Big plans for James K. Polk Memorial Ball at Antrim

On Saturday, Oct. 15, the James K. Polk Memorial Association is sponsoring the biennial ball to provide support in addition to the annual funding from the Tennessee Historical Commission for the Polk Home.  Planning for such an event requires months of planning and countless meetings.  The co-chairs this year are Kendall Stivers Jones and Sarah Elizabeth Hickman-McLeod.  The steering committee providing encouragement and support includes Lisa Butler, Eva James Crichton, Joanne Pogue, Julia West, and Sheila Fleming.  This year the ball will be held at historic Antrim on the Pulaski Pike.

For 36 years, this event has provided financial support which also comes from memberships, local businesses, grants, and visitors.  In 1986 Sheila Fleming, association president, assisted by Eva James Crichton and Barbara Jackson, co-chairs, founded the traditional ball.

Local businesses and talented individuals will be supporting the ball. Tables’ scapes will be designed by Amy Montgomery Home.  Bryson Leach of Good Sign Design Company designed the invitations.  Fuzzy Duck Liquors and the Dooleys will provide drinks. Dinner will be presented by Paul and Crissy Jensen of the Dotted Lime using Tall Grass Meat.  The meal will include appetizers, main course and desserts.

During dinner, Mark and Debbie Lewis will play period music on their stringed instruments. After the live auction, the band Skyline Drive will provide music for dancing.

There will be many silent auction items donated by local merchants and individuals. Also Eddie Ables of EA Auctions will conduct a live auction after dinner to add excitement and entertainment.

The proceeds from the ball and the auctions will provide much-needed funds to keep the Polk Home, built in 1816, in good repair as a gift to future generations.

The Two Polk Homes

The home built by Samuel Polk, father of James, sits on the corner of West Seventh and South High. The house next door is called the Sisters’ House.

The prominence of the Polk family extends to the perimeters of Maury County. Samuel Polk brought his family to Tennessee from North Carolina when James was eleven years old. They first settled on the present Nashville Highway, and there is a marker denoting Polk’s Boyhood Home. Samuel Polk had built the first brick house in town, and the Polks took up residence there in 1817.

The federal style home is where Polk lived from 1820-1824. He had returned to Columbia after graduating from the University of North Carolina as salutatorian of his class. Until his political star began to rise, he practiced law in Columbia.

Furnishings in the Polk Home are those used by James K. and Sarah at Polk Place in Nashville, and some from their time in the White House. Among the collection are Polk’s inaugural Bible and samples of the White House china which was the first to bear the Presidential Seal. The dessert service has a green border and the shield within gold borders.  The flowers on each piece are botanically accurate.

Also in the Polk Home’s collection are items belong to Sarah Childress Polk, who met Polk when she was just twelve.  In 1823 the couple became engaged and married on January 1, 1824. They lived in Columbia after their marriage and built a house here.  As James’ political career developed, Sarah was his greatest supporter and confidante. As a well-educated woman, her service was very valuable to her husband as a politician and as the President.  She was a strict Presbyterian who disapproved of horse racing, dancing, and card games.

The Polk Home items belonging to Sarah include her inaugural gown by Worth of Paris. There is the fan presented to her by James on the occasion of his inauguration. The fan features pictures of the first eleven U.S. Presidents noting that he is president-elect. On the reverse side is a depiction of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  In the parlor is Sarah’s piano which she received as a young girl from her father.

Sarah was a well-dressed woman, and since she grew up in a wealthy home silks and satins were not unusual. The blue, rose, black, white, and gold turban she wore is display at the home. Although the Polks had no children, Sarah made a christening dress for her nephew, and it is proudly displayed.

There are several paintings in the Polk Home collection including two paintings of James. The first shows James as a young man, but the second shows James after his years in the White House. What a noticeable difference there is in his appearance.

The Polk Home continues to attract ten thousand visitors each year. The docents are always complimented on their knowledge and their hospitality.

The Sister's House

Next door to the Polk Home is the Sisters’ House on West Seventh adjacent to St. Peter’s. This house is listed on the National Registration of Historic Places as is the house next door. Both Polk Houses are noted for their thick walls, plastering, hand-made windows, and original door knockers.

Presently the Sisters’ House is used as a museum room and a gift shop. The offices for Rachel Helverig, director; Kate Holt, curator; and Jaryn Abdallah, education director, are in this house too.

The Sisters’ House was built by Samuel Polk for his oldest daughter, Jane Maria, who married James Walker. They lived there until 1843, and James built Rally Hill on West Eighth Street. Maria was a very unpredictable lady who was known for her outbursts of temper.

Another of James’ sisters, Ophelia Clarissa, who married Dr. John B. Hayes moved into the house, and her family lived there until 1853.  In 1941 the Sisters’ House was purchased by the state, Maury County, and Columbia. The custodians of the property have continued to be the James K. Polk Memorial Association.

The houses share a traditional boxwood garden featuring the fountain from Polk Place in Nashville.

Sources: Interview with Rachel Helverig; Articles by Jill Garrett, and Majestic Middle Tennessee by Reid Smith

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Big plans for James K. Polk Memorial Ball at Antrim