William Overton was filthy rich. He was also BFFs with Andrew Jackson. In being such he had one of the first grand houses in Nashville that has been preserved with a fantastic historic tour. I took the special offered grounds tour that gave a glimpse into the lives of enslaved people at the home. Included in the tour was a tour of the house as well, which has kept a surprising amount of its original structure and even items. The house is well worth stopping at and is just as fascinating as better known mansions in the area like the Hermitage. One of the most unusual stories about Overton is his courting of his wife. He proposed to Mary, who already had three kids from a previous marriage and basically said "I know I don't love you and you don't love me, but I'll be a good father to your kids and will provide for you". Then he gave her twenty minutes to make a decision. And timed her. Mary, not one for backing down, made him wait all twenty minutes before she answered him. Mary was 6 foot tall. Overton was 5'4". Mary once said she could "take a husband under each wing". Mary was a baller and deserves some respect. Anyway, Traveller's Rest offers a great, entertaining tour that looks into life at the beginnings of Nashville and early settlement in Middle Tennessee.
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Outside of Sparta, TN there is the largest collection of a gravesite phemonena fairly unique to Tennessee. The tent graves have the look of medieval Europe, but no one has a complete idea of why they were created. More than likely it was to keep predators out of soft ground and was a throw back to Irish cairns, but there is no solid answer. The graves are worth a stop by to have a look at if in the area. Unsettling yet strangely touching, it is always interesting to see how the dead were historically mourned.
On the last Wilderness Station tour of the month, we went to Radnor Lake in Nashville. The park is very heavily trafficked, but there is a nesting set of bald eagles there along with an aviary that is open two days a week. One of the rangers got out the golden eagle for us and gave an informative talk about birds of prey. Frankly I'm more interested in golden eagles since they are far larger, but there several bald eagles also housed at the aviary that weren't interested in being worked with that day (the rangers let it up to the birds about whether they want to come out and see people). Hiking around the lake is always nice and the male bald eagle was not only on the nest, but came down into the water and spent a very long time preening and washing himself then seemed ready to pose for pictures for anyone who had a good enough camera lens. Take your binoculars and take a walk around Radnor for some of the nearest eagle watching in Middle Tennessee.
I had never been to South Cumberland before even though I live fairly close. One of my best friends and I signed up for a van trip to the falls through Wilderness Station. It was a relatively simple loop around the rim of the falls that afforded some nice overlooks and good pictures of the falls at the end. The descent is very rocky as you're travelling into the basin and there were a lot of rock climbers out that day using the bluff face. I think South Cumberland is one of the only parks in our area to allow rock climbing. The hike is lovely and well trafficked. There is a low suspension bridge at the end across the falls outlet and then a very steep hike out of the basin which isn't too bad if you're aware of it.
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AuthorA librarian doing the travel. Archives
May 2024
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