Rippa Villa

Rippa Villa The Cheairs family lived at Rippa Villa for over 100 years. Nat Cheairs built his brick home around 1850.

The Battle of Spring Hill, the precursor to the Battle of Franklin, unfolded across the property.

A 1994 reference using the historically accurate spelling Rippa Villa, and someone whose family was closely tied to the ...
05/29/2026

A 1994 reference using the historically accurate spelling Rippa Villa, and someone whose family was closely tied to the Cheairs home.

Five years ago today we began welcoming guests to Rippa Villa. We thank the Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen for ...
05/24/2026

Five years ago today we began welcoming guests to Rippa Villa. We thank the Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen for entrusting us with this work and for their continued support. They recently extended our contract to 2037. We have gratefully received donations of Cheairs family pieces from Andrew Jackson's Hermitage and from Cheairs descendants. We have conducted archeological research, done major restoration work to the house and to Cheairs Quarters, installed interpretive signage, and brought home one of the original property cornerstones. We have hosted the American Battlefield Trust, anniversary commemorations, living histories, library talks, and school field trips. And in early June, The Cheairs Family & Rippa Villa, Volume 1 will be in our shops. It has been a very good five years. And we are only getting started...

THANK YOU for coming out to learn about the Cheairs family and the Battle of Spring Hill. Your ticket purchases are helping us to restore and protect this important piece of the American story.

The reconstruction of the chimney and fireplace have been completed at Cheairs Quarters and the limestone steps are bein...
05/13/2026

The reconstruction of the chimney and fireplace have been completed at Cheairs Quarters and the limestone steps are being installed. We are grateful for the Tennessee State Museum Capital Improvement Grant which has helped fund this worthy project and to Midwest Maintenance who has so carefully and capably executed the work.

By the spring of 1889, only 3 of Nathaniel and Sarah Cheairs's 11 children remained. "On May 12, 1889, at the age of 75,...
05/12/2026

By the spring of 1889, only 3 of Nathaniel and Sarah Cheairs's 11 children remained. "On May 12, 1889, at the age of 75, Nancy Sheegog passed away...Nat wrote a letter to his niece, Rush Owen, just after Nancy's funeral. It is a detailed and moving account."

It began, "It becomes my painful duty to inform you that my dear Sister Nancy is no more. She died Sunday night May 12th at 9 O'Clock & 15 minutes at Mary Whitehead's after 11 days of intense suffering. Such as I never witnessed before & hope never to witness again; but for about 10 hours before her death. She either became unconscious or insensible to pain. She was entirely quiet and breathed as easy & sweetly as a babe upon its Mothers bosom, and her last breath was like blowing a candle out, not a muscle moved."

Exactly two years to the day later, on May 12, 1891, Martin Cheairs died, just shy of his 87th birthday. His health had been in decline and his daughter, Mollie, had been caring for him in her home. "The funeral was held on May 13, and it took place at Martin's beloved Methodist Church...Martin was buried at the Spring Hill Cemetery next to his wife, and as Nat bade his brother goodbye, he became the last of the Cheairs siblings. His brothers and sisters were gone."

*Quoted material from The Cheairs Family & Rippa Villa, Volume 2: A Rebirth of Freedom by Eric A. Jacobson

Nat Cheairs loved to fish. "He, Martin, and a revolving group of friends and family went on regular fishing excursions t...
05/11/2026

Nat Cheairs loved to fish.

"He, Martin, and a revolving group of friends and family went on regular fishing excursions throughout the 1870s and 1880s. By the early 1890s, Nat was regularly fishing in the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida and one of his favorite places to stay was the Paxton House hotel in St. Petersburg. In late 1892, he and friends from Columbia fished for Spanish mackerel and one day the trio caught 190 fish. Nat reportedly caught 57. On another day they bagged 334, and Nat reeled in 101 mackerel.

"Nat also traveled to Cuba at least once. He wrote to Susan from the Grand Hotel Mascotte in Havana on February 22, 1891, and related how breakfast consisted of 'Coffee Bread & Butter & Tropical fruits of great variety...' He also told her of visiting a 'Cigar manufacturing establishment' that had 'some 600 hands in one factory...' Cuba was a popular destination, especially for visitors to Florida, and its exotic atmosphere, culture, and food attracted countless Americans. It is not known who accompanied Nat...

"When he was not in Florida, he kept fishing at home. He and several of his grandchildren had a 'fishing party' at Cross Bridges in the spring of 1900."

Quoted material from The Cheairs Family & Rippa Villa, Volume 2: A Rebirth of Freedom by Eric A. Jacobson

*Nat is pictured in the center.

The Gorham Wing house supplies a little touch of New England in Tennessee. Dr. Wing was born in Maine and came to Spring...
05/09/2026

The Gorham Wing house supplies a little touch of New England in Tennessee. Dr. Wing was born in Maine and came to Spring Hill by way of North Carolina. He bought a town lot from William McKissack in February 1837 and an adjoining lot from Henry Wade in June 1840. Shortly after that he built the only saltbox house in town.

Wing's time in Spring Hill was rather brief. He died on May 31, 1854, and was buried in the Spring Hill cemtery. At an estate sale of Wing's possessions, Nat Cheairs bought several things including a book of Ossian's poems, Homer's Odyssey, two volumes of Shakespeare, an eight-volume encyclopedia set, a leather trunk, a rosewood box, a bed, and a silver watch.

The Gorham Wing house is one of the historic homes included on our new Spring Hill walking tour offered on Sunday, Monday, and Friday at 9:00 am. Tickets must be purchased 24 hours in advance. Find them here: https://boft.org/rippavilla

On the "raw, damp morning" of May 7, 1863, Dr. George B. Peters, whose grandfather James Peters was a part of Spring Hil...
05/07/2026

On the "raw, damp morning" of May 7, 1863, Dr. George B. Peters, whose grandfather James Peters was a part of Spring Hill's early history, walked into the home of Martin Cheairs. He found [Earl] Van Dorn sitting at a desk in a first floor room and shot him in the back of the head. The general slumped in his chair, his head falling against an east facing window. Peters left, mounted his horse, and rode off. Moments later one of Martin's daughters "came running out the front door wringing her hands and crying out" to staff officers that she had found Van Dorn. They rushed inside and found "blood was flowing from the back of his head against the glass" and his body was "convulsively shuddering." Death came a few hours later. In the aftermath, Forrest was given command and he returned to Spring Hill in mid-May...

Within days of the shooting, rumors about an affair between Van Dorn and Jessie Peters began to circulate...In the 20th century the story about the alleged affair was told and retold to the point that it often sounded like a seedy soap opera. However, there is another storyline, and it is far worse...

Clara Peters was 15 years old in the spring of 1863. Often connected to the story about the alleged affair between Van Dorn and Jessie Peters is that a child was born about eight months after his death. But there is a problem with that version of the story - Jessie did not have a baby in early 1864. However, Clara did, and her child, Medora, was born on January 26, 1864...

*The true story aboput the Van Dorn murder is one of many you will encounter on the new Spring Hill Walking Tour offered by the Battle of Franklin Trust. Get more information and buy your tickets here: https://boft.org/rippavilla

**All narrative in the post quoted directly from The Cheairs Family & Rippa Villa, Volume 1: The Old Union by Eric A. Jacobson

Nathaniel Cheairs III described himself as a "zealous Methodist," and in the early days when there was no church in Spri...
05/03/2026

Nathaniel Cheairs III described himself as a "zealous Methodist," and in the early days when there was no church in Spring Hill, circuit riding preachers were regularly housed at the Cheairs farm and held meetings in the barn. Nathaniel and others established the first Methodist church in town, but "by the 1880s it was clear a new one was needed. On November 21, 1887, the 'splendid brick edifice' that stands yet today was dedicated. Martin [Cheairs] had contributed 'more than' $1,000 toward its construction, and he watched as Bishop H. N. McTyeire led the events of the day. Following the sermon Martin addressed the congregation and bishop and said, 'We present to you this house to be set apart from all unhallowed or uncommon uses for the worship of Almighty God.' His daughter, Laura, was there, too, seated at the 'rich-toned pipe organ,' and playing as she had at the old church for many years."

Martin's beloved Methodist Church is part of our new Spring Hill Walking Tour, offered Sunday, Monday, and Friday at 9 a.m. Advanced purchase required. Get more info and buy your tickets here: https://boft.org/rippavilla

*All quoted material in the post is from The Cheairs Family & Rippa Villa, Volume 2: A Rebirth of Freedom by Eric A. Jacobson

"Su***de is a desperate act. It often leaves behind unanswered questions and broken lives. On the morning of December 20...
05/01/2026

"Su***de is a desperate act. It often leaves behind unanswered questions and broken lives. On the morning of December 20, 1854, a Wednesday, Dr. John Haddox cut his throat with a razor and died."

Haddox was "described in a medical journal as 'a scientific physician,' while an advertisement card said he was a druggist...Haddox made fairly regular visits to Rippa Villa, as shown by records from Nathaniel Cheairs's estate..." In January 1848, he bought 128 acres from Martin Cheairs and had an impressive two-story brick home built on top of a hill facing the Columbia Pike.

"John Haddox was educated and wealthy. He had a beautiful new home on the southern outskirts of Spring Hill, owned a number of slaves, and had sizeable land holdings. He was well-known, had a good business, with a young wife and baby on the way. But darkness often wears a deceptive mask and time was ticking."

By 1854, Dr. Haddox had already lost two wives, each of whom left behind a young child. Now, as the birth of his third child approached, he began selling land. On October 28, he sold the lot where his office was situated. Five days later he agreed to sell the 128 acres he had bought from Martin Cheairs back to him along with his beautiful new home. Martin and his family went on to live in the house for many years.

Seven days after Dr. Haddox's su***de, his wife Laura gave birth to a baby girl. One week later, Laura followed her husband to the grave.

*The home Dr. Haddox built later became part of the Branham and Hughes campus, at which time it acquired the name Ferguson Hall. The house is part of a new walking tour of Spring Hill offered by the Battle of Franklin Trust. Learn more and buy tickets here: https://boft.org/rippavilla

**Quoted material from The Cheairs Family & Rippa Villa, Volume 1: The Old Union by Eric A. Jacobson

Come experience historic downtown Spring Hill on a first of its kind walking tour!Learn about the earliest origins of Sp...
04/27/2026

Come experience historic downtown Spring Hill on a first of its kind walking tour!

Learn about the earliest origins of Spring Hill and about settlers like James Peters, Albert Russell, and Nathaniel Cheairs, and hear about Henry Wade, who should rightfully be considered the founder of Spring Hill. Your guide will take you to some of the most historic places in town, such as the William McKissack home, the Gorham Wing house, the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal churches, and the site of the Freedmen's Bureau school which was constructed after the Civil War. You will also walk to the Spring Hill Cemetery and learn about some of the town's most interesting residents. The tour will conclude at the home of Martin Cheairs.

Available Monday, Friday, and Sunday beginning May 4. The cost is $30 per person (with a two-person minimum), and the tour must be booked seven days in advance.

Find more details and buy your tickets here: https://boft.org/rippavilla

Address

5700 Main Street
Spring Hill, TN
37174

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+19314869037

Website

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