Website: https://historicrockcastle.com/
Historic Rock Castle, also referred to as Rock Castle State Historic Site, is an 18-acre historic house museum in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The site describes the limestone, Federal-style home as “the oldest home in middle tennessee” and one of the first permanent homes in the region, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located about 25 minutes from Nashville, the property offers guided tours, educational programs, music events, a wedding venue, and a museum shop.
Things To Do
Historic Rock Castle offers a variety of programs and experiences:
- Guided Tours: Tours of the interior are offered through a guide only, by reservation. The site notes Rock Castle is open April through mid-December. Tour times are Tuesday through Friday at 10:00am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:00pm, and Saturday at 10:00am, 11:30am, and 1:30pm. Reservations are recommended, as tours “may fill up” or be cancelled for private events. Photography is permitted, but “no animals or video recording devices are permitted in the historic home.”
- Music Series and Events: Programs referenced include a Music Series, songwriter nights, a folk and bluegrass festival, holiday events, and photography events. The site also references the Nashville Symphony by the Lake.
- Weddings: Rock Castle serves as a wedding and private-event venue, and the site occasionally closes for weddings and other private functions.
- Education: Offerings include educational field trips, living history days, and summer camps.
- Shop: A museum shop is available.
History
According to the site, “In 1784 a Virginian surveyor named Daniel Smith moved with his family to the Cumberland Settlement in present-day Middle Tennessee and began construction on a limestone, Federal-Style building.” The Smiths built the home over roughly a decade in three phases on 3,140 acres that Daniel Smith received through land grants recognizing his Revolutionary War service and surveying work. The house sits adjacent to Drake’s Creek, a Cumberland River tributary.
Daniel Smith brought his wife, Sarah Michie Smith, and children George and Mary Ann. Sarah managed construction oversight and plantation operations during her husband’s frequent absences. George served as a captain during the War of 1812 and inherited Rock Castle, and Mary Ann married into the Donelson family. Later descendants included Harry Smith, who surveyed the Louisiana Purchase, and Sarah Crosby Berry, named “Outstanding Woman Farmer of Tennessee” in 1918. The site notes that “due to the extraordinary original craftsmanship and the care given to the house over the centuries, Rock Castle is in similar condition to it’s original state.”
Location & Contact
- Address: 139 Rock Castle Lane, Hendersonville, TN 37075
- Phone: (615) 824-0502
- Email: [email protected]
- Distance from Nashville: about 25 minutes
Hours (April through mid-December): Tuesday through Friday, 10am to 4pm; Saturday, 10am to 2pm; closed Sunday and Monday. The site is also closed July 4th and Thanksgiving weekend.
Admission: Adult $10.00; Senior (60+) $9.00; Child (5-12) $8.00; Active Military with ID $9.00; Groups of 10 or more $8.00 per person by appointment.
Additional Information
Funding for the site comes from the Tennessee Historical Commission under the Department of Environment and Conservation. Calling ahead to make a reservation is highly recommended, as tours may fill up or be cancelled for private events. The website includes pages for About, History, Staff and Board, Visit, Things To Do, Photography, Calendar, Music Series, Holiday Events, Education, Weddings, Shop, and Contact.
Profile compiled from the company’s official website (historicrockcastle.com).