The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-09
RELICS OF GEN. JACKSON.
Preserved at the. Hermitage, His Old
Home.
Nashville Corr. New Orleans Times
Democrat

Preserved at the. Hermitage, His Old
Home.
Nashville Corr. New Orleans Times
Democrat.
The Hermitage, the old home of Gen.
Andrew Jackson, near here, has,
through the efforts of the Ladies'
Hermitage Association, been almost
restored to the condition it was in at
the time of the death of Gen. jackson.
In 1856 the state of Tennessee pur-
chased from Andrew Jackson, Jr.,
for $4S, 600, the Hermitage farm. which
then consisted of 500 acres of land, and
it was intended to offer it to the Unit
ed States government for branch OF
West Point Academy, but the Civil
War prevented the contamination of
these plans. In 1889 the state legisla-
ture of Tennessee conveyed to the
Ladies' Hermitage Association,
through a board of trustees, the house,
tomb. all outhouses and twenty-five
acres of land to preserve, beautify
and adorn, throughout all coming
years, in a manner most betting the
memory of that great ntan and COM
mensurate with the gratitude of his
countrymen."
The association has put forth untir-
ing efforts to raise the funds necessary
to purchase the furniture and relics
that were in the house at the time
of Gen. Jackson's death. 1t has in
augurated all kinds of enterprises,
lectures, balls, concerts, theatricals,
ETC., anything that would net money
to it's treasury. The work of susten-
tation is aided by the states appro-
priation of $50 a month, which pays
the curator and does some little repair
work. The association has succeeded
in putting the place in its present
good condition and in replacing those
pieces of relic furniture now to be seen
in the house, and it is its cherished
plan to purchase all the relics and
furniture and rehabilitate the mouse DIS
it was in Jackson's life.
The original Hermitage was built in
1904. 1t was made of logs, and part
of it is still standing. Aaron Burr
made his famous visit to the Hermit
tage in 1905, and was entertained In
this log house. Gen. Jackson was liv-
ing in the log house when the battle
of New Orleans was fought, in 1915,
and returned to his humble home the
'conouering hero" and idol of the ma
ton. The present site was selected
and built upon in 1919, and was of brick
made on the place. Lafayette was
entertained there in 1925. This house
was burned in 1885 and rebuilt in 1885
upon the same foundation as 1t now
stands. Gen. Jackson died in 1S45, at
the age of rs 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 Severn Don
eIson. a brother of Mrs. Jackson, and
named him Andrew Jackson, Jr., and
he bore the name and became the heir
to all the estates. His son, Col. An
drew Jackson, after serving calamity
as colonel of artillery in the Confed-
crate army, returned to the Hermitage
and lived with his mother until the
time of her death, and by her will in
herited the household furniture, me-
mentoes and relics of the old hero. 1t
was from Col Jackson that the La
dies Hermitage Association purchased
most of the relics.
The Hermitage is built in the Odd CO.
lonial style of architecture, with large
verandas in front and rear, a 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, kitchen, cellar, etc. On en-
tering the hall, which is large and
commodious, one notes at first glance
the pictorial wallpaper, which was or
dered by Gen. Jackson from Paris,
France, when the house was rebuilt in
1886. 1t came by way of New Or
leans up the Mississippi and Cumber-
land rivers. Ii represents the legend
of Telmachus, and is that part of the
story of the landing of Ulysses on the
Island of Calypso.
Although Col Jackson still has
many valuable curios that belonged to
the ''old hero" the Ladies' Hermitage
Association has succeeded in acquiring,
either by purchase or presentation, no
less than 172 separate and distinct
relics, varying in size and value from
the celebrated Decatur silver service,
that Gen. Jackson purchased from the
widow of Commodore Decatur, down to
a brass fender that had no value what
ever except that IL was once the prop
erty Of the general.