Glenmore Mansion

The Glenmore Mansion

After a few days of wall-to-wall minigolf, multi-level go-kart tracks, bear- and pirate-themed tourist traps designed to make children cry until their parents relent, I decided it was probably time for a different adventure. And so we made our way to Glenmore Mansion in Jefferson City, Tennessee.

The mansion was built by a railroad tycoon after the Civil War. It was built in a style I hadn't heard of before, Second Empire Architecture. I have placed the Google definition below.

It was a nice tour, a cool little building, and a good day driving through the pretty parts of Tennessee.

Our tour guide and an original 1860s Steinway Piano

It was originally named 'The Oaks" and those are ceramic oak tiles made specifically for the home.

One odd thing in the picture below was the difference between the front and back of the home. The back construction was at a different scale, the ceilings were lower, and the rooms were smaller. This was not an addition. It was designed and built this way. The idea was that the front house was grander (15-foot ceilings) and more opulent on the first floor. This was for entertaining.

The back part of the house was for servants and use in the winter, when it was easier to heat small rooms.