The Hermitage Garden

The Hermitage Garden changed over time and cannot be defined by any single moment. Andrew Jackson hired gardener William Frost to establish it when construction of the Hermitage mansion began in 1819, and the first garden may have extended closer to the mansion. It evolved over many years, with many family changes in the late 1840s, and the basic layout of the garden seen today may date from that period. Although Rachel Jackson and other female family members loved the garden and did light work there, enslaved workers performed most of the labor. Along with flowers and herbs, they may also have grown vegetables and small fruits such as strawberries and figs in the grassy plots at the center of each quadrant. The ornamental garden stood in sharp contrast to the gardens grown by enslaved people near their own quarters.

Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Tennessee · United States