Rock Castle (Hendersonville, Tennessee) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Rock Castle
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 Location in Tennessee
Location in the United States
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| Location | SE of Hendersonville on Indian Lake Rd 139 Rock Castle Lane, Hendersonville, TN 37075-4522, USA |
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| Nearest city | Hendersonville, Tennessee |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000619 |
| Added to NRHP | July 8, 1970 |
Rock Castle State Historic Site is a special place in Hendersonville, Tennessee. It was once the home of a very important person named Daniel Smith. Building the house started in 1784. It took a while to finish because of conflicts with local Native Americans. The house was finally completed in 1796.
Today, Rock Castle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a very important historical site. It is open for people to visit and learn about the past. The Tennessee Historical Commission helps manage it, working with a group called the Friends of Rock Castle.
Contents
Meet Daniel Smith: A Frontier Leader
Daniel Smith was a brave leader and a very busy man. He served as a captain in a war and later as a colonel in the American Revolution. He also became a Brigadier General in the local army.
Daniel Smith helped create the United States Bill of Rights. This document lists important freedoms for people in the U.S. He also worked as a Secretary of State for the territory. Later, he became a U.S. Senator. Daniel Smith was also a surveyor. This means he measured and mapped land, especially in Middle Tennessee.
Daniel Smith was born in Virginia in 1748. He studied medicine and surveying with Dr. Thomas Walker. Dr. Walker was also the legal guardian of Thomas Jefferson. Daniel Smith and Thomas Jefferson knew each other. Jefferson even praised Smith for his intelligence and good character. Smith later studied at the College of William and Mary.
During the American Revolutionary War, Daniel Smith was a Captain. He helped set up roads and mark the border between Virginia and North Carolina. This border later became the line between Kentucky and Tennessee. In 1790, President George Washington chose Smith to be the Secretary of the Territory South of the Ohio.
Daniel Smith also worked as a negotiator with the Cherokee Indians. He helped make many treaties with them in Tennessee. He was also a mapmaker. He created maps of Tennessee and Kentucky. He is even credited with naming the state "Tennasee" or "Tanasi." This name came from a Cherokee settlement in the eastern part of the state.
Smith helped write the first State Constitution for Tennessee. He also became one of Tennessee's first Senators. He served two terms. Daniel Smith also surveyed the area that would become Nashville. Nashville is now the capital city of Tennessee.
In 1773, Daniel Smith married Sarah Michie. In 1783, he moved to what is now Tennessee. He brought his wife and two young children. He received land from Virginia for his service in the Revolutionary War. They first lived in a small log cabin. But local American Indians burned it down during raids.
Daniel Smith's good friend and neighbor was Andrew Jackson. Jackson's home was down the river from Smith's. When Jackson left the Senate, Smith took his place. Smith was also related to Jackson through marriage.
Meet Sarah Michie Smith: A Strong Frontier Woman
Sarah Michie was born in 1755. Her father, William Michie, built the Michie Tavern in Virginia. Her father was sent to the American colonies for seven years because of his beliefs. Sarah, who was very young, came with him. After seven years, William bought land and built a home. Travelers often stopped there, so he turned it into a tavern.
Sarah grew up in a social world. She met important people like Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. This is how she met Dr. Thomas Walker, who introduced her to Daniel Smith. Daniel and Sarah married in 1773.
After they married, Sarah and Daniel moved to the frontier of Virginia. Their two children, George and Mary Ann (Polly), were born there. In 1783, the family moved to Sumner County, Tennessee. They lived in a log cabin and faced dangers from Indian attacks. Because Daniel often traveled for work, Sarah was often alone with her children. Her family described her as having "uncommon strength and courage."
Moving to Sumner County changed Sarah's social life. But she quickly became good friends with Rachel Jackson. Rachel was not very outgoing. After a scandal about her marriage, she became very private. But she knew Sarah was a true friend. Rachel often visited the Smith's home.
George Smith: The Inheritor
George Smith was the son of Daniel and Sarah Smith. He was born in Virginia in 1775. He moved with his family to Sumner County when he was about eight years old. George later inherited the Rock Castle home. As an adult, he faced financial challenges. His son, who was a surveyor and soldier like his grandfather, helped him manage the house.
Mary Anne "Polly" Smith Donelson Saunders: A Spirited Daughter
Polly was the daughter of Daniel and Sarah Smith. She was born in 1781. She grew up on the American frontier. When she was fifteen, her father wanted to send her to a boarding school in Philadelphia. He wanted her to become a proper young woman.
However, Polly had fallen in love with Samuel Donelson. He was 22 years old and Rachel Jackson's brother. He was also Andrew Jackson's law partner. Polly's father did not want them to marry. So, Andrew Jackson and Samuel came up with a plan. They rode to the Smith's home. Jackson helped Polly climb down a ladder from her bedroom window. Andrew Jackson, Samuel Donelson, and Polly Smith went to the Jackson's home. A minister was waiting, and Polly and Samuel married right away.
When Daniel Smith found out, he was very angry. He almost disowned his daughter. But a year later, he welcomed her back after she had his first grandchild. Polly and Samuel had three sons.
Ten years later, Samuel died from pneumonia. Polly then married James Saunders. He was also a widower. When they married, the Saunders family had nine children. Polly and James then had nine more children together. Polly and Samuel's three sons eventually left home. Her oldest son joined the military and died in service. Her younger two sons, Andrew Jackson Donelson and Daniel Smith Donelson, were adopted by Andrew and Rachel Jackson.
Enslaved People at Rock Castle
Few records exist about the enslaved people who lived and worked at Rock Castle. However, some documents mention two enslaved individuals often. A woman named Easter worked in the house as a maid or nanny. She lived in a loft above the dining room with her husband, Alfred. The Smith family called Alfred "Uncle Alfred." This was a common way slaveholding families referred to enslaved people who served them closely.
A newspaper story from 1910 tells about an unnamed enslaved man. He worked as a foreman on the farm. The story says he was taken from the site by Native Americans. Later, when Smith was a Senator, the enslaved man supposedly contacted him. He asked for money to be set free from his captivity. The story claims Smith offered $900 to the Native people. This would have transferred the man's captivity from them to the Rock Castle plantation. The man was quoted as saying he wanted to return to his "old master and home." However, this story was written at a time when stories about enslaved people were often changed to please white audiences. So, it's not certain if this account is true.
More reliable records show that by 1860, the Smiths owned 98 enslaved people. Two letters about selling enslaved people from George Smith to Harry Smith in 1833 list these names: Isaac, Martin, Charles, Cheshire, Larkin, Ina, Toby, Wilson, David, Henry, Sarah, Rachel, Judy (or Juda), Baty, Mitchel, Daniel, Jeffrey, Patricia, and Patricia's two children, Henrietta and Silva (or Silvia).
The Mansion and Its Grounds
In 1788, Daniel Smith (surveyor) bought a large amount of land. It was about 4,722 acres (1,911 ha) in Sumner County, Tennessee. This land was along the Cumberland River and Drake's Creek. He also had land given to him by North Carolina for his service in the American Revolutionary War. This made his total land about 3,140 acres (1,270 ha).
When Daniel Smith passed away, his daughter Polly received 151 acres (61 ha). Sarah, his wife, received 1,510 acres (610 ha). The rest of the land, including the mansion, went to their son, George Smith. Over time, parts of the land were sold for new homes. Today, about 18 acres (7.3 ha) remain around the mansion.
The mansion was once near a stream that no longer flows. There were also many slave cabins, a springhouse, and a smoke house. In 1954, Old Hickory Lake was created. The lake's water covered most of the area behind the house. The smokehouse was moved to prevent the house from flooding. Other buildings included a carriage house and barns.
The mansion was built in three parts over ten to twelve years. It was made from rocks found right on the property. People thought the stone house was like a "castle" that couldn't burn. This was a myth.
The first part of the house had three floors: a kitchen, a bedroom, and an attic. Later, a three-story addition was built. This included a basement, a dining room, and another room. The fireplace mantle is made from black-maple trees from Rock Castle's land. The third part of the house was added to the front. This was the most formal part. It is now thought to be the master bedroom downstairs. It also holds Daniel Smith's office. The walls in this area have special painted designs. Upstairs are George Smith's bedroom and another room.
Rock Castle is one of the earliest examples of Federal Style architecture in Tennessee. The front of the house, with its columns and porch, might have been added later by George Smith or his son Harry. The house originally had nine rooms.
Building the house involved many steps. Some items were made on site. Others were bought from local shops or ordered from far away. Things like window glass, hinges, and locks were shipped in. Enslaved workers with masonry skills mixed the cement. They used a special pattern called "Flemish bond" to lay the stones. This pattern needed careful planning and math skills. The roof was probably made of pine shingles. A wooden fence around the house is believed to be original.
Smith Hansborough, who might have been Daniel Smith's nephew, may have managed the enslaved workers as the project's overseer. He wrote letters to Daniel Smith about how the house building was going.
The grounds also had an herb garden and a peach orchard. The Smiths were known for their peach brandy, which they sold. Since Daniel Smith had some medical training, his gardens might have grown plants for medicine. These could include rosemary and mint, which can help with digestion. The main crops grown on the Rock Castle plantation were wheat and cotton.
The Family Cemetery
More than fifty family members are buried in the small family cemetery on the property. The two largest grave markers belong to Daniel and Sarah Michie Smith. Their son, Colonel George Smith, also has a large marker. These markers are like tables that cover the entire grave. Daniel Smith's marker is old and worn, but you can still read it. There are also smaller markers and tall, pointed monuments. A stone fence with an iron gate surrounds the cemetery. The stones for the fence came from the same quarry as the mansion.
The Museum at Rock Castle
Inside the mansion, there are four original items that belonged to the first Smith family. These are a sugar chest, a blanket chest, Senator Smith's desk, and the original land grant from North Carolina. One hundred of Daniel Smith's books are kept in the museum's archives. George's sideboard and a grandfather clock from a later generation are also in the mansion.
The State of Tennessee owns the Rock Castle property and buildings. The Tennessee Historical Commission helps with money to run the site. They also take care of major repairs. The Friends of Rock Castle, Inc. own all the historical items inside the house.
The Friends of Rock Castle group started in 1969. This was when a Smith family descendant sold the mansion and grounds to the state. The board members are proud that only Smith relatives have owned the house for so long. Sarah Crosby Berry was one of the first board members. Each board member serves for three years. Most board members are very involved with the site.
When the museum was created, the State of Tennessee removed many updates that had been made to the mansion over the years. For example, a concrete floor in a bathroom was removed. It turned out this room was originally the kitchen. Sarah Berry helped choose the new stone flooring based on her memories from when she was a child. Some window structures called Dormers were removed from the middle part of the house. People thought they were added later. But they were actually part of the original design for that section. It is now too expensive to put them back.
Today, most rooms show what life was like from the late 1700s to the early 1800s. The room next to the dining room is shown as the master bedroom. This is because the Smiths are known to have slept in this room later in their lives. However, there is no proof it was built for that purpose. The room directly above it is used as an exhibit room because its original use is unknown. The room where the dormers used to be is very dark. Visitors can see all nine rooms in the house today.
