept an eye on it. On April 28, 1831, he wrote the President at Washington: “Your mechanics were at work on the improvements making on the mansion house. I took the liberty of suggesting some immaterial alterations in the addition, which was approved of by the projector of the building, who said he would consult you about it.” This alteration in the plan, it is revealed in one of Mr. Morrison’s letters to President Jackson, consisted in extending the eastern or library wing back twenty feet further than called for in the original plan, the additional space thus gained being used for the covered passage and overseer’s room. This overseer’s room, also called the steward’s room, was in later years used as the nursery for the children of Andrew, junior, and later the covered passage was bricked in and the side entrance hall thus created as it is today.
Accurate and dependable pictures of the brick Hermitage as it appeared in 1819 are singularly scarce, and the few available efforts at its picturization differ considerably in appearance.
In one of Earl’s early portraits of General Jackson the General is shown standing on a slight eminence, with the Hermitage at a distance in the background. This picture of the house, a veritable portrait from life, is doubtless a trustworthy representation of the original brick house; and there is presented herewith a reproduction of this picture, obtained by successive enlargements of the background of the Earl portrait. It ought to give a reliable idea of the appearance of the place before the wings were added.
Similar in appearance is an undated engraving (“Drawn and engraved by H. B. Hall”) which was reproduced in Bassett’s Life of Andrew Jackson and also in Marquis James’ Border Captain. Presumably this was drawn by Mr. Hall on the spot, as it is quite similar to the Earl picture showing the gabled roof and double chimneys at each side of the house.
The most amusing and least accurate of all the available pictures of the early Hermitage is to be found in The Jackson Wreath, or National Souvenir, a laudatory book about Jackson, the President elect, published in Philadelphia in January, 1829. In this book is an attractive engraving of a suspiciously conventional house which bears the descriptive entitlement: “The Hermitage;” but faith in the accuracy of the picture is shaken by a naive footnote (in microscopic type) which says with engaging candor: “On the commencement of this work, proper steps were taken to procure a drawing of the Hermitage from the spot, by addressing a prominent establishment at Nashville; whether the several requests were ever received by them is not known, but the drawing never came to hand here. A gentleman at Washington, intimate with the grounds, politely furnished a description from which a drawing was made. Anyone who is acquainted with the difficulty of producing a correct drawing from description will overlook any difference that may appear in the likeness to the place it is intended to represent.”
This imaginative engraving shows a square house, with the gable end in front, and with two single chimneys—one at the left and one in the rear. There is also a neat little portico at the front door, and an out-house close by the left-hand side of the house. Despite its confessed inaccuracy it was obviously the source of at least two other popular engravings of that day which reproduced with fidelity its improperly placed gable and chimneys; and even as late as 1855 as reliable a monthly magazine as Harper’s illustrated an article about Jackson with an alleged picture of the Hermitage which was plainly but a copy of the engraving in the “Jackson Wreath” with merely a few slight changes in the arrangement of the conventionalized trees and horses in the foreground.
Fortunately there is preserved a contemporaneous picture, reproduced in this book, which is generally accepted as a fairly accurate representation of the house as it appeared after the wings were added and before the fire. After the fire the front portico was rebuilt two stories high all the way across; and the six large columns as now seen replaced the smaller posts formerly used. This picture, judging from the location of the tomb so close to the house, is not free from the imaginative latitude the artists sometimes allow themselves; but it is said to give a good idea of the way the house looked before the fire.
In October, 1834, occurred the burning of the Hermitage, an event that attracted widespread attention. Jackson was at that time at the White House in Washington, but his adopted son and his wife were occupying the Hermitage.
An account of the fire in a Nashville newspaper of October 14th announced the event in the following words: “Yesterday evening about 4 o’clock the roof of the Hermitage was discovered to be on fire, and all attempts to arrest the progress of the flames proving unavailing, the entire edifice with the exception of the room attached to the northern end and used as a dining room was in a few hours consumed. The valuable furniture in the lower story was fortunately saved, though much broken and otherwise injured in getting it out. That in the second story, we understand, was chiefly destroyed. The fire is supposed to have been communicated to the roof by the falling of a spark from one of the chimneys, and there being at the time a light breeze from the northwest the progress of the flames was proportionately rapid. The numerous and valuable private papers of the President were probably all preserved. We need not add that the event has occasioned to this community deep and universal regret.”
The dignified simplicity of the Hermitage’s front door was typical of the Southern plantation houses of the early nineteenth century. Throughout Old Hickory’s lifetime this door was ever open to a stream of visitors from all walks of life, and all sure of a cordial welcome.
Rear view of the house, showing one of the original old maple trees.
An old print showing General Jackson’s greeting of Marquis Lafayette in the library of the Hermitage.
One of the original slave cabins. Occupied by Uncle Alfred until the time of his death.
President Jackson was promptly advised of the fire in letters from his adopted son; from Stockley Donelson, his nephew; and from Colonel Robert Armstrong, postmaster at Nashville and one of Jackson’s strongest personal and political friends.
Stockley Donelson thus explained the origin of the fire: “A fire was kindled in the old dining room and the chimney caught on fire, which not being observed immediately and the wind being from the northwest, the fire was communicated to the roof. The flame however had not spread very far before it was discovered by Squire and Charles and the alarm given. Cousin Sarah was at this moment in the house having just returned from a short ride and Andrew was in the field, but a short distance from the house. The fire was soon discovered by Wm. Donelson’s hands who were working near at hand, by A. J. Donelson’s workmen and hands, as well as by your own hands. They were all on the ground before the roof fell in, etc. Mr. Rife by his own exertions succeeded in getting on the dining room roof and extinguishing the flames, etc. Others were employed in getting out the furniture, etc., which was nearly all saved except some bedsteads upstairs. I have made inquiry. I interrogated Mr. Rife and Mr. Hume who were upstairs and in the old dining room where the fire was kindled first and they both say it was not an unreasonable large fire. The weather was very dry and windy. When the fire was first discovered by Charles and Squire they made every effort to get a ladder, but none could be found, and there was no other way to get to the roof, etc. Cousin Sarah acted with firmness and gave every necessary direction to save the furniture; and her and Andrew, though much hurt, I am happy to add bear the misfortune with fortitude.” Mr. Donelson went on to say that the walls of the house “being originally well built are not much damaged” and that there would be no difficulty in rebuilding.
Colonel Armstrong in his letter was careful to say that in his opinion the fire was “purely accidental;” and he estimated that the house could be rebuilt on the old site for $2,000 or $2,500. He recommended rebuilding on the old site (“for I know the walls and foundation were good”), and volunteered to be of any possible assistance.
The news of the burning of his home must have been a crushing blow when it reached President Jackson in the White House. Following the particularly turbulent session of Congress which ended in June, 1834, the weary President had gone back to the Hermitage and spent the summer there in the pleasant process of recuperating from the debilitating effect of his long drawn out battle over the bank. All of the administration’s domestic problems were settled, in one way or another; and he spent the summer in riding about over the Hermitage plantation, visiting his friends and neighbors, and entertaining the customary flow of guests. Early in October he brought his vacation to an end and started on his return to Washington; and he had hardly arrived back at the White House before the letters reached him telling of the fire.
But Jackson accepted this blow of Fate with resignation and equanimity. His letter to Andrew, junior, is a model of calm fortitude under a sudden stroke of adversity:
“Dear Andrew: I have this moment received your letter of the 13th instant giving an account of the unfortunate occurrence of the burning of my dwelling. As no neglect is imputed to anyone and as it appears one of those accidental occurrences where there is no blame to attach to any one, we ought and I do meet it as an act of Providence and always reconciled to His will and prepared to say at all times and under all circumstances ‘The Lord’s will be done,’ it was He that gave me the means to build it and He has the right to destroy it, and blessed be his name. Tell Sarah to cease to mourn its loss. I will have it rebuilt. Was it not on the site selected by my dear departed wife I would build it higher up the hill, but I will have it repaired. You say the walls are uninjured. Let workmen be employed forthwith to repair it. Let scantling and brick be got and have it covered in before the hard frost with rain injures the walls. If tin can be got in Nashville have a tin roof put on it. If the walls can be repaired and the house covered in before winter the windows can be so closed as to prevent the walls or scantling within from being injured. I write to Col. Armstrong, whose letter is before me, who will aid you in obtaining materials and workmen to cover in and repair the house. I write in haste. Say to Sarah not to grieve or repine about the loss. We will have it all repaired. I write to Mr. Toland this evening to send on by the ship Chandler Price via New Orleans as much tin as will cover a house 80 feet by 44 and hope it will reach you in due time. This will enable you to borrow the tin in Nashville from anyone who has it. I suppose all the wines in the cellar has been destroyed, with Mrs. Donelson’s box of China. Give me as accurate an account of the loss of furniture as you can at as early a period as possible. In all your bustle and improvement, my son, have your cotton picked out and housed. It becomes us now to act with economy and use industry to repair and regain the loss. Therefore, as the only fund to aid in paying for the land and repairing the building and other engagements are the cotton crop, I urge you to have it carefully taken in, ginned, baled and sent to market.” As soon as the news of the fire became known throughout the country there was set on foot in New Orleans a movement to rebuild the Hermitage by popular subscription; and a Nashville citizen, George C. Childress, wrote to Jackson to ask him if such an action would be agreeable to him.
“We see from the New Orleans papers,” wrote Mr. Childress, “that a proposition is made in that city to raise a fund to rebuild the mansion house at the Hermitage, every individual in the United States who may choose to contribute fifty cents and no more in order that it may be in the power of every man who may wish to join in tendering to you this complimentary mark of public gratitude and contributing to the repair and preservation of a residence which is almost looked upon as National property. There is no doubt that an ample fund would be raised in this manner to rebuild the house in the most elegant manner and I write, sir, to know if it would be agreeable to you to accept this complimentary token of gratitude at the hands of your admiring countrymen.”
This letter is found in Jackson’s correspondence file, and on the back of it is endorsed in the General’s firm handwriting: “Mr. Childress to be answered: I respect as I ought the feelings that dictated the generous feeling in the proposition, but can not accept the boon. I am able to rebuild it, and hope whatever generosity the good people of New Orleans intended to bestow on me as a memento of their regard for my public services may be applied to some charitable institution.”
Nothing more clearly reflects Jackson’s unquenchable spirit than the prompt and effective manner in which he set about arranging for the rebuilding of his home. His genius for organization—his talent for getting things done, even at a long distance from the scene of activity—here plainly manifested itself. “Let workmen be employed forthwith to repair it,” he wrote Andrew; and then he sat down and wrote to his friend, Colonel Armstrong, asking him to get in behind the making of a contract for the rebuilding. Apparently Colonel Armstrong called into consultation another of Jackson’s friends, Colonel Chas. J. Love, for in January, 1835, Colonel Love wrote to the President that “a contract has been made with Messrs. Rife and Hume for the rebuilding of the house at the Hermitage. Every care has been taken to have the contract made so full and plain that it can not be misunderstood. The materials are to be good and the work executed in the best possible style. Mr. Hume is now up the country to make engagements for the lumber that it may got down in time to have it well seasoned before the work is put together—then Colonel and myself will keep a strict lookout that the work is done agreeable to contract. Colonel Armstrong and myself understand the contract so well that it can not be misunderstood. It was talked over and over again and agreed on not only in writing but verbally, and all the alterations are to be made agreeable to our view of them. The house is large and we got the best bargain we could.”
The “Rife and Hume” referred to in Colonel Love’s letter were Joseph Reiff and William C. Hume, the carpenter-contractors who were then employed in constructing the handsome home which General Jackson was having built near by, on the Tulip Grove Farm, for his wife’s nephew, Andrew Jackson Donelson. Messrs. Reiff and Hume are mentioned in Stockley Donelson’s letter telling the news of the fire as having been in the Hermitage at the time it started, and it is not improbable that they were living there while the new house at Tulip Grove was being built. It would have been characteristic of General Jackson to offer them the hospitality of his home while they were engaged in the nearby work.
The agreement for the rebuilding of the Hermitage was specifically made out in the name of Andrew Jackson, junior, in deference to the General’s strong desire to have Andrew assume a man’s responsibility in the management of the estate; but the fine Italian hands of Colonel Armstrong and Colonel Love are to be seen in the careful phraseology of the document and the prudent safeguards thrown about the carpenters’ performance. “Col. Armstrong and myself understand the contract,” wrote Colonel Love; and the published correspondence reveals how faithfully Colonel Armstrong kept in behind the matter, watching all the details of building and furnishing, and carrying the whole thing through to completion.
The rebuilding agreement provides an interesting reflection of the manner in which such activities were carried on a hundred years ago, and as such is worth reproducing in full:
January 1, 1835.
Memorandum of agreement made and concluded upon this first day of January, 1835, between Joseph Reiff and William C. Hume of the one part and Andrew Jackson, Jr., of the other part, all of the County of Davidson and State of Tennessee.
Article 1st. The said Reiff and Hume, (carpenters), have undertaken to rebuild the Hermitage house and east wing of said house, to do all the carpenters’ work of said house, and to find and furnish all the lumber, plank, scantling, and nails, brads, sprigs, hinges, bolts and in fact everything required to rebuild the same, except the glass, locks and copper. The lumber, flooring, etc., etc., to be done of the best quality and all well seasoned. The carpenters’ work to be done in the best and most approved and workmanlike manner, for which the said Andrew Jackson, Jr., agrees to pay the said Reiff and Hume in cash the sum of $3,950, as the work progresses.
Article 2nd. The house to be rebuilt in the same order that it was before, with four rooms and passage below and four rooms and passage above. The garret rooms and the stairs from the garret to the walk on the top of the house to be finished in a plain way. The walk on the house to be the same mentioned in the plan and finished with a neat and appropriate banister or railing. The joists in all the different rooms to be bridged.
Article 3rd. Here follows an estimate of work and cost, and in case any of it should not be done or should be abandoned a deduction is to be made from the aforesaid sum of $3,800:
Bill of Carpenter’s Work 2 cellar doors and frames, at $3 each $ 6.00 40 lintels for doors and windows at 25c 10.00 Framing 76 sqr joists at 75c per square 57.00 830 feet of washboards at 11c per foot 85.00 53½ sqr of poplar flooring at $2.50 per square 133.75 8 chimney pieces at $10 each 80.00 13 doors, cased with pilasters, at $12 156.00 2 large folding doors, 10 or 12 feet, at $30 60.00 2 front doors at $30 60.00 8 windows, recessed pilasters to casing, at $10 80.00 9 ” not recessed, at $6 54.00 17 double boxed window frames at $4.50 76.50 17 pair of Venetian shutters at $6 102.00 408 lights of sash, 10×14 glass, at 10c 40.80 4 garret windows complete at $8 32.00 32 sqr of framing, sheeting and shingling at $2.50 80.00 128 feet of cornice, at $1 128.00 50 feet of verge boards, 12½c 6.25 Framing and laying open floor and ceiling and hand-rail and balustrading walk on house, 60×12 or 14 feet 140.00 Trap door, steps in garret and skylight 15.00 1 circular staircase, two stories high 260.00 1 private staircase 30.00 4 presses at $12 48.00 First story of front porch with 6 columns, etc. 256.00 Second ” ” ” 75.00 One back portico 40.00 Work on Wing Framing 22 sqr of joists at 75c 16.50 ” 15 sqr of shingling at $2.50 37.50 Laying 10 sqr of poplar flooring at $2.50 25.00 180 feet of washboard at 10c 18.00 2 chimney pieces at $10 20.00 3 doors cased with pilasters at $12 36.00 4 18-light windows with shutters at $16.50 66.00 1 Venetian window 16.00 100 feet of cornice at 50c 50.00 $2,396.30 Add one-fourth for boarding 599.07 $2,995.37 See estimate of lumber 804.63 $3,800.00 Add for pulleys, weights, cord, hinges and screws 150.00 $3,950.00 Article 4th. The main stairs to be circular, or geometrical, the work to be done in the best and most approved style. A private staircase from the room below called the steward’s room to the chambers above, a folding door in the rooms north as you enter the passage below, a door from the room to the President’s office, with a small passage spoken of by the said Andrew not yet determined on. The front and back porch to be finished as before, the columns of the former to be fluted and the cornice and so forth to correspond with the estimate annexed. The east wing, office, steward’s room and passage to the garden to be finished on the former plan. The said Andrew furnishing locks for the building, using such of the old ones as will answer for the upper story and furnishing new ones for the lower, Reiff and Hume putting on all the locks.
Article 5th. The said Reiff and Hume agree to take and put into the second story any of the old work saved that may be thought to serve to answer and pay the value of the same. They also agree to take all the lumber, plank, etc., that the said Andrew has now on hand as cash paid in part of his contract.
Article 6th. It is hereby understood that the said Reiff and Hume bind themselves to make a complete finish of the carpenters’ work of the said building, pay all expenses of turning, using cedar timber where it is necessary, the contract to be fulfilled agreeable to the plan given, and to the express understanding made and agreed upon in the presence of Col. Love and Robert Armstrong.
Article 7th. The dimensions of the rooms, the size of the windows, and a minute description of work to be done is not mentioned in this article, but it is understood by the parties in the presence of the above named gentlemen.
Article 8th. It is agreed upon that when the lumber, plank, etc., is delivered the said Andrew will furnish the money to pay for the same and will continue to make payment as the work progresses.
Article 9th. The said Reiff and Hume are to purchase the lumber and commence the work immediately, and further agree that the carpenters’ work shall be so forwarded as to let the plasterers in to commence their job by the first or middle of September next, so that the house can be completely finished by 25 December, 1835.
As no contract has been made for the painting, the said Andrew will have the priming done as fast as the work goes on.
It is understood that there is to be the same number of large fluted columns in front as formerly if thought necessary, and it is further understood that the said Reiff and Hume will do all and everything in relation to the carpenters’ work of said building as though every item had been separately specified, making a complete finish of the carpenters’ and joiners’ work of said building, finding everything except the articles of locks and glass heretofore mentioned.
In witness we have hereunto set our hands and seals this 1st of January, 1835.
Joseph Reiff William C. Hume
| Bill of Carpenter’s Work | |
|---|---|
| 2 cellar doors and frames, at $3 each | $ 6.00 |
| 40 lintels for doors and windows at 25c | 10.00 |
| Framing 76 sqr joists at 75c per square | 57.00 |
| 830 feet of washboards at 11c per foot | 85.00 |
| 53½ sqr of poplar flooring at $2.50 per square | 133.75 |
| 8 chimney pieces at $10 each | 80.00 |
| 13 doors, cased with pilasters, at $12 | 156.00 |
| 2 large folding doors, 10 or 12 feet, at $30 | 60.00 |
| 2 front doors at $30 | 60.00 |
| 8 windows, recessed pilasters to casing, at $10 | 80.00 |
| 9 ” not recessed, at $6 | 54.00 |
| 17 double boxed window frames at $4.50 | 76.50 |
| 17 pair of Venetian shutters at $6 | 102.00 |
| 408 lights of sash, 10×14 glass, at 10c | 40.80 |
| 4 garret windows complete at $8 | 32.00 |
| 32 sqr of framing, sheeting and shingling at $2.50 | 80.00 |
| 128 feet of cornice, at $1 | 128.00 |
| 50 feet of verge boards, 12½c | 6.25 |
| Framing and laying open floor and ceiling and hand-rail and balustrading walk on house, 60×12 or 14 feet | 140.00 |
| Trap door, steps in garret and skylight | 15.00 |
| 1 circular staircase, two stories high | 260.00 |
| 1 private staircase | 30.00 |
| 4 presses at $12 | 48.00 |
| First story of front porch with 6 columns, etc. | 256.00 |
| Second ” ” ” | 75.00 |
| One back portico | 40.00 |
| Work on Wing | |
| Framing 22 sqr of joists at 75c | 16.50 |
| ” 15 sqr of shingling at $2.50 | 37.50 |
| Laying 10 sqr of poplar flooring at $2.50 | 25.00 |
| 180 feet of washboard at 10c | 18.00 |
| 2 chimney pieces at $10 | 20.00 |
| 3 doors cased with pilasters at $12 | 36.00 |
| 4 18-light windows with shutters at $16.50 | 66.00 |
| 1 Venetian window | 16.00 |
| 100 feet of cornice at 50c | 50.00 |
| $2,396.30 | |
| Add one-fourth for boarding | 599.07 |
| $2,995.37 | |
| See estimate of lumber | 804.63 |
| $3,800.00 | |
| Add for pulleys, weights, cord, hinges and screws | 150.00 |
| $3,950.00 | |
Uncle Alfred, who served Old Hickory during his lifetime and now sleeps near his side in the Hermitage garden.
Sunday morning at the Hermitage Church in the early forties. General Jackson has just dismounted from his saddlehorse tied to the tree in the right foreground, which tree is still standing. (From an old print.)
The work was got under way at once, but the building was not declared completed until the summer of 1836—more than eighteen months after the reconstruction was started. “Hands can not be got,” Colonel Armstrong wrote Jackson during the summer of 1835, “still we are doing the best we can.” It was the era of inflation and easy money, and labor was scarce. So the work dragged along; and, as is not unusual in building operations, the cost of the finished job considerably exceeded the original estimate. Colonel Armstrong in his first letter expressed the opinion that the work could be done for $2,000 or $2,500; in a later letter he said “$2,500 or $3,000 will complete the whole work”; the contract with Reiff and Hume was at a figure of $3,950; and when the final settlement was made the total was $5,125—not including $900 for plastering and $400 for painting. To add to the General’s troubles at this time came a calamitous failure of the cotton crop and he wrote sadly to Andrew about the necessity for economizing. “Unless the farm produces enough to pay its own expenses, my means here will be fully exhausted in paying for the finishing of the house and restoring to it the furniture destroyed.”
There were a few minor changes in the plans as the work progressed including one suggested by Major William B. Lewis, Jackson’s closest political friend, who expressed the view that “the stories of the house should be made higher.” Colonel Armstrong wrote: “I think it would be an improvement and add very much to the appearance of the house.” On this subject General Jackson wrote to Andrew: “I would be satisfied to see it restored to what it was before it burnt, but as I know I shall not be long on earth to enjoy its comforts in retirement, I enclose his letter on this point to you that you may exercise your own discretion.” Major Lewis carried his point; the stories were made higher. Also during the course of the work, at the suggestion of the helpful Major, some changes were made in the size and arrangement of the windows. The new windows, he wrote Jackson, “are of very pretty size and proportions, and will look much better than the old ones.” He added that in his opinion the house as rebuilt would be a great improvement over the old one, both in interior arrangement and exterior appearance.
At last, on August 2, 1836, Colonel Armstrong rendered to General Jackson a final statement of the expense of rebuilding:
Estimate of bills of the Hermitage House, with the amount paid and balances due 1 June:
For amount of Reiff and Hume bill per agreement contract $3,950 For extra work done upon change of plan 239 For work done on west wing and new kitchen, finding everything 186 For the full-length two-story porch added, finding everything 750 $5,125 To cash paid Reiff and Hume at sundry times $2,285 ditto paid 25 April 1,000 ditto paid by A Jackson in work 513 ditto paid June 24 500 $4,298 $ 827 For Amt bill Higgins plastering $900 To cash paid Higgins in part $500 ditto ditto June 24 225 725 175 For Amt bill of painting, paints, oils, etc. $400 To cash paid Horn and Wells (Horn 100) $188 do paid Horn 50 do paid Wells 25 263 137 Do paid Horn 2nd of August 1836 pd by A. J. jr. 85 $ 52
| For amount of Reiff and Hume bill per agreement contract | $3,950 | ||
| For extra work done upon change of plan | 239 | ||
| For work done on west wing and new kitchen, finding everything | 186 | ||
| For the full-length two-story porch added, finding everything | 750 | ||
| $5,125 | |||
| To cash paid Reiff and Hume at sundry times | $2,285 | ||
| ditto paid 25 April | 1,000 | ||
| ditto paid by A Jackson in work | 513 | ||
| ditto paid June 24 | 500 | $4,298 | |
| $ 827 | |||
| For Amt bill Higgins plastering | $900 | ||
| To cash paid Higgins in part | $500 | ||
| ditto ditto June 24 | 225 | 725 | 175 |
| For Amt bill of painting, paints, oils, etc. | $400 | ||
| To cash paid Horn and Wells (Horn 100) | $188 | ||
| do paid Horn | 50 | ||
| do paid Wells | 25 | 263 | 137 |
| Do paid Horn 2nd of August 1836 pd by A. J. jr. | 85 | ||
| $ 52 | |||
“The house is well built and convenient and in appearance greatly improved upon the old one,” Colonel Armstrong wrote Jackson upon its completion; and so the old General found it when he returned to the Hermitage in June, 1836.
When the fire occurred Andrew, junior, and his family went to live temporarily at the nearby Hunter’s Hill place, but later took a house in Nashville. In November, 1834, Mrs. Jackson and the children went to Washington to spend the winter in the White House, with interspersed trips to Philadelphia to visit her family and buy furniture for the Hermitage, but Andrew stayed in Nashville to look after the rebuilding work. He joined Sarah and the children for a vacation with the President at the Rip Raps in July and August, 1835, but he came back to Nashville in September.