2016 March 4, Friday, Touring the Rippavilla Plantation

I had wanted to visit the Rippavilla Plantation for some time, and I had tried to get Hubby to stop as we were always traveling somewhere else at the time.
He said someday we will stop.
I had asked my granddaughter to go, but she was always too busy.
It was a beautiful day, a bit chilly, but a nice day for an hour-and-a-half drive.
I took my time, not rushing, just enjoying the blooming daffodils and tulip trees.
I parked in the Rippavilla lot and was approached by one of the curators. He said Can I help you? I replied, "Yes, I would like to tour the home."
He said you might want to use the restroom, which was located outside the home.
I took my camera and went into the museum.
The old carriage house now houses the museum, and it has many books about the Civil War.
I was told I could take as many pictures as I wanted on the outside of the plantation.
The curator said the tour would not start for another thirty minutes.
I walked outside and all around the home, taking pictures.
There were several trees because they were well over 100 years old.

Trees and a fountain

Rippavilla Plantation front view

A side view of the sunroom was added by my new owner many years later.

Back view of Rippavilla 

The Greek Revival Rippavilla was built for Nathaniel and Susan Cheairs and finished in 1855.
I was given a guided tour of the home's interior.
The minute we walked through the front doors, the smell of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven filled the air.
The curator said that the kitchen was used for baking, and many weddings were held at the plantation.
The aroma filled every room, making me hungry,
Two of the cooks were eating their lunch in the sunroom, which the previous owner added.
The doorways widened, and the spiral staircase was replaced by an open stairwell, among the changes to the historic home.
Many of the rooms were filled with period furniture, and some of it was from the original Chaires family.
Upstairs in one of the former bedrooms was Civil War memorabilia and information about how the Cheairs' family lived there.
It these walls could talk, what stories could they tell, both union and confederates soldiers walked through the doors of this home.
Susan and Nathaniel's wooden four-poster canopy bed, the mattress covered with a white lace spread, stood as if it were waiting for their arrival.

I walked into the room where General Hood ate his breakfast the morning before the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864.
I thanked the curator, and we walked back to the museum, where I purchased three postcards.
Before I left the plantation, I walked back behind the home to the log cabin.
Freedman's Bureau School was built in 1870 and served as a school for the freed slaves.

Freedman's Bureau School

On my way home, I rode through the town of Mount Pleasant.
I drove home, stopping at Long John Silver's in Lawrenceburg for two pieces of fried cod.
I did not eat my lunch/dinner until I arrived at home.
I had learned over the years that I can go it alone.
Time goes on, time doesn't wait, so make the best of what time you have today!