It was nearly 2:00pm on July 6, 2014 when we arrived at the Louisville, Kentucky boyhood home of Zachary Taylor; a house that was named ‘Springfield’ by his father after he built the place in the early 1790s. At the age of 11, young Zachary moved to Springfield from the family’s log cabin and lived there until he left for the military in 1808.
Clutched tightly in my photographer’s right hand, we approached the white two and a half story brick house with the hopes of getting inside. Those hopes were quickly dashed when we discovered that Zach’s former digs was a private residence; which meant that all of our photos would have to be captured from the street; or at best, from the front yard. It was extremely hard for me to keep from going onto the front steps; or perhaps wander into the backyard to see what the rear of the house had looked like. Since it was early in this trip, I didn’t want to risk being arrested for trespassing; even though curiosity was killing me.
For a brief moment I had thought about sneaking up onto the porch and then into the backyard, but it appeared that the owners were home. The last thing we would’ve wanted was for me to get arrested for trespassing – especially on the first day of the trip. If I am going to go to jail, it will be for something more spectacular than standing on the porch of a boyhood home.
As I posed for a photo in the front yard of Springfield, I envisioned a young Zachary Taylor as he rode his horse around the property; or as he did his chores out back; or played soldier in front of the house. I also thought about the happiness that Taylor felt inside Springfield; for on June 18, 1810 Zachary married the love of his life, Margaret “Peggy” Smith, in his father’s home. Five of Zachary’s six children were born in that dwelling as well. Not one to forget his roots, Zachary Taylor visited his Louisville boyhood home on and off for the rest of his life.
From Springfield, we travelled in a semi-circle for a half-mile or so until we arrived at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. That burial ground began as the Taylor family cemetery and was located on their property behind Springfield. In the 1920s, it became a national cemetery and now boasts over 14,000 interments. Although the tomb of our 12th President was located near the back of the cemetery; a 50-foot tall white monument with a statue of Taylor at the top made it easy to find the President’s final resting place. When I was removed from my padded hiding place, my first impression of the site took me a bit by surprise. Located in the shadow of the monument was the 15-foot tall mausoleum that housed the remains of the President and his wife. I was anxious to see if the mausoleum’s door was open.
I was carried along the concrete pathway to the tomb of Zachary Taylor and I was held up to the glass pane of the door for a peek inside. Even though it was fairly dark inside, I could see the sarcophagus of the President. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the door was locked; plus the glare of the glass with the dark interior made it impossible for an image to be captured of me with the sarcophagus.
President Taylor died in the White House on July 9, 1850 at the age of 65 following a five-day ordeal after he ate raw fruit that was washed down by a huge quantity of ice milk at a Fourth of July fundraiser near the partially completed Washington Monument. Taylor was the second President to die in office. Over the years there had been speculation that he had been assassinated by poison; which led to Taylor’s body being exhumed on June 17, 1991. Samples of hair, fingernails, and other tissues were removed and tested, but no evidence of toxins were found. It was discovered, however, that the cause of his death was from cholera; as his food may have been accidentally contaminated from Washington’s open sewers of the day.
After I had paid my respects at the tomb of our 12th President, I was carried a short distance to an area behind the mausoleum where I saw a white marble tomb that was partially embedded into the ground. It turned out that this was the original tomb of Zachary Taylor. Immediately following Taylor’s funeral, he was temporarily entombed in the Public Vault at Congressional Cemetery in Washington and his body remained there for a few months. On October 25, 1850, the body of President Taylor was transported to the family cemetery behind Springfield and he was entombed near his parents. Zachary Taylor remained there for nearly 76 years until the more ornate mausoleum was constructed.
There was a small ledge above the doorway to the original, but empty, vault of Zachary Taylor. Above me and etched into the marble were the words ‘Z. Taylor’ along with his birth and death dates. I never tried to open the door to the tomb, but I’m not sure I could’ve ventured inside had it been unlocked. Walking in the footsteps of Presidents is cool; but going inside a dark tomb would have made my hair stand on end and I certainly didn’t want to lose my ponytail.
Our visit to the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery had lasted about 45 minutes, but before I was safely placed back into the solitary confinement of my camera case, I took a moment to admire the tall monument one last time. One side of the ornate monolith was inscribed with what were possibly Zachary Taylor’s last words: ” “I have endeavored to do my duty, I am ready to die. My only regret is for the friends I leave behind me.” Those words touched me deeply. So much so, in fact, that I began to wonder what my last words would be. “Please don’t drop me”; “Are you sure you should set me there?”; or “Do you think you should hang me by my hair?” had immediately come to mind. But for now, it was time to leave an old friend behind; we left the cemetery and headed out of Louisville. Our next site of the trip’s first day was 64 miles away and it was already a few minutes past 3:00pm. My photographer wanted to visit one last Presidential site before we found a motel; which meant we had to hustle as that site closed at 5:00pm. All Presidential sites thrill me; but I had been thinking about this one before we had finished the New York State trip. We were headed for the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, who is arguably the greatest President of all time; besides me of course!
