Greeneville, TN, Honors

President Andrew Johnson

By Susan J. Young

Traveling along Interstate 81 in Northeast Tennessee and looking for an interesting diversion? Then head south to Greeneville, TN, the Volunteer State's second oldest town. 

Greeneville’s big tourism draw is a collection of well-preserved historic sites celebrating the life and times of the city’s native son -- President Andrew Johnson.

For all you history-challenged folks, Johnson was Abraham Lincoln’s vice president at the time of Lincoln’s assassination.

He was thrust unexpectedly into the Oval Office as the 17th President of the United States at one of the most critical times in our nation's history.

(Johnson's statue - shown in the photo at left - stands adjacent to the Andrew Johnson Historical Site in downtown Greeneville, TN.*)

While Johnson’s most familiar as the only U.S. president to be impeached, after learning more the proceedings and the events leading up to that action by the U.S. Congress, it appears he was involved in a political tug-of-war.

Johnson, a staunch Democratic conservative before assuming the Presidency, ultimately opted to continue Republican Lincoln’s more liberal policy of reconciling with – rather than punishing -- the southern states after the war.

That decision cost him dearly on the political front.

Andrew Johnson

National Historic Site

You’ll learn more about the role politics played in the impeachment decision as well as Johnson’s life and legacy during a half-day visit to the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Greeneville, TN.

Operated by the U.S. National Park Service, this site consists of a robust collection of Johnson-focused attractions. 

They detail his life, his career as a tailor, his marriage, his state and national government service, his Presidency and his later years.

(Shown above right, a National Park Service ranger will assist visitors in understanding Johnson's life and legacy.*)

The historic site includes:

• A Visitor Center  (shown at right*)with exhibits, artifacts and Johnson’s original wooden tailor shop;
• An early home of Eliza and Andrew Johnson;
• The Johnson Homestead with its original décor and furnishings; and
• The gravesites of Andrew and Eliza Johnson atop Signal Hill

Johnson’s Early Years

Born in 1808 in Raleigh, NC, Johnson was the son of a hotel porter. Johnson’s dad died when he was only four years old.

Apprenticed as a tailor as a child, he ran away when he was 15 –- traveling throughout the Carolinas and Tennessee. (A scene from Greeneville in the early 1800s is shown in the photo at right.*)

Eventually, he settled in Greeneville, TN, a prosperous Scotch-Irish town. It was here that he met Eliza McCardle, a shoemaker’s daughter.

In 1827, the couple were married in a ceremony performed by Mordecai Lincoln, a cousin of Abraham Lincoln.

Although he never attended school, he learned to read and was a strong proponent of public education.

Johnson launched his tailoring career by delivering a commanding style of speech and participating in debates that were as much entertainment as politics.

One opponent said: “He held his crowd spellbound.”

He became a Greeneville Alderman in 1929. From there, service in various state offices took him to Nashville, while his family remained in Greeneville.

(Photo of an exhibit detailing the Johnson's early years in Greeneville is shown at right*).

Soon, there was no time for tailoring; he sold the tailoring business but kept the building and lot.

Success and Hardship

By 1851, the family moved from the small brick house Johnson bought in the 1830 to a larger house – The Homestead. (The downtown historic property is shown in the photo above.*)

And by the 1840s, Johnson was a highly successful businessman. He owned a 350-acre farm east of town along with flour mills and other real estate holdings.

But the Civil War soon brought hardship. Although the state was under Union rule by 1862, early in the war Johnson became a military governor. 

During this period, east Tennessee was pro-Union but occupied by the Confederate Army.

Johnson’s sons and grandsons were harassed for their pro-Union stand. Johnson’s property was confiscated. His home became a Confederate Hospital.

Eliza escaped through enemy lines to join her husband in Nashville. The family didn’t return to Greeneville again until Johnson’s Presidential service ended in 1869.

Defending the Constitution

In political circles, Johnson was an uncompromising idealist, believed in the agrarian democracy of Thomas Jefferson and fellow Tennessean Andrew Jackson, and extolled a strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.

As a local and state official, Johnson was a working class candidate and a Democratic Party leader.

His terms as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator gave him a chance to put his views into action.

(A map of the Johnson sites in Greeneville -- many of which tell the story of his extensive political service -- is shown above.*)

Johnson felt strongly that public lands belonged to the people. The 1862 Homestead Act is considered one of Johnson’s public service achievements.

The Homestead Act opened public land to anyone who would farm a 160-acre parcel.

Throughout his political career, Johnson fought hard for the working class.

However, on the issue of slavery, at first, Johnson believed slavery did not violate the U.S. Constitution.

He needed pro-slavery votes and he even owned slaves himself. But his defense of slavery waned as Southern secession threatened to destroy the Union.

When the War broke out, Johnson was the only senator from a seceding state to remain in Congress.

Siding with Lincoln, he believed secession was unconstitutional.

During a 1860 speech to the U.S. Congress he stated: “I intend to stand by the Constitution as it is, insisting upon a compliance with all its guaranties…It is the last hope of human freedom.”

Johnson felt that if that philosophy meant abandoning slavery, then so be it.

Many fellow southerners didn’t see it that way. On a train ride through Virginia in 1986, he was nearly killed by hostile crowds.

Lincoln’s Legacy and Impeachment

To northerners, Johnson was a hero. Lincoln appointed him military governor of Tennessee in 1862.

Two years later he replaced Hannibel Hamlin as Lincoln’s running mate. (A campaign poster for Lincoln-Johnson is shown at left in the Visitor Center's exhibition area.*)

“Andy Johnson, I think, is a good man,” said Lincoln. The duo were elected. Johnson took the oath of office as Vice President of the United States.

Following Lincoln’s death in April 1865, Johnson became President. 

Much of the time, he battled with orator Thadeus Stevens and the so-called Radical Republicans in the U.S. Congress over the course of the nation’s post-war reconstruction.

Johnson wanted to re-admit Southern states to the Union much as they were pre-war but simply without slavery. In contrast, the Radicals wanted to shackle the South to avoid any southern state’s ability to re-start another conflict.

To thwart Johnson, Congress – fearing that the President would replace Radical Republications in appointed posts throughout the South -- passed the Tenure of Office Law requiring Senate approval before the president could remove appointed officials.

Johnson said the law was unconstitutional and soon fired Secretary of War William Stanton, an opponent to his reconciliatory approach to the South.

Early in 1868, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson, a step that could lead to his removal from office.

The trial began in the U.S. Senate in March. In a squeaker of a decision, Johnson was acquitted by one vote.

(At right, information panels within the Visitor Center explain the trial and verdict.*)

Unwaivering in his views, on Christmas Day 1968, Johnson further infuriated the Radicals by proclaiming a general amnesty for anyone who had participated in the rebellion.

Johnson’s Presidency

Looking back, many historicans give Johnson credit for assuring the nation continued on the correct path toward reconciliation during the post-war era.

Accomplishments included re-opening post offices, seaports and federal courts in the South.

That said, he also took stances not popular by today’s standards. He opposed the 14^th Amendment, vetoed the Civil Rights Act, and even vetoed statehood for Nebraska and Colorado – believing each of those was unconstitutional.

He also purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. That purchase was orchestrated by Secretary of the Interior William Seward.

At the time, newspaper headlines screamed of “Seward’s Folly.” Most of the U.S. population didn’t approve of the purchase and couldn’t see the value. Johnson’s and Seward's decision was only appreciated decades later.

Returning to Greeneville (shown at left*) in 1869, Johnson was again elected to the U.S. Senate in 1875.

Interestingly, he was the only former U.S. President who ever returned to the Senate.

One of Greeneville’s weathiest citizens, Johnson died just six month after that election.

His estate was worth more than $200,000 – all from a man of humble means with no formal education.

The Homestead ultimately passed to Johnson’s younger son, Andrew Jr. Greeneville citizens dedicated the local cemetery to Johnson in 1878.

Visitor Center and Early Home

One by one, the various Greeneville buildings associated with Johnson were acquired by the U.S. government.

Today, they create an interesting collection to tell the Johnson story.

(At right, rocking chairs are shown on the porch of Johnson's Early Home; the fireplace inside the home is shown below.*)

At the Visitor Center, you’ll peruse exhibits, view artifacts and enjoy an orientation film, "Andrew Johnson: Defender of the Constitution.”

In the adjacent Memorial Building you’ll find a terrific surprise.

Enclosed within it – to protect it from the outside weather – is the small wooden tailor shop that Johnson bought in 1831 and moved to this site.

(A portion of the tailor shop building is shown at right.*)

Andrew Johnson's Tailor Shop was a gathering place for the men of Greeneville, who came there to debate politics.

When Johnson was elected to his first political office as alderman of Greeneville, some meetings were held in this shop.

At the shop, you’ll hear re-created sounds of the bygone trade, lift a tailor's "goose," and see an example of Andrew Johnson's handiwork.

Children can try on reproduction clothing from the 19th century (as shown at right*).

Proud of his humble beginnings throughout his life, Johnson told a crowd of supporters in 1866:

“When I was a tailor, I always made a close fit and was always punctual to my customers, and did good work.”

You may peruse one of the fine morning coats he made for a customer by strolling through the Visitor Center’s museum. (It's shown in the photo at right.*)

In this museum area, check out the panels which tell the story of Johnson’s Presidency.

The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson is clarified in the museum. Visitors may even “vote” as a Senator in the trial, deciding Johnson's guilt or innocence based on the impeachment charges.

Voting tickets are replicas of the original tickets to Johnson's impeachment trial. You may keep your ticket after the voting tab is removed.

Results are tallied and published every year on the May 26, 1868 anniversary of the final Senate vote.

Before leaving the Visitor Center, take a gander at the site's bookstore.

Then head across the street to the early home of Eliza and Andrew Johnson (shown at left*)

This basic home – without furniture for the most part – remains much as it was in Johnson’s era.

Simple exhibits on the walls (such as the one at right*) tell Johnson’s life story in the decades before he became President.

The Homestead

Just a block and a half up the street is The Homestead, where the Johnson family lived beginning in 1851.

During the Civil War the home was used by both Union and Confederate troops as a headquarters building. A section of the graffiti left on the walls by soldiers during that time has been left exposed for visitors to see.

After the war, the Johnson family remodeled their home with new furniture, wallpaper, and gifts received in Washington.

(The rear entrance of the home is shown at left.*)

Today, the home’s interior showcases the Johnson’s original 1969-1875-era furniture and artifacts. Ten rooms are open to visitors.

Check out the National Park Service slide show of the home’s interior tour.

Guided tours are available. Tours begin at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m.

While the tour is free, a ticket is required. Visitors may acquire tickets from the Visitor Center (The entrance is shown at right*) up until 15 minutes before the tour time.

The U.S. National Park Service advises visitors that Homestead tours require standing, walking, and negotiating three flights of stairs. There are no restrooms at the Homestead, so use the modern ones in the Visitor Center before departing.

More than half the rooms at the Homestead have outside porch entrances, so dress accordingly for the season. Both winter cold and summer heat can be intense.

Andrew Johnson

National Cemetery

A half mile away through a pleasant residential neighborhood and rolling hills is the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery atop Signal Hill.

Here the former president, his wife Eliza, and other family members are buried on the highest point of the cemetery (see photo at right.*)

The hillside also is a national cemetery for veterans and their spouses.

Today, the site is called Monument Hill.

Editor’s Note: The drive up to the Johnson gravesite is quite steep, but there are a few parking spots once you reach the top.

Johnson wanted this spot for his final resting spot, given its commanding views of the mountains in the distance.

Most of Greeneville plus mountain folk who had supported him in his early political days turned out for the burial.

The grave is marked by a 27-foot-tall Italian marble obelisk topped with an American Eagle (as shown in the photo at left.*) 

Surviving children Martha Patterson (shown in the photo at left*), Mary Stover and Andrew Johnson Jr. dedicated the monument on Jun 5, 1878.

The monument’s inscription is a testament to Johnson's political legacy - "His Faith in the People Never Wavered."

Andrew Johnson was buried with his copy of the Constitution and his body was wrapped in the American flag.

The graves of Charles and Robert, Johnson’s two oldest sons are nearby. Charles, the oldest, was killed during his service to the Union Army during the Civil War.

Robert served in the Union Army and acted as personal secretary to his father during the White House years.

Historic Site Detail

The Andrew Johnson Historic Park is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Days.

No fees are charged to tour the homes and peruse the artifacts (such as those shown at left*) but donations are accepted.

Groups of more than 12 people are asked to contact the Visitor Center at 423-638-3551 to make arrangements with park service staff.

The Visitor Center, the early home and the cemetery are accessible to visitors in wheelchairs. The Homestead is wheelchair accessible on the basement level and the first floor.

Parking is available at the Visitor Center, the Homestead, park service administrative offices and the President's gravesite on the crest of Monument Hill.

Exploring Around Greeneville

Interested in learning even more about Johnson and the Greeneville area?

The Nathanael Greene Museum, at Main and McKee Streets in downtown Greeneville, is a museum that showcases local history.

This museum is generally open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s usually closed in January. Visitors should re-verify the operating hours before departing; call the museum at 423-636-1558 before your visit .

Also in Greeneville, travelers might check out the Andrew Johnson Museum and Library at Tusculum College, It fields collections of Johnson documents and objects.

If you’re interested in tours, contact Main Street Tours.  This non-profit group dedicated to the preservation of a 12-block historic district in downtown Greeneville offers two popular tours.

In the 90-minute “Walk with the President Tour," you’ll stroll the streets and see what President Andrew Johnson did in 1869 when he returned to the city.

The tour time is 9:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday from April through October. Tickets are $5 for adults, with kids 5 and under at no charge.

Offered at 1 p.m. daily, “The Dickson-Williams Mansion Tour” will take you into a world of exquisite antique, storied history and Civil War intrigue.

In the 1800s, this showpiece mansion was famed for its lavish entertaining; guests included Presidents Andrew Johnson, Andrew Jackson and James Polk, as well as Henry Clay, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Davy Crockett.

However, it’s perhaps best known as the spot where dashing Confederate General John Hunt Morgan spent his last night during the Civil War. He was killed by Union forces in the home's garden the following morning.

Dickson-Williams Mansion Tour tickets are: adults $10, students ages 6-18 $5, and children 5 and under are admitted free

One regional attraction is the Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park, with a visitor center and museum. Visitors also may explore a replica of the cabin in which the famed frontierman was born.

To reach downtown Greeneville and the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site follow these directions:

· From I-81 northbound, take exit 23 to U.S. 11E north into Greeneville.

· From I-81 southbound, take exit 36 to Tennessee Route 172 south, then U.S. 321 into Greeneville.

For More Information

For more information, contact:

The Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, (423-638-3551), 121 Monument Ave., Greeneville, TN, 37743

If you plan to visit Greeneville or surrounding areas, contact the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association for visitor information.