Visitors to historic Rock Castle in Hendersonville can get an entertaining history lesson Saturday night as guides dressed in 18th and 19th Century costumes conduct a tour of the cemetery.

Rock Castle stands as strong and significant today as it did when it was created more than 200 years ago. Recognized as the first stone house constructed in Middle Tennessee, Rock Castle was completely hand built from the ground up using limestone, quarried on the land, and wood from virgin walnut, ash, cedar, cherry and poplar trees found on the property.

The home was built for Daniel Smith, a well-known Virginia surveyor called upon in 1784 to help survey the city of Nashville. Construction began in the mid 1780s, and the house originally consisted of two rooms.

Rock Castle, like its owner’s wealth and prosperity, continued to grow in the following years. A second addition, which included a formal dining room, was added mainly for social events and by 1796 the multi-level stone dwelling was complete. It is comprised of seven rooms plus a usable basement and attic.

The architectural style is a blend of Georgian and Federal periods.

Rock Castle Director Tom Varenchick said the Federal style of the main structure reflects Smith’s Virginia upbringing, while the front porch that was added years later by his grandson reflects a Greek Revival style.

“It [was], when completed, one of the most beautiful on the frontier at that time,” Varenchick said.

Smith brought a number of craftsmen from Kentucky to help construct the home. While in Tennessee they lived on the property.

Several rooms inside the home feature floor-to-ceiling, black walnut cupboards built into the fireplace walls. Other furnishings reflect a simple lifestyle of culture and good taste.

The furniture and many accessories are late eighteenth century antiques, typical of the furnishings, the Smith’s owned.

Housed in Rock Castle are three original pieces: a blanket chest, a desk, and a sugar chest, which belonged to Smith. The Family Bible, private letters, and Smith's library of over two hundred books can also be found on site.

Smith was one of nine trustees appointed for Davidson Academy, the first institution of higher learning in Nashville. He also served as a Captain in the Revolutionary War, Secretary of the Territory of the United States Southwest of the River Ohio, Chairman of the committee to draft the constitution of Tennessee and Indian treaty negotiator.

In 1798 he was appointed to serve Andrew Jackson's remaining term in the United States Senate. He ran again in 1805 and defeated the incumbent, William Cocke.

Smith died in 1818 and his wife Sarah, who supervised the construction of the home, as well as managed the plantation, died in 1831. Both are buried in the family cemetery on the grounds of Rock Castle.

The cemetery tour begins around 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for children.

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=11&screen=news&news_id=27728