Rally Hill is a historic mansion in

Columbia, Tennessee Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. The population was 41,690 as of the 2020 United States census. Columbia is included in the Nashville metropolitan area. The self-proclaimed "mule capital of the world," Colum ...

, U.S.. It has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

since August 16, 1984.

History

The house was built c. 1848 for James Walker, President

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

's brother-in-law. With Walker was the publisher of ''The Western Chronicle'', a Columbia newspaper, and chancellor of Maury County. Walker lived in the house with his wife, née Jane Maria Polk, and their three sons, including

Lucius M. Walker Lucius Marshall "Marsh" Walker (October 18, 1829 – September 7, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded in a duel with fellow general John S. Marmaduke. Early life and education Lucius Mars ...

, who served as a general in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. From 1900 to 1912, the house belonged to William M. Biddle, a physician who served as the mayor of Columbia.

Architecture

It is a two-and-a-half-story house and claimed to be designed in a transitional style between

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

and

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

architectural styles by late 20th century sources. However, what remains of the original house bares no indication of

influences; the house, with a plain brick facade, large pocket doors, and simple interior trim work, is strictly federal in appearance.

References

National Register of Historic Places in Maury County, Tennessee Federal architecture in Tennessee Greek Revival architecture in Tennessee Houses completed in 1840 Polk family {{MauryCountyTN-NRHP-stub