Rippa Villa

09/04/2026

Three of Nathaniel and Sarahs Cheairs’s sons made Spring Hill their home throughout their adult lives. In the late 1860s they sat for a portrait together: John on the left, Martin in the center, and Nat on the right. Shortly thereafter, the trio was down to two.

“Around Christmas 1872, John Cheairs, not long after turning 66, was stricken with pneumonia. He struggled for two weeks, but died on January 6, 1873, around five o’clock in the afternoon. His funeral was held two days later. His body was placed in a metallic casket and then, ‘attended by a large number of people,’ was taken to Rose Hill. John was lauded and noted as a man of ‘moral worth’ and ‘sterling integrity of character…’ Rev. R. G. Irvine said, ‘And thus we bury one of the very best men I ever knew.’”

“A friend who knew John for over thirty years wrote about him several days after the funeral. The friend admitted it was common in death ‘to forget the faults and magnify the virtues of the subject,’ but in this case ‘neither shall be done.’ John’s years as a merchant brought him into contact with almost everyone in the community, and ‘we have never heard of his integrity assailed by anyone.’ The author said as ‘a husband, as a father, as a friend, feeble words cannot describe him…’ He added, ‘His hospitality and geniality are probably attested by more friends than any man in the county.’ As the end drew near, John did not think of himself, but his ‘heart went out in prayer for others.’”

*Quoted material from The Cheairs Family and Rippa Villa, Volume 2: A Rebirth of Freedom, headed to the printer early next week. Look for it in November.

08/12/2026

What does Rippa Villa have to do with the new Presidential Library?

When Nat and Susan Cheairs built their beautiful home in 1850-51, "McKissack slaves performed the carpentry on the three new buildings at Rippa Villa. The plaster work was handled by Madison, who was a skilled brick mason. Nat said Washington was there, too, and post-Civil War censuses noted him as a 'brick mason' and a 'bricklayer.'"

One of William McKissack's most skilled carpenters was a man named Moses. "It is possible he was born in Africa and McKissack acquired Moses in North Carolina...Moses died around 1865, but his lineage was destined to change the world."
Moses's son Gabriel and his wife Dolly "welcomed a son into their lives on May 8, 1879, and they named him Moses. They had another son, Calvin, born on February 23, 1890. By 1910...Moses, an architect, had launched a firm that came to be known as McKissack & McKissack. By the early 1920s, the brothers had teamed up and the business took off. In 1942, Moses and Calvin were awarded the Spaulding medal 'for the operation of the best colored business in America...'"

"The business they built is known around the world and McKissack & McKissack is so well-respected it helped to design the Barack Obama Presidential Library, which was opened in 2026."

*Quoted material excerpted from The Cheairs Family & Rippa Villa, Volumes 1 and 2. Find Volume 1, The Old Union, in our shops and online. Look for Volume 2, A Rebirth of Freedom, in the fall.

https://store.boft.org/books-and-dvds/p/the-cheairs-family-rippa-villa-volume-1

08/05/2026

An excerpt from the forthcoming book The Cheairs Family & Rippa Villa: the Rebirth of Freedom, Vol. 2, written by Eric A. Jacobson, which covers some of what happened in the early years of the site being open to the public:

In May 2003, Rippavilla, Inc. discussed ending its relationship with Maury County in the hopes of initiating a similar agreement with Spring Hill. However, that ended quickly because Ray Williams, the mayor of Spring Hill, who also served on the Rippavilla board, said such an arrangement was not feasible because the site was not located within the “corporate” city limits. Also, the property could not be annexed without involving Saturn. Williams also said Maury County “has put $1 million into it” and “the bottom line is, it could be a money pit.”

In June 2003, Bennett finally quit. He had some parting shots, including that there had been “six years of mismanagement and Maury County politics...” Alice Algood became the next interim director. There was more uncertainty in late 2003, after GM “asked the Maury County Industrial Board to release 1,200 acres” from the “in-lieu-of-tax agreement” in exchange for “Saturn’s donation of land for a county sports complex.” Nothing came of the sports complex, but Saturn was in trouble. It amounted to just 6% of GM sales and had turned a profit just once in thirteen years, even though the Spring Hill plant had produced over three million vehicles. By the end of 2003, a new labor contract effectively stripped most of Saturn’s independence and, in an effort to keep the plant open, it became “just another division at General Motors Corp.” An analyst said starkly that Saturn had to “become a more integrated part of GM or cease to exist.” The United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 1853 approved the contract in mid-2004.

Meanwhile, there was a big change at Rippa Villa when Pam Perdue was chosen as the permanent executive director in January 2004. However, money problems were at the forefront and a Tennessean article used the term “self-supporting” to explain how the site needed to bring in more revenue if it was to survive.

08/05/2026

Visit Rippa Villa for only $10!!

From now through August 30, take a classic house tour at Rippa Villa for only $10. Tickets MUST be pre-purchased online.

As a special bonus, when you arrive with your $10 ticket, you will be given the opportunity to purchase Eric A. Jacobson's new book, The Cheairs Family & Rippa Villa: The Old Union, for only $5.

*One $5 book per party. Additional books may be purchased at the regular price. Discounted book may be purchased onsite ONLY.

Pre-purchase your ticket here: https://boft.org/rippavilla

08/04/2026

In 1860, Nat and Susan Cheairs owned 75 human beings. Yesterday we placed silhouettes representing five of those people - two adults, one young male, and a female adult holding a baby - both inside the house and outside at Rippa Villa..

Their presence, and their realities, are an essential part of the story of Rippa Villa. History is not always comfortable, but reckoning with our past is crucial.

These silhouettes are part of a much larger project we have undertaken to bring physical representation to the enslaved at each of our sites. To learn more, and to contribute to this worthy endeavor, visit: https://boft.org/enslavedproject

Also, hear from some of the dreamers who made this project possible here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7WhAEhvkSA

07/13/2026

Cheairs Quarters housed workers who cultivated the fields at Rippa Villa well into the twentieth century. In 1879 a visiting writer from New Jersey wrote, "It looks like a small town. The Major employs ten colored men year round, to whom he pays ten dollars a month, finds them a hut with rations of eight quarts of meal and four pounds of bacon per week..." There were once as many as fifteen cabins. Only one remains.

We recently had the chimney and fireplace reconstructed and installed new limestone steps. The next step is to address the wood elements to make this a space that guests can once again stand inside. We are grateful to the Tennessee State Museum for their Capital Improvement Grant which helped fund this worthy project and to Midwest Maintenance who carefully and capably executed the work.

07/03/2026

Thank you, Hannah Herner, for coming out to see us at Rippa Villa and for the great article!

‘All Men Are Created Equal’ tour highlights the country’s early events as they connect to slavery

06/15/2026

They are here!!! Pick up your copy of The Cheairs family & Rippa Villa in our shops today!! If you pre-ordered, it’s in the mail.

05/29/2026

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

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.