Spring Hill, Tennessee:  Historic Sites and Events
 

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• Ferguson Hall (located at 5350 Main

 Street; 931/486-1677)

"Ferguson Hall is a handsome plantation home located on Hwy 31 in Spring Hill, Tennessee.  It was built by Daniel McCaulfin, a local builder, for Martin Cheairs, brother of Nathaniel Cheairs, original owner of Rippavilla Plantation. Construction began in October of 1852 and was completed in December of 1853.  Ferguson Hall is most noted for an incident that transpired there in 1863.  After the Battle of Murfreesboro, Confederate General Bragg's troops drew back to occupy more secure bases to the south.  Gen. Earl Van Dorn, a native of Mississippi, was commander of Bragg's cavalry.  He brought his troops to Spring Hill and chose Ferguson Hall (called the Cheairs Home at the time) as his headquarters.  Whether his reputation as a 'womanizer' was true or not has been the subject of much discussion over the years, but one of his indiscretions brought about his death. It was rumored that he was carrying on an affair with Jesse McKissack Peters, the wife of Dr. George B. Peters, a local physician.  It was commented that Mrs. Peters could be seen coming and going from the Cheairs House at odd hours.  Dr. Peters became aware of these rumors and, on the morning of May 7, 1863, he went to the headquarters of Gen. Van Dorn.  Details of the events of that day are few, but at its conclusion, Van Dorn was found at his desk with a gunshot wound to the back of the head.  Dr. Peters fled the area.  Evidence collected by army investigators seemed to point to justifiable murder, and the doctor was never brought to trial.  

"In 1897, William C. Branham and William Hughes opened a school in Spring Hill.  The following year, they acquired the property of what had been Spring Hill Male College, and in 1905 they purchased the old Martin Cheairs place with its 57 acres of land and the mansion.  It was given the name 'Ferguson Hall' in honor of a friend of the Branhams.  Branham and Hughes School became known far and wide as an excellent educational institution.  When the Depression hit the country in the 1930s, however, the school was forced to close its doors.  In 1934, the property was deeded to the Trustees of Tennessee Orphans Home, and it became an institution for the care of needy children.  The name has been changed to Tennessee Children's Home and, today, is a ministry of the Churches of Christ."

• Rippavilla Plantation (located at 5700 Main Street; 931/486-9037)

        
"Rippavilla, standing in all its classic dignity among a grove of beech trees, has been an object of admiration from passersby for many generations. Built by Major Nathaniel Francis Cheairs on property originally purchased by his father in 1811, Rippavilla established itself as a center for the social life of the community.

"Major Cheairs was not only a successful and prosperous planter and business man, but he was also a careful and meticulous builder. The brick house built at the rear of the mansion was the original structure for his family to live in during construction of Rippavilla; later, it was used as a kitchen and servants's house.  Today, it serves as the hospitality center as well as offices.  

"The main home construction began in 1851, and in 1855, the house was finally completed, but not before Major Cheairs had the walls started and pulled down three times to meet his standards.  Major Cheairs's greatest hope was that his house would stand at least one hundred years, and his dream has stood the test of time.

"The Cheairs family enjoyed a few peaceful years at Rippavilla before the War Between the States broke out.  In 1861, Major Cheairs rode off to join ranks with the Confederate Army and became a prisoner of war several times over the next three years.  During that time, troops of both armies camped and fought battles on and near the plantation.  Both armies's generals (including Confederate Generals Nathan Bedford Forrest, Benjamin F. Cheatham, and John Bell Hood and Union Generals William 'Bull' Nelson and James Wilson) occupied Rippavilla as their headquarters.  In November of 1864, the battle of Spring Hill brought the Civil War to the front doors of Rippavilla.  

"Major Cheairs turned over the operation of his plantation to his son after the war.  The home remained in the Cheairs family until 1920 when it sold for a handsome sum to a millionaire who admired the house in passing and inquired about it.  This second family, the Whitfields of Alabama, remodeled much of the interior and lived there for only a short while.  

"The house has seen several owners through the years, each making their contribution to continue preservation efforts.  Many family heirlooms are now back 'home' and are recognizable throughout the house.  From family photos to brooches and from dolls to furniture, the mansion lives on to tell the stories of the families that made a magnificent impression on the world as they built their dreams of bricks and beauty for all to enjoy."

Rippavilla Photos