Andrew Johnson National Historic Site

The East Tennessee area has four seasons with mild Springs and Falls. Summers can be hot and humid with highs in the 80s and 90s. Winters are usually mild with daily averages in the 30s, but temperatures can drop to the 20s on occasion.

No Fees.

Reservations are required for the Homestead tour only.

The Visitor Center provides visitor information and houses the museum and Tailor Shop, the orientation film, "Andrew Johnson: Defender of the Constitution," and the site's Eastern National bookstore.

Andrew Johnson's Early Home in Greeneville contains exhibits concerning Andrew Johnson's life prior to becoming President.

The National Cemetery is the final resting place for Andrew Johnson and his family, as well as for the nation's veterans.

The president's Home is open for tours daily with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas day, and New Year's day.

Tours are available at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, and 4:30. There is no admission charge, but visitors must obtain tickets for a tour at the Visitor Center no later than 15 minutes prior to the tour. Tour sizes are limited to 12. Tours begin on the back porch of the Homestead, and visitors may either walk or drive to the house. Parking is available.

Groups larger than 12 should call the Visitor Center at 423-638-3551 to make reservations in advance.

The Andrew Johnson Museum and Library is on the campus of Tusculum College. The museum houses a collection of Andrew Johnson papers and memoribilia.

Main Street Tours offer both downtown walking tours of historic Greeneville, TN, and guided tours of the Dickson-Williams Mansion. The Mansion was once called the showplace of East Tennessee, and General John Hunt Morgan spent his last night here during the Civil War. He was killed in the garden the following morning.

The Nathanael Greene Museum is a museum of Greeneville and Greene County history. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The museum is generally closed in January.

The Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park commemorates the legacy of famed frontiersman and politician, David Crockett. In addition to the birthplace replica, the site has a visitor center and museum, campground, and playground.

The Tailor Shop

Andrew Johnson's Tailor Shop became a gathering place for the men of Greeneville. They engaged in political debates, and Andrew soon joined a debating society. When he was elected to his first political office as alderman of Greeneville, some of the meetings were held in this shop.

In the 1920's Andrew Johnson's Tailor Shop was enclosed within a Memorial Building. In the Memorial Building you can see the authentic shop, hear recreated sounds of a bygone trade, lift a tailor's "goose," and see an example of Andrew Johnson's handiwork. Children can try on reproduction clothing from the 19th century.

The Museum

In the museum area, visitors can read panels which explain the Presidency of Andrew Johnson. Several artifacts are displayed, and highlights of Johnson's administration are covered.

The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson is clarified in the museum, and visitors can vote as a Senator in the trial, deciding Johnson's guilt or innocence of the impeachment charges. The voting tickets are replicas of the original tickets to Johnson's impeachment trial, and visitors are encouraged to keep them after the voting tab is removed. The results are tallied and published every year on the May 26, 1868 anniversary of the final Senate vote.

The Homestead

The Homestead was Andrew Johnson's residence both before and after his Presidency. The house is now restored to its 1869-1875 appearance, the time period following Johnson's return home from Washington D.C.

During the Civil War the home was used by both Union and Confederate troops as headquarters. A section of the graffiti left on the walls by soldiers during that time has been left exposed for visitors to see. After the war, the Johnson family remodeled their home, bringing in new furniture, wallpaper, and gifts received in Washington. Many of these original furnishings and belongings are found within the home today.

The Cemetery

Andrew Johnson was buried atop Signal Hill in 1875. It is known today as Monument Hill. The hillside which serves as the president's final resting spot is now a national cemetery open for burials to veterans and their spouses.

Family tradition holds that Johnson chose this spot as his final resting place, and it has a commanding view of the distant mountains. His marker is an obelisk topped by an American Eagle. The words inscribed there are a testament to Johnson's political legacy - "His Faith in the People Never Wavered."

Andrew Johnson was buried with the Constitution resting under his head, and he was wrapped in the American flag.