James K. Polk Ancestral Home
James Knox Polk, 11th president of the United States, was born in Mecklenburg County, NC, but when he was a boy his family pulled up roots and joined the westering movement to Tennessee. Only one of the four private homes he lived in remains today, in Columbia, TN, a few miles south of Nashville.No, my family is not related to Polk, but my cousin and collaborator on the Family Album CD project, Burney Parker, is related to the Polk clan on his father's side. Since I was in the neighborhood of the Polk Home recently, I took the opportunity to tour it and collect some pictures for him. This section is the result.
Polk Home Pictures
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| Marker in front of Polk Home | Entrance to Polk Home |
There are several excellent portraits of Polk, his wife Sarah, and her family in the house, along with many original furnishings contributed by family members. The house sits on a corner near the center of Columbia, a small Southern town in the rolling hills of Middle Tennessee. The house seen in the background of the picture above is actually next door to that occupied by James Polk when he lived in Columbia; it was built for his older sister and her husband on land given to them by their parents for that purpose, and was later occupied by a younger sister and her family. Today the second house, which underwent extensive renovations and additions, holds the museum, staff offices and gift shop. Extensive formal gardens complete the family compound.
Additional Pictures
There are three other pages in this presentation: