Rippavilla Plantation, also known as Meadowbrook and Nathaniel Cheairs House, is a former plantation,

historic house A historic house generally meets several criteria before being listed by an official body as "historic." Generally the building is at least a certain age, depending on the rules for the individual list. A second factor is that the building be in ...

and museum, located in

Spring Hill, Tennessee Spring Hill is a city in Maury and Williamson counties, Tennessee, located approximately south of Nashville. Spring Hill's population as of 2020 was 50,005. Spring Hill is recognized as the 4th fastest growing city in Tennessee by the U.S. Cen ...

. This plantation had been worked by enslaved Black people for many years. It is open to visitors as a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

. It is 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 ...

on July 19, 1996, for its architectural significance. (with 39 )

History

The Cheairs family were part of a 1810 land grant awarded by President

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

. Initially the property included a 1500-acre farm. Nathaniel Frances Cheairs IV (1818–1914) resided on the property along with his wife, Susan Peters Cheairs (née McKissack; 1821–1893) until her death. Around 1860, the Cheairs family owned at least 40 enslaved Black people. Nathaniel Frances Cheairs IV served in the

Confederate 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 ...

, however the Rippavilla Plantation sustained minimal damage 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 ...

. The plantation house was built in several phases but was extensively remodeled between 1928 and 1932. Its architectural style was antebellum

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 ...

, however modifications to the house were done in a 20th-century

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

style. It is believed that many of the upgrades to the house were done by slaves with knowledge of skilled crafts such as carpentry. His son, William McKissack Cheairs took ownership of the home until he sold it in 1920 to John G. Whitfield, a coal tycoon from Alabama.

References

External links

- official site Antebellum architecture Colonial Revival architecture in Tennessee Greek Revival houses in Tennessee Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee Historic house museums in Tennessee Museums in Maury County, Tennessee Plantation houses in Tennessee Houses completed in 1852 Houses in Maury County, Tennessee National Register of Historic Places in Maury County, Tennessee 1852 establishments in Tennessee {{Tennessee-museum-stub