page_title: Rock Castle (Hendersonville, Tennessee)
section_title: Mansion and grounds
hierarchical_section_title: Rock Castle (Hendersonville, Tennessee) / Mansion and grounds
caption_attribution_description: English: The back of Rock Castle in Hendersonville, TN, USA. This is an image of a place or building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States. Its reference number is 70000619.
context_page_description: Rock Castle State Historic Site, located in Hendersonville, Sumner County, Tennessee, is the former home of Daniel Smith. Construction began in 1784; its completion was delayed by conflicts with area Native Americans and the house was completed in 1796. It is listed with the National Register of Historic Places and is open to the public. It is one of the Tennessee Historical Commission's State-Owned Historic Sites and is operated by the Friends of Rock Castle in partnership with the Tennessee Historical Commission.
context_section_description: In 1788, Daniel Smith (surveyor) acquired 4,722 acres (1,911 ha) of land in Sumner County, Tennessee along the Cumberland River and Drake's Creek. This was added to his land grant from North Carolina for his services to the Revolutionary War. This made a total of 3,140 acres (1,270 ha) for Senator Dan Smith. Polly, Daniel and Sarah's daughter, received 151 acres (61 ha) at the death of her father. Sarah received the land below this, in the amount of 1,510 acres (610 ha). The rest of the land, including the mansion went to the son, George Smith. Over time, land was sold off for newer housing. Now, 18 acres (7.3 ha) adjoin the mansion.
  The mansion was originally located near a stream that no longer flows. There were many slave cabins, a springhouse, and a smoke house. When Old Hickory Lake was created in 1954, the flood submerged most of the area behind the house. The smokehouse was razed to accommodate dirt brought in to prevent the house from flooding. Other buildings included the carriage house and barns.
  The mansion was built in three sections over ten to twelve years. The mansion was built from rocks quarried on site. The first house built was three stories: a kitchen, a bedroom, and an attic. The stone construction inspired the myth that the house was a fireproof "castle" and that the rock protected the family from fires caused by cooking and set by Native Americans defending their right to the land. Later, a three-story addition was added including a basement, a dining room, and a third room that originally had four dormers that were removed later.  The mantle over and around the fireplace is black-maple harvested from Rock Castle's grounds. The last and third edition to the house was added to the front of the house, the most formal portion of the house. Thought this area is currently interpreted as the downstairs master bedroom, it may have been originally used as a withdrawing or retiring room. The third addition also houses Daniel Smith's office. The walls in the space are decorated with faux painting. The upstairs houses George Smith's bedroom and room of unknown use. Rock Castle is the earliest known version of Federal Style architecture in Tennessee. The Greek revival facade with columns and porch may have been added by George Smith or his son Harry. Originally, the house consisted of nine rooms total.
  As with any historic Middle Tennessee house of this era, construction items could be made on site, purchased from a local merchant, or ordered from exporters located farther east. Window glass could be shipped in cases, as were hinges, English locks, and barrels of cut nails. Enslaved workers with masonry skill mixed cement mortar from lime and sand binding the wall stones together in a "length-wise and width-wise alternately… Flemish bond pattern." This pattern requires planning, skill, and an good understanding of mathematics. Originally the roof was probably clad in pine shingles. A wooden fence painted with lime wash is said to be original to the house.
  Smith Hansborough, who is thought to be Daniel Smith's nephew, may have commanded a group of enslaved workers as the project's overseer. In one of his letters to Daniel Smith Hansborough discusses the progress of the house's construction.  
  There was also an herb garden and peach orchard on the grounds. The Smiths were locally famous for their peach brandy, which was sold at five shillings per gallon. Since Daniel Smith had training in the medical field, his gardens may have produced plants used for medicine including rosemary and mint, which helps in digestion and depression. The main agricultural enterprise of Rock Castle's plantation landscape was wheat and cotton.
caption: View from the Smokehouse looking toward the back of the mansion showing all three styles of masonry
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "Nokia", "Image Model": "Nokia Lumia 900", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Windows Phone 7.5", "Image Artist": "", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image XPTitle": "", "Image ExifOffset": "226", "GPS GPSVersionID": "[2, 2, 0, 0]", "GPS GPSLatitudeRef": "N", "GPS GPSLatitude": "[36, 16, 22419/500]", "GPS GPSLongitudeRef": "W", "GPS GPSLongitude": "[86, 35, 47321/1000]", "GPS GPSAltitudeRef": "0", "GPS GPSAltitude": "1283/10", "GPS GPSMeasureMode": "3", "GPS GPSDOP": "56847/2500", "Image GPSInfo": "444", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "716", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "38904", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/100", "EXIF FNumber": "11/5", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2013:04:19 09:15:03", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2013:04:19 09:15:03", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3264", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2448", "Interoperability Tag 0x0000": "[]", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "N", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[36, 16, 22419/500]", "Interoperability Tag 0x0003": "[]", "Interoperability Tag 0x0004": "[]", "Interoperability Tag 0x0005": "[]", "Interoperability Tag 0x0006": "1283/10", "Interoperability Tag 0x000A": "3", "Interoperability Tag 0x000B": "56847/2500", "Interoperability Tag 0x783C": "[]", "Interoperability Tag 0x1100": "[]", "Interoperability Tag 0x0405": "[]", "Interoperability Tag 0xF521": "[]", "Interoperability Tag 0x490A": "[]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "420"}