Neumeister News: Old Hickory 4/28

As usual, we are heading east on I-40. We are really enjoying all the greenery and trees and remarked how we do miss that living in the high desert. Someday we'll live among the green again.

Our main goal today is to visit the home of President Andrew Jackson. Hermitage is near Nashville. I suppose most people come for the Nashville music, but we will try that on another trip. We set up camp first (picture later) and then headed for The Hermitage.

There was a nice video detailing the life and politics of "General Jackson" which was quite interesting. As Gary noted afterwards, he wasn't quite sure he liked the presidency, but then the culture was different in those days and many people were not ready for abolishing slavery.

We were not allowed to take any pictures inside the house. It had many of the original artifacts, furniture and wallpaper from the time of Andrew Jackson. The rooms were huge, had very large doors and very high ceilings. Every room had its own fireplace as that was the only way they could heat the house. The kitchen was outside the house as well as the "bathroom", though we did not see any outhouses on the site.

This picture shows the back of the house from the log cabin of one slave family. To the far right is the smokehouse, with the kitchen between it and the house. To the left of the house is a beautiful garden which contains the tomb of Jackson and his beloved wife, as well as graves of many family members.

Gary is reading the inscriptions written on the tombs. We had earphone and tapes which directed us around the grounds and gave us information. Inside the house we had costumed guides who told us about the various rooms.