Landscape

The Hermitage Landscape

There’s something special about the grassy fields and open skies of Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage. Since Jackson’s name for his home, “hermitage,” means “retreat”, Jackson must have recognized this as well.

Come retreat to The Hermitage to enjoy the sun and experience the beauty of Nashville’s landscape for yourself.

Visit

Carriage Drive

Archaeologists tested this guitar-shaped driveway to answer a basic question. What did the driveway look like in Jackson’s time? They discovered the driveway was roughly the same shape and width as it is now (about 10 feet).

Originally, it was paved with small golf-ball sized chunks of limestone, which would have firmly supported carriages and horses as they approached the mansion.

Yard Fences

Many years of testing and excavation uncovered the post-hole lines where The Hermitage mansion yard fences ran. Evidence from the post-holes combined with documentary sources showed that a fence once surrounded the mansion.

In 2002, the yard fence was recreated where it stood historically. This fence was an extremely important physical and symbolic barrier that separated the private mansion yard from the very busy yards of the working plantation.

Learn more about the farm Learn more about Hermitage agriculture