The state of Tennessee has transferred ownership of the majority of the Hermitage land U.S. President Andrew Jackson owned at the time of his death to the Andrew Jackson Foundation, the latest in a series of deals involving the historic property.
According to a release, the transaction was undertaking via a quitclaim deed involving no exchange of funds. Specifically, the state, via Gov. Bill Haslam’s signing of the documents, transferred ownership of 460 acres to Robert L. McDonald and Frances B. Spradley, regent and past regent,respectively, of the Andrew Jackson Foundation. The State Building Commission has approved the deal.
The release does not note any savings the state might see from the deal or any property tax obligations the foundation might now have.
The Hermitage itself has an address of 4580 Rachels Lane in the Hermitage portion of East Davidson County.
“The Hermitage is a true Tennessee treasure,” Haslam said. “We look forward to this site continuing its role as a historical landmark of great importance to Tennessee — and of great interest to people all over the world.”
The Andrew Jackson Foundation will begin work on a site-wide master plan to determine best uses for what is one of the largest green spaces in Davidson County.
The land has a long ownership history. Between 1856 and 1858, Andrew Jackson Jr. sold half of The Hermitage’s acreage to the state of Tennessee and the remaining half to several private owners to retire debt.
Between 1889 and 1989, the state transferred management of its 500 acres to the Andrew Jackson Foundation, then the Ladies’ Hermitage Association. During this time, the AJF/LHA purchased the privately owned parcels of the original acreage as they became available.
In 1971 and 1972, the state purchased the remaining 460 acres from private ownership for use as a recreational and wildlife area and to protect it from development. Three decades later, the state granted the AJF a 30-year lease on the 460 acres.
The AJF Board of Trustees requested that the state consider the transfer of the 460 acres to the foundation’s ownership to ensure unified management in combination with its existing 660 acres. About 125 acres of the site has been lost to development, but other than one homestead built in the 1930s, the land comprising the 460 acres that are being transferred has never been developed.
Since 2002, the foundation has used the land for nature and history walks, leased a small portion to an archery club and worked with a local farmer to continue the agricultural tradition on the property. In 2009, with funding from The Nature Conservancy, the foundation removed 200 cubic yards of waste from a sinkhole on the land that had been used as a dumpsite for decades.
“The land transfer is much more than a symbolic gesture,” AJF President and CEO Howard Kittell said in the release. “It is confidence in the foundation’s stewardship of these historic lands into the distant future. It will be a great benefit to the visitor experience in years to come. We are excited about what lies ahead for this remarkable site of our nation’s history.”
