Day #170 – Andrew Johnson NHS

VA to Gatlinburg TN

Today, we visited the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site (http://www.nps.gov/anjo/index.htm) in Greeneville Tennessee.  Andrew Johnson was someone who, until today, was not exactly on my radar screen.  Today I learned a lot about him – he was a pretty interesting guy.  Abraham Lincoln was a Republican and Mr. Johnson was a Democrat.  Mr. Lincoln wanted Mr. Johnson on his ticket when he ran for his second term in the hopes that Mr. Johnson would pull in votes from the South.  Mr. Johnson became president after Mr. Lincoln was assassinated.

Andrew Johnson started as a tailor’s apprentice when he was three years old.  His father had died and his mother could not support the family on her own.  She basically sold her son into the apprenticeship program.  He ran away before his stint was complete and eventually started a tailor business in Greeneville Tennessee.  He was not educated – nearly illiterate – but, his wife taught him how to read and write.  He took some classes at the local school and became active in the debating club.  From there, he began to run for public office.  He started as an alderman (justice of the peace) and worked his way up to the Senate, and beyond.

Andrew Johnson dedicated his life to the Constitution.  He urged Tennessee to stay in the Union even though he had very strong beliefs about the boundaries between federal and states’ rights.  He kept his Senate seat when Tennessee seceded from the Union.  Mr. Lincoln appointed him military governor of Tennessee during the Civil War.  Mr. Johnson owned slaves.  The first slave he bought was a 14-year-old girl who approached him and asked him to buy her.  After purchasing her, he also purchased her family.  Mr. Johnson never sold a slave and there are records to show he paid his slaves long before Emancipation.  He freed his slaves on August 8, 1863, over a year before slavery was made illegal in Tennessee.  The freed family stayed with the Johnsons.  To this day, August 8 is celebrated by the African-American community in Tennessee and her neighboring states.

Andrew Johnson did not agree with Congress on the best way to handle reconstruction after the Civil War.  To make a very long story short, they tried, and failed, to impeach him.  He did not get along with Congress and was pretty pushy about his ideas.  When he was not re-elected president, he returned to Greeneville.  He ran for Senate again, and was elected on his second try.  He was the first former president to ever return to Congress.

After touring the visitor center, we walked to his home, where we were met by a NPS Interpreter.  This was the first time we’d taken a ranger-led tour of any type.  It was great!  She knew so much about the history and culture of his era and was able to answer every question we asked.  For example, every bed in his home was covered by a quilt made by Mrs. Johnson.  When I noticed a mistake on the first quilt we saw, the Interpreter was able to tell me all about it.  (Quilters often put an intentional mistake into a quilt because they believe only God is perfect and they don’t want to tempt fate by making a perfect quilt.  I’ve always thought that was a bit pride-ful – nobody’s quilt is ever perfect, but whatever.  My thoughts on this particular one was about “hiding in plain sight”.  During the Civil War era, many quilters – usually slaves – worked maps and directions for the Underground Railroad into their quilts.  Since the Johnson family was so sympathetic, I thought this “mistake” might have a hidden meaning.  Turned out, it was a mistake and not a map.)  The Interpreter then helped me find the intentional mistake on every other quilt in the house.  We had a long discussion about how the town of Greeneville had been affected by the Civil War.  Many of the homes and store buildings were left intact because the town had been taken so many times – there was so much back-and-forth that neither army burned buildings as they left town.  We talked about the graffiti the Confederate soldiers had left behind in Mr. Johnson’s home – they thought he was a traitor because he voted against succession.  We also discussed Tuberculosis.  Most of the Johnson family died from this disease.  She told us it was very common during his era and the various family member’s illnesses and deaths were not unusual.

Next, we drove to the local cemetery, the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery.  It is located at the top of a high hill and overlooks the foothills of the Smokies.  It was one of the most peaceful and beautiful cemetaries I’d ever seen.  If one wanted to be planted, rather than scattered, one would be hard pressed to find a better place.  Mr. Johnson had left instructions with only one person, his former slave Sam – his coffin was draped with the United States flag and a copy of the Constitution was placed under his head.

After a long day of history lessons, we went to a restaurant recommended by the Interpreter.  We were expecting Italian, as it was called the Brick Oven.  We were confusingly surprised to find three menus – Italian, Thai, and Greek.  I’ve never had garlic bread with marinara sauce followed by curry chicken.

I never got to my curry chicken.  I broke a molar!  Actually, it broke all by itself and not as a result of what I was eating.  The waitress was kind and gave us the Yellow Pages.  I called over 20 dentists before I found one willing to see me.  Elite Dental (http://www.elitedentalsmiles.com), in Dandridge, treated me very well.  They waited the 45 minutes it took us to drive there, not closing until after I left.  They put a temporary filling in the tooth.  On Wednesday, I get a temporary crown and in three weeks, a permanent crown.  Their photo in the Yellow Pages, and their web site, made me a bit nervous – too fancy for me!   But, they were awesome dentists.  Dr. Johnson worked on my mouth, assisted by Dr. Chaney.  Dr. Chaney was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, which actually helped put me at ease.  They have a very high-end, high-tech office, but I liked the way they treated me.  I’m terrified of dentists, but I think I’ll let these guys work on my mouth some more.

Driving from Dandridge to Gatlinburg was interesting.  As soon as we crested the last hill and saw the Smokies rolling away in front of us, I felt like I was coming home.  I found that I love these mountains.  As much as I’m eager to get back on the road and find new places, I’m excited to be here longer.  I want to meet more people from Tennessee and learn more about their history, art, and culture.

We signed up for another month at the Arrow Creek Campground in Gatlinburg.  Good thing we like the Smokies.