The Heart of the Household

The Heart of the Household (HM13NF)

Location: Greeneville, TN 37743 Greene County
Buy Tennessee State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 36° 9.766', W 82° 49.753'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 446 views
Inscription

Andrew Johnson National Historic Site

"At four in the morning I had to be up. I went up and made the fire in [Johnson's] room, shined his boots, and then made a fire in the kitchen stove. I stood by his side at the table . . . then I washed the dishes." ? ? ? William Johnson, slave to Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson purchased his first slave, Dolly, in 1842 while living in the house in front of you. Fourteen-year-old Dolly was scheduled to be sold at auction when, according to her son William Johnson, she approached Andrew Johnson and asked him to buy her. The bill of sale (right) is for Dolly's 12 year-old brother Sam whom Andrew Johnson also bought. Dolly, her brother Sam, and Johnson's other slaves worked in and around this house doing the family's cooking, cleaning, and other domestic chores.

"I, Andrew Johnson, do hereby proclaim freedom, full, broad and unconditional to every man in Tennessee!" ? ? ? Andrew Johnson, Military Governor of Tennessee, 1864

Johnson believed in gradual freedom for slaves. According to local tradition, Johnson freed his slaves, including Dolly and her family, on August 8, 1863. In 1864, as Tennessee's Military Governor, Johnson proclaimed freedom for all enslaved men in Tennessee a year before slavery was formerly abolished by the 14th amendment to the constitution.

"Slavery is the cancer upon the body politic, which must be rooted out before perfect health can be restored." ? ? ? Andrew Johnson, August 8, 1864
Details
HM NumberHM13NF
Tags
Placed ByNational Park Service
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, October 13th, 2014 at 10:05pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 335467 N 4003552
Decimal Degrees36.16276667, -82.82921667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 36° 9.766', W 82° 49.753'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds36° 9' 45.96" N, 82° 49' 45.18" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)423
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 100-104 N College St, Greeneville TN 37743, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?
© 2025  Historical Marker Project.  All Rights Reserved.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
HMP is owned and operated by 3RiverDev (Fort Wayne, Indiana).
Terms and Conditions   |   Privacy Policy   |   Disclaimers   |   About   |   Contact Us