We stopped at Hardie's in Loretto for breakfast, where I ordered a sausage, cheese, and biscuit. Hubby ordered a ham and biscuit. We traveled to Loretto Faith Baptist Church, where we parked along with several others and waited for our bus. We loaded onto the Elixir Starship bus with driver Steve Carter. Steve had picked up a group in Florence, and now we were headed to pick up a group at First Baptist Church in Lawrenceburg. We were on our way by 8 A.M., stopping in Mt Pleasant to pick up four more people.
Our first stop was St. John's Church (Episcopal Church Ashwood) in Mt. Pleasant. It was built by Leonidas Polk in the early 1800s. We were greeted by our guide, who invited us inside the church, where we learned about its history. Built around 1841, now used only for special occasions, burials, and Whitsunday.
He also told us that the church was broken into and sustained significant damage, and that they now have a security system to alert them to vandals.
We walked outside to visit the cemetery, where several members of the Polk family are buried, among others. This tombstone was interesting: Trezevant (Ted) Yeatman III. Born Dec 16, 1951, died Nov 1, 2009. He was a historian and biographer of Frank and Jesse James. (a bank robber).
We thanked our guide and rode to our next stop, Rattle and Snap Mansion Museum. Rattle and Snap was built for George Washington Polk, a son of William Polk. His brother, Lucius Junius Polk, built Hamilton Place; he married the grandniece of Rachel Donaldson Jackson, the wife of President Andrew Jackson.
Col WM Polk built Ashwood Hall for Leonidas Polk; both houses burned to the ground. The Polk family built St John's Church, which we visited.
The home was built on land won by the William Polk family from the governor of North Carolina in a game of "Rattle and Snap." The game of chance is said to have been played with beans.
The home is now a private residence bought by a couple from California, one of whom is a retired eye doctor. We were split into two groups to tour the residence's lower level. (The couple lives in the back part of the house. The house is full of the Polk family's furniture and household items from the period, bought at auctions and estate sales. The couple bought the house in the early 2000's and did extensive restoration, which took several years.
Our next stop was Mt Pleasant Grille, where we were served a buffet-style meal. I ate green beans, creamed potatoes, a hamburger with gravy, onions, and Mushrooms, a salad, and, for dessert, a slice of cheesecake of our choice. After our meal, some of us visited the Museum next door. Several of us walked around the town visiting different shops. Our next stop was Rippivella in Spring Hill, TN.
No photos were allowed inside; I'm not sure why, since there wasn't much to see.
Our guide was very informative about the home and its involvement with the Civil War. At different times throughout the year, they hold a Civil War reenactment. After a visit to the gift shop, we were on our way to our next stop.
We stopped at the Visitor Center in Columbia for a restroom break and information. Outside were a couple of historic markers and statues of James K Polk and his wife, Sarah Childress Polk.
Next, we walked across the street to the Polk Museum for a guided tour.
First, we watched a film about President James K Polk and his family. After the guided tour of the Museum, we were free to visit the kitchen, the slave quarters, and the outdoor gardens.
When we finished, we walked a couple of blocks to the courthouse square to attend First Friday in Columbia.
We stopped for a brownie Sundae at Hattie Jones Creamery. We ate a slice of pizza from one of the food trucks. We stopped in the Tennessee Distillery to use the restrooms, look around, and rest. We heard thunder, and it started to lightning, so we headed to the bus. A few people were still not on the bus; they were either shopping or eating. As it began to rain, the last passenger made it to the bus just before the bottom fell out. It began to storm as we set out on our journey back to Lawrenceburg.
We dropped the first group at First Baptist Church in Lawrenceburg. Then we began our journey to Faith Baptist Church in Loretto, where we were let off.
The bus continued to Florence to drop off the last passengers.
We were both very tired when we arrived home. We went to bed early; it had been a long day.
Spent
Hardies $11.81, Pizzas $14.00, Coke $5.00, Brownie Sundae $14.00
James K Polk Museum $13.17 posters of Presidents, VPs, and signers of the Constitution.
Photos
8711-8734 St John's Church & Cemetery, Mt Pleasant Church @ 8:59–9:41 A.M.
8736-8792 Rattle and Snap Plantation Museum, Mt Pleasant, @ 9:49–11:32 A.M.
8793 Mt Pleasant Grille @ 11:46 A.M.
8794-8820 Mt Pleasant Museum, Mt Pleasant, TN @ 12:35–12:50 P.M.
8821-8822 Rippavilla Spring Hill, TN @1:58 PM
8823-8830 Columbia Visitor Center, Columbia, TN @3:42-3:47 P.M.
8831-8856 Polk Museum and grounds @3:47PM
8857-8882 First Friday in Columbia, TN @ 5:07–7:11 P.M.
