My boyfriend and I were part of the throngs of people who traveled to the path of totality for the total solar eclipse on August 21. We had the most picturesque view of totality from a lovely campground on a lake just east of Nashville. It was amazing. If you have never experienced a total solar eclipse, it is 100% worth any expense to travel to see one at least once in your life. The day after the eclipse, we, along with seemingly everyone else who had traveled to the Nashville area for the event, decided to visit Andrew Jackson's Hermitage. Because of the unusually large crowds, it was not the experience I wanted it to be, and I felt like I learned very little. I think I left with more questions than when I arrived. Here are some of my thoughts:
- If planning a trip to the Hermitage, do not plan it the day after a major event in the city of Nashville. In order to accommodate the large crowds, tours of the mansion were rushed, incomplete, crowded, and disorganized. I feel like on a normal weekday, visitors would receive significantly more personal attention, details, and opportunities for questions and discussions, which would be more educational and satisfying.
- You really need to read everything to get the full story of slavery at the Hermitage, and even then, it's not very nuanced. From what I remember, there are panels discussing how Jackson had a reputation as a benevolent master (but say nothing of his overseers and their practices) but could be cruel when he felt it necessary. There still exists on site the cabin of the Jackson's longtime slave, Alfred, who devoted his entire life to serving the family making one believe in the complete benevolence of the Jacksons. Yet, on the other side of the Hermitage's acreage, there is a sign that talks clearly about how nearly all Jackson's slaves "voted with their feet" in response to life on Jackson's plantation by leaving the Hermitage and taking hold of their freedom after the Civil War. Many of the panels related to slavery are inside the two buildings that served as slave quarters. There you learn that one of them sits on the sight of the original Hermitage home of Andrew and Rachel, and that what was originally a two-story building was converted to a single story upon being made slave quarters. None of the interpretation can explain why Jackson put in the effort to remove an entire story from this structure. (Note: we did not take advantage of the audio tour that comes free with admission. Perhaps we should have?)
- Andrew and Rachel's tomb is lovely, but I wish Rachel had a nice gold plaque on the perimeter to tell people about her like they put out for Andrew. I fear people won't realize that Andrew actually had the lovely gazebo/tomb built for Rachel and in Rachel's beloved garden and will instead think that it was built by others for Andrew with Rachel as an afterthought.
- Rachel is at best a minor presence at the Hermitage. Granted, Rachel only lived in the mansion for a few short years, and the mansion is restored to its appearance well after she had passed. I wish we would have been told more about the wallpaper in the entryway, which I learned in my reading was chosen by Rachel.
- Be sure to visit the museum in addition to the mansion and grounds. Yes, Rachel is a relatively minor presence there also, but you do get to see the veil that she wears in her portrait as well as the miniature of Rachel that Andrew Jackson carried with him often. The museum also does a commendable job of presenting a balanced interpretation of Andrew Jackson and his legacy. Perhaps almost too balanced as I walked away almost willing to forgive him the atrocities he put in motion when it comes to Indian Removal—almost. In the end, I still think of him as a rather reprehensible human being no matter his political accomplishments.
