The Robertson family invites you to tour the house as if you are a member of the family. Feel free to visit all the rooms on the first floor as the second floor is reserved for the family private bedrooms. Ask questions to any of the docents or family members present and more than anything feel at home.

Plantation EntranceAs you enter the ranch across the cattle guard and through the stone pillars, imagine before I-35 was built you would be turning off of Salado’s Main street or the Chisholm Trail south of Salado’s old Post office now the home of the Well’s Art Gallery. The drive was over a half mile. Today, the drive is under a quarter mile and begins where the American and Texas flags are located. Notice that the flags are flown at the same height. Texas is the only state in the Union that can fly their flag at the same height as Old Glory. Approxi-mately 850 acres of the original property make up this working ranch today.

Colonel Elijah Sterling Clack and Mary Elizabeth Dickey Robertson’s HomeBegun in 1854 Colonel Robertson’s home is an ex-ample of a Greek revival style structure of magnificent proportions for the Texas frontier. He moved in with his wife and five children in 1860. His family grew to include a total of twelve children. This style was pop-ularized with the circulation of such works as Minard La Fever’s “The Beauties of Modern Architecture” (1835). In the middle of what the Colonel described as a wilderness, he oversaw the construction process in its entirety. We don’t know who designed the home or who the craftsmen were, but they were indeed well trained or skilled. The home shows evidence of their skill in the creation of the mantels, millwork, doors, and cabinets. There are French, African, and Creole as well as Anglo influences in the design of this house. Built of cypress and pine, it has stood the test of time as intended.

Front WalkThe double gates, picket fence and the absence of 12 cedars that flank the walk welcome you to “The Homeplace” at Robertson Plantation. It is a South-ern custom to have plantings representing the twelve apostles or guardian angels to invoke a blessing over the house and family. The cedars are being replaced after the previous overgrown ones were severely dam-aged by the tornadoes of May 2008. The front walk constructed in 1872 with gravel off the property acted as a type of security system during the early years of the Homeplace, alerting the Robertson’s to a visitor’s presence. Each night the pebble path was “raked” smooth, so in the morning any footprints would be detected. Many times this meant at least one of the stranger’s guest rooms was occupied.

Front PorchThe welcoming front porch had to seem like an “oasis” in the rugged Texas hill country. Imagine traveling by

horse, expecting to sleep under the stars on the hard ground and then coming upon this house? With the stranger’s guest rooms on the front and back porches this home must have been a favorite resting place for early Texans. Records of money collected give evi-dence that for a time the stage stopped here, and rooms were rented to travelers. Many guests of the Robert-son’s probably stayed in these rooms as well.

Stranger’s Guest RoomsThe Colonel’s Tennessee experience is obvious in his inclusion of the stranger’s guest rooms, one on the front and one on the back porch. The Hermitage, out-side of Nashville, Tennessee and home of the seventh President of the United States Andrew Jackson, has a similar room which only opens off the porch. The rooms do not have an entrance into the main house, so guests could come and go without disturbing the Robertson family. This is an unusual feature in a Texas home and may have been influenced by French home design in which they include small rooms called cabi-nets.

The Colonel’s OfficeE. Sterling C. Robertson was known for many “firsts” and the home office was one of them. His office is located on the left side of the front porch. Visitors

would ride up to the front door, tie their horse to the railing and discuss the business of the day. He kept all his important papers and copies of his correspondence in this room. With all the writing he was required to do, ESC learned to write with both hands, though he always wrote his signature with his right hand!

Points of Interest:• Portraits of five generations of Robertson men hang in this office• Colonel’s writing desk is here• His campaign chest which went with him to serve in war is here

Entry HallThe 12 foot ceilings and large staircase are focal points of the Entrance Hall. Several brides have descended the 19 steps of this staircase. Many children have slid down its banister as well! Only a few pieces of furniture are thought to be original to the house. All of the furniture is a collection of pieces added by each generation that has called this place home.

Points of Interest:• Staircase posts and newels are each hand carved and are the original design of the carpenter• The staircase is held together with wood dowels• Central hall plan shows Anglo design influence

Front ParlorThis is the most formal room of the house where guests would be entertained. Notice the marble topped sideboard with the petticoat mirror. Originally the walls were plastered and painted in a rose hue. The Colonel’s oldest daughter Luella was married in this room in 1877, the first of many brides to be married in the home. The floor to ceiling window or door onto the front porch is a French idea used here for encouraging good air flow and allowing access to the front porch.

Point of Interest:• Mantle and millwork show formality and skill unusual for a frontier Texas home

Back ParlorThis room is a match to the front parlor though it was furnished less formally. It was the place where the family gathered to read. A ladies literary society was organized here in the early days. The tall bookcase to the left of the door that connects this room back to the central hall is older that the home having been disas-sembled and transported from Tennessee by ox cart with the glass doors cushioned between mattresses. The original chandeliers for both parlors are gone, but

the tapestries dividing the parlors are thought to be original.

Points of Interest• Again the French influence in the door to the back porch• Mantle and millwork are original and a match to the front parlor’s trim• The picture over the mantle is Colonel’s uncle James Robertson, the founder of Nashville, Tennessee• Small framed pictures on the mantle are the Colonel and his second Wife Mary Elizabeth Dickey at the time of their marriage• The large picture on the right wall as you face the fireplace is Mary Elizabeth Dickey Robertson• Two portraits hanging on your left as you turn to leave the back parlor and reenter the central hall were done by itinerate artists. These are the Colonel’s daughters who died of fevers, one in 1858 at 6 1/2 years of age and the other in 1868 at age 4. They are half sisters Eliza Medora Susan Robertson by his first marriage to his cousin Eliza Hamer Robertson and Sophia Parker Robertson from his second marriage.• The Colonel had 15 children of which 12 lived to adulthood. One son Sterling Clack, Jr. out of the three children by his first wife lived to adulthood. When his first wife died, he remarried and had 12 more children, Eleven of these lived to adulthood.

Grandmother Lynch’s BedroomMrs. Robertson’s mother Sophia Ann Parker Dickey Lynch lived with the Robertsons and helped with the raising of the children and the running of the house. This room was her bedroom. The back staircase to the children’s upstairs bedrooms opens into this room as well. She was in charge of the household supplies kept in the adjoining storeroom. A later generation turned her bedroom into a music room.

Back PorchesThe upper and lower porches on the back of the house are latticed. These large porches were treated more as rooms that extended the living space of the house. The lattice allowed for privacy especially off the bedrooms for sleeping, bathing, and escaping the heat of the Tex-as climate. This use of porches as rooms is an example of the African influence on this home’s design.

StoreroomThis room is finished with floor to ceiling linen closets on one side. Storage cabinets on the other side were for cooking supplies which were expensive and bought in bulk for the needs of such a big family. The room showcases the beautiful wood used in the construction of the house. Notice the curved molding on the linen closet doors highlighting the attention to detail and craftsmanship of the builder.

PasswayThis room was added in 1886 to connect the rock rooms to the main house. Typically, rooms where the cooking took place were built separate to lower the chance of a fire spreading to the main home and to keep the heat out as well. Notice the pump in the pass way, which was at one time outside. It was enclosed, making this the first room with indoor plumbing! The stone step into the dining room is a reminder that this area was not always enclosed.

Dining RoomThis handsome room has several unique features. The fireplace mantel is the only one in the house fashioned of dressed limestone. The walls now dry walled, were limestone which was originally whitewashed. There is a built-in cabinet where “sweets” were locked or stored away and below it a pass-through so food could be sent in from the kitchen. Also, look up and notice the iron brace running across the width of one end of the dining room. It was installed during the build-ing of these rock rooms because of the fear that the walls would move and need to be straightened back to plumb. There is another one bracing the end wall of the meat room which is the last of the rock rooms. It is told that these braces have never needed to be tightened, and it is unusual to be able to see one still in place. The Native Americans who camped each year on the Sala-do Creek behind the house were

invited in here to visit and eat with Col. Robertson. The story goes that the table would be removed; the Colonel and Chief sat in chairs in front of the fireplace while everyone else sat around the walls. The Colo-nel maintained a good relationship with the Native Americans, and his children played with their children. One day his son Huling was chased back to the house with arrows being fired at him by his playmate. It was suggested to him that he need not argue anymore and remain close to the house!

KitchenThe fireplace is still fitted with the arms and pots used for cooking. Originally the fireplace was deeper to accom-modate all the family’s cooking needs. The room is surprisingly small reminding us that it was built for cooking only.

First Rock RoomNotice the width of the threshold between the kitchen and this room highlighting the thickness of the rock walls. This room was known as the servants’ dining room. These next three rock rooms are thought to have been added in 1862 when the slave quarters were built.

Second Rock Room or Cistern RoomThe laundry would have been washed here. The original guttering flowed rain water from the roof into the cistern located here. Notice the fireplace in the corner. They could get any temperature setting they wanted! There are examples of early irons and cooking imple-ments displayed in this room.

Meat Room or Smoke RoomThe Robertsons raised their own cows and pigs. Meat was cured and stored in this room. Notice the wood chip floor and the rock pits for fires to smoke the meat. It opens off the cistern room, and there is an outside entrance, too. The second structural brace is located here. This is the last of the three rock rooms added in 1862.

For questions about the Robertson Plantation Contact: Sterling Robertson Ambrose

601 Lynnwood Blvd.Nashville, TN 37205

sambrose@signcraftusa.com

Follow new developments of the Robertson Plantation at

www.robertsonplanatation.com

Future Tours of the Robertson Plantation:

• The Servant Quarters • The Ranch and Barn• The Family Cemetery • The Springs

The Servant Quarters

The Family Cemetery

The Robertson Plantation Tours are sponsored by:

2510 Perimeter Place Drive • Nashville, TN 37214wwwsigncraftusa.com