The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-31
THE JACKSON RELICS
LADIES' HERMITAGE AssoCIA-
 TIoV HAVING sUCCEs7
In Restoring the Famous Mans Home end Its Contents co Or ig.nal State. Parr Buii. of Logs Tn 1894 Still Stand-
 ing.

leans i1mes-Democrat. has through the enorts or the Ladies' Hermitage Associa-
 tion, been almost restored to the condi-
 e.on II was Tn at the time of the death of
 General Jackson. In 1856 the State of
 Tennessee purchased from Andrew Jack
 son, Jr., for AS,00o the Hermitage farm. | which then consisted of 500 acres of land
 and 1t was intended to offer 1t to the united States government for a branch of West Point Academy, but the civil war prevented the consummation of these plans. In 1889 the State Legislature of Tennessee conveyed to the Ladies' Her mitage Association, through a board of
 trustees, the house. tomb, all outhouses and twenty-five acres of land to pre- serve, beautify and adorn, throughout all coming years, in a manner most befft- ting the memory of that great man and | commensurate with the gratitude of his | countrymen." The Board of Directors of the Ladies Hermitage Association elect ed May 17, 1901, are: Mrs, J. Berrien Lindsley. regent; Mrs. A. M. Shook. First Vfce-Regent; Mrs. M. s. Cockrill. Second Vice-Regent; Mrs. Mary c. Doris, Sec retary; Mrs. U. Walter Allen. Cashier; Mrs. J. c. Gaut. Mrs. Thomas M. Steeg- | CT. Mrs. w. J. McMurray, Mrs. Jennie C. Buntin; Union Bank and Trust Company Treasurer.
 l Board of Trustees. General J. W. Lewis, | President Paris; James H. Head Secre-
 tary, Nashville; General John A. Fite. 1 Carthage; E. s. Mallory, Jackson; Ma
 thaniel Baxter. Nashville; Colonel A. M.
 Shook. Nashville; s. G. Heiskell, Knox vile and Percy Warner Nashville
 | The Association has put forth untiring | efforts to raise the funds necessary to
 purchase the furniture and relics that 1 were in the house at the time of General
 Jackson's death. It has inaugurated all
 kinds of enterprises. lectures. balls, con certs, theatricals, etc., anything that
 would net money to its treasury. The work of sustentation is aided by the
 States appropriation of $50 a month. | which pays the curator and does some little repair work. The Association has
 succeeded in putting the place in its pres | ent good condition and in replacing those
 pieces of relic furniture now to be seen | in the house, and 1t is its cherished plan
 to purchase all the relics and furniture
 and rehabilitate the house as 1t was in | Jacksof's life.
 | The original Hermitage was built in
 1894. It was made of logs. and part of it | is still standing. Aaron Burr made his
 famous visit to The Hermitage in 1895, 1 and was entertained in this log house.
 General Jackson was, living in the log house when the battle of New Orleans was fought in 1915. and returned to this
 humble home the "conquering hero'' and
 idol of the nation. The present site was
 selected and built upon in 1S19, and was
 of brick made on the place. Lafayette
 was entertained there in 1925. This house
 was burned in 1885 and rebuilt in 1886 up-
 on the, same foundation as it now stands.
 General Jackson died in 1S45, at the age | of IS years, and was buried by the side
 of his wife in the tomb in the garden. In 1909 Andrew Jackson and his wife
 adopted the infant son of Severen Donel- l son, a brother. of Mrs. Jackson and
 named him Andrew Jackson. Jr, and he Il bore the name and became the heir to all
 the estates. His son. Colonel Andrew
 Jackson. after serving gallantly as Col
 onel of Artillery in the Confederate army,
 returned to The Hermitage and lived
 with his mother until the time of her.
 death, and by her will Inherited the | household furniture, mementoes and rel
 ics of the old hero It was from Colonel
 Jackson that the Ladies' Hermitage As- sociation purchased most of the relics. The Hermitage is built in the old Colo
 nial style of architecture, with large ve- | randas in front and rear wide hallway, with double rooms on either side and
 wings supplementing these The rooms are large and spacious. and are eleven in | number, besides pantry. storeroom, kitch- en. cellar, etc. On entering the hall, | which is large and commodious, one | notes at first glance the pictorial wall paper, which was ordered by General Jackson from Paris. France, when the house was rebuilt in 1886. It came by way of New Orleans, up the Mississippi and Cumberland river 1t represents the leg l ends of Telemachus. and is that part of the story of the landing of Ulysses on the island of Calypso.
 Although Colonel Jackson still has many valuable curios that belonged to A t-1l Association has succeeded in acquiring, either by purchase or presentation, no lesa than 172 separate and distinct relics. varying in size and value from the cele- brated Decatur silver service. that Gen eral Jackson purchased from the widow of Commodore Decatur, down to a brass fender that had no value whatever except that it was once the property of the Gen. eral.
 Some of the curios of which General Jackson was so proud are an oil painting of Christopher Columbus, the epaulets, regalia and stirrups used by General Jackson at the annual reunion in New Orleans, music books used by Mrs. Elm fly Donelson. lady of the White House during Jackson's administration; a clock that was at the Hermitage before the death of Mrs. Rachel Jackson; a lace cap of Mrs. Rachel Jackson that was worn when the beautiful miniature was paint ed; a painting of the battle of New Or leans; the Decatur Jackson silver, pur- chased by Jackson from the widow of Commodore Decatur and used constantly at the Hermitage; portrait of his upon which his dying gaze rested; tobacco box used by the old General; chair made from
 wood of the frigate Constitution; book case made of historic wood. taken from the old building first used as a State House in Nashville. 1S12-15. made to pro- Jackson's day; pictures of court room in Royal Street, New Orleans. where Gen eraI Jackson was fined $l000, which fine was afterward expunged; Jackson's- veto message, refusing to sign the bill re-char- tering the United States Bank: inaugural address of Jackson. on silk: first mes sage of President Jackson to the Con- gress of the United States. on silk; dress
 ing robe worn by Jackson during his last illness; sword used by General John Cof- fee at the battle of New Orleans; cannon sight used at the battle of New Orleans; blade of sword presented to General Jack son by the city of New Orleans and be- queathed at his death to Colonel Andrew J. Coffee. This was magnificent sword, it's blade being most beautifully wrought and its hilt made of gold and studded with precious stones. Unfortunately 1t was destroyed during the civil war while in the possession of Colonel Coffee's mother, near Florence, Ala, when her home and contents were burned The old state coach used by Jackson at the White House for all state. ceremonial and so- cia plIrnOSeS and for aaVeraI trina tn fI1a