Cherry Mansion

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Coordinates: 35°13′32″N 88°15′24″W / 35.22556°N 88.25667°W / 35.22556; -88.25667
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Cherry Mansion
Eastern facade of Cherry Mansion in 1974
Cherry Mansion is located in Tennessee
Cherry Mansion
Cherry Mansion is located in the United States
Cherry Mansion
Location265 Main St., Savannah, Tennessee, US
Coordinates35°13′32″N 88°15′24″W / 35.22556°N 88.25667°W / 35.22556; -88.25667
Area7 acres (2.8 ha)
Built1829
Built byDavid Robinson
Architectural styleGeorgian
NRHP reference No.77001274[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 16, 1977

Cherry Mansion is a historic

antebellum house in Savannah, Tennessee, located on a bluff overlooking the east bank of the Tennessee River. It has historical significance for its role as General Ulysses S. Grant's headquarters at the time of the Civil War Battle of Shiloh
.

Description and history

Western facade of Cherry Mansion, in 1974

Cherry Mansion is a white

Indian mounds that were largely obliterated by later construction.[3]

The house was built by David Robinson, who was among Hardin County's early settlers and owned extensive acreage on both sides of the Tennessee River.

Historic American Buildings Survey found evidence that the house was not completed until around the time of Robinson's death in 1849, and that ownership was transferred to Cherry in 1855.[2]

During the

Union side.[5] From March 13 to April 29, 1862, before and after the Battle of Shiloh, his house served as headquarters for Union Army Generals Ulysses S. Grant, C. F. Smith, Don Carlos Buell, and W. H. L. Wallace.[2][4] According to Cherry family accounts, General Grant and his staff had just sat down at the breakfast table on April 6, 1862, when they heard distant cannon fire indicating that the battle had begun about 7 miles (11 km) up the river. They boarded a steamboat at the landing below the house to travel to the site of the battle, leaving their meals uneaten.[2][6] Generals Smith and Wallace died in the house in the aftermath of the battle.[2][7]

The Cherry family continued to own the house until 1935.[2] Queen and Alex Haley, the grandparents of writer Alex Haley, worked for the family at Cherry Mansion after the Civil War. Queen was a domestic worker in the house and her husband operated a ferry for the Cherry family. Haley's novel Queen: The Story of an American Family and related television miniseries were based on Queen Haley's life.[8]

In the late 19th century, the Cherry family made alterations to the building, replacing some of the house's original

weatherboard on the east wall with brick, and adding emphasis to the house's west front.[2][9]

The house remains in private ownership and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.[1] It is opened to visitors by advance arrangement.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hulan, Richard H., Giebner, Robert C. (July 1972); McCown, Susan (1985)."Cherry Mansion, Pittsburg Landing, Hardin County, Tennessee" (PDF). Historic American Buildings Survey. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-01. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  3. ^ "Shiloh Indian Mounds National Historic Landmark" (PDF). Shiloh National Military Park. National Park Service.
  4. ^ a b c d "Cherry Mansion". Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  5. ^ "Cherry Mansion, Savannah, TN". civilwaralbum.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  6. ^ "Shiloh Battlefield and Area". CivilWarTraveler.com. December 24, 2013. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  7. ^ "Savannah, TN: Cherry Mansion (Grant's Headquarters)". civilwaralbum.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  8. ^ "Savannah Historic District Tour & Cherry Mansion". Tennessee River Trail. Tennessee Department of Tourism. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  9. ^ Cole, Regina. "Preserving a Civil War Landmark". Old House Online.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cherry Mansion.
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