“Music City, U.S.A.” awaited me on July 8, 2014; I was up early and anxious to get into downtown Nashville. I knew of five Presidential sites there and I believed that we could walk to each one of them with ease; but that depended on whether or not we could park somewhere close to the Capitol.
After leaving the cottage at 8:30am, it took less than 15 minutes to travel the 4.9 miles into downtown Nashville. Traffic had been a bit thick for a Tuesday morning, but Vicki did an amazing job as she found a parking spot just two blocks from the Tennessee State Capitol Building. My photographer had a good strategy mapped out that would maximize our sightseeing time and his scheme would help eliminate any unnecessary retracing of our footsteps. Not that any extra walking mattered much to me as I am carried everywhere.
Our first Presidential site of the morning was the Downtown Presbyterian Church; a place of worship that was built in footprints of another church where James K. Polk was sworn-in as Tennessee’s ninth Governor. On October 14, 1839, Polk took the oath of office at the First Presbyterian Church that once stood there; but unfortunately history was lost when that building burned to the ground in 1848. The double-spired brick church that had replaced the Polk inaugural site was so tall that I was carried across the street for a photograph.
About 200 yards down Nashville’s Church Street, we found a second site of interest; this one was called the McKendree Methodist Church. I was stunned to find two churches that had Presidential ties were located on a street named Church. In June of 1849, the funeral of President James K. Polk was held at the McKendree church; the ceremony was conducted by Rev. John Berry McFerrin. Once again, however, the original church where Polk’s funeral was held had been destroyed. As a matter of fact, the current church that I had posed near was the third building to stand on that site since Polk’s funeral in 1849.
As soon as we arrived at the McKendree Methodist Church, I was concerned by the large number of people who were sitting on the front steps. My first reaction was anger, but within a few minutes of our arrival I had discovered the reason for the crowd – the church also served as a place where Nashville’s less-fortunate had assembled to receive food. Those folks were hungry and they were simply waiting for their lunch. Within minutes after I had complained to my photographer about the people who would potentially detract from our photo, the throng moved to the side of the building and away from my backdrop. After we had captured the image of the McKendree Church, I felt guilty that I had only worried about our photo without any concern for those people who didn’t know for sure where their next meal would come from.
While the two churches associated with Polk were somewhat of a disappointment, I was extremely excited for the third Presidential site of our Nashville tour. I was carried for about two blocks until we came to the site where Polk Place was once located. During his Presidency, James K. Polk purchased the elaborate house in 1847 with the plan that he and his wife Sarah would move there when they left the White House.
In 1849, following a two-week stay in Columbia due to last-minute renovations to their new digs, James and Sarah Polk moved into their home they creatively named “Polk Place”. Unfortunately, the President’s illness (which started during a Southern states trip immediately after he left office) grew worse in Nashville. The 1849-50 cholera outbreak was in full-swing and roughly 30 days after the former First Couple had arrived at Polk Place, the 11th President died at the age of 53. He was the youngest former President to die in retirement and he never had a chance to enjoy his luxurious mansion. Less than a year after his burial in what was now Nashville City Cemetery, Polk’s remains were re-interred into a tomb in the front yard of Polk Place. Sarah Polk stayed at Polk Place after the death of her husband and resided in the mansion for 42 years until her death in 1891; she was buried next to her husband. Polk’s tomb remained on the property until 1893 when it was moved to the Tennessee State Capitol grounds just a couple of blocks from the house. Seven years after the Polk’s tomb was relocated to the Capitol grounds, Polk Place was demolished. Over the years, several buildings were built on the site; but when I was there, the Capitol Hotel stood there.
There was still one Polk site left to visit in Nashville and you might say that I saved the best for last. Although it was a short walk to the Tennessee State Capitol Building; it took a bit longer to get to the tomb of our 11th President as it was tucked away on the grounds on the far northeast side of the building. When we finally arrived at the site, I was pleased to see that no one else was in the area. I had the tomb to myself, which meant that I would do my best to stand it.
It took a little effort, but my photographer climbed over the small barricade that surrounded the tomb and placed me on top of the granite marker. I had made it – I made it to my ninth Presidential gravesite. I stood atop the marker and gazed at the Capitol Building that was about a hundred yards away. As I stood there, I took a moment to pay tribute to a very remarkable and underappreciated President.
When James K. Polk took the oath of office in 1845, he was the youngest President elected to date. Although he had pledged to serve only one term; Polk made the most of his time in office. Not only did he reduce tariffs, Polk transformed the national banking system. In his four years, the America’s territory grew by one-third and he settled the Oregon Territory dispute with Great Britain. Polk also led the nation in the Mexican-American War whose victory eventually led to the annexation of California and much of today’s Southwest states. Polk came; he saw; and he kicked some ass – all in four, short years. For those reasons, he is one of my most admired Presidents and it was a pleasure for me to stand so close to his mortal remains.
When my time at Polk’s tomb was finished and before I was carried over to the front of the State Capitol Building, I silently said goodbye to a true American patriot who has never been given his rightful reverence as a great President.
Although we stopped for a few minutes near an equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson that was situated in front of the State Capitol Building, I didn’t pose for a photo near the sculpture. However, from the firm grasp of my photographer’s left hand, I admired the overall beauty of the Greek Revival architecture of the building. The cornerstone of the Capitol was laid on July 4, 1845 and the building was completed in 1859; and today it’s one of only 12 state capitols that doesn’t have a dome.
Following that quick visit of the State Capitol Building, I had to find one last Presidential site – the place where Andrew Johnson’s home once stood. I knew it was located near the State Capitol, but where? My photographer walked around Legislative Plaza for awhile in search of the Johnson home site, but without any luck. His wife Vicki, who had fallen ill with severe cramps from eating peanuts, was sitting in the shade and was unable to aid in the hunt. It was getting hot inside my camera case and as I was about to scream “Let me out”, my photographer received directions from a police officer and he soon found the small granite block beneath a tree in the Legislative Plaza that was roughly two hundred yards from the Capitol. There was a bronze plaque that had been affixed to the face of the stone that stated: “Andrew Johnson, seventeenth President of the United States, resided in a house at this site while Military Governor of Tennessee 1862 – 1865”.
As I stood in the tall grass alongside of the Johnson home site marker, for once I didn’t think about that particular President or his house. It was hot and I was tired of being trapped inside my padded jail cell as we trudged along the sidewalks of downtown Nashville. After we sat in the shade for a few minutes near the spot where Vicki had camped out in Legislative Plaza, she made a miraculous recovery from her stomach ailment and wanted to see some “non-presidential sites in Nashville”. What could I say? She had been a good sport about visiting Presidential sites since I had arrived to the family last year and I knew that my photographer would have to visit some places that interested her as well.
For the rest of the day, I just stood quietly in my case as we visited Tootsies, the Ryman Auditorium, the Wild Horse Saloon where Vicki got her fill of line dancing, a store where she found a pair of cowboy boots, and finally the Marathon Motor Works building where the “American Pickers” Antique Archaeology was located. At around 5:00pm, we headed back to the cottage and relaxed for the remainder of the evening. Although my photographer and his wife had planned on touring Nashville for two more days, I was simply going to stand alongside a framed photo of LouAnn Reid and Kenny Chesney that was situated on the dresser in the cottage. I wondered how the lyrics to “Resin-ate” were coming along?
I have gained a great deal of respect for Polk. Since he wasn’t running for reelection, he could do what he felt was right for our country and not what he needed to do to get votes.
Isn’t it incredible how Polk has remained a footnote in American history and yet he lived up to and exceeded his campaign promises, including walking away after a single term? Thank you for your comment!