AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Elm Springs is a beautifully preserved 1837 Greek Revival mansion on the National Register of Historic Places, set on seven wooded acres just outside Columbia, Tennessee. Built as a gift from two wealthy cotton-merchant brothers to their sister, this fourteen-room brick house survived the Civil War only because a Confederate general diverted cavalry to save it from Union torches. Today it operates as both a historic house museum and the home of the National Confederate Museum, offering guided tours, grounds walks, and a glimpse into antebellum life in Middle Tennessee.↗↗↗
A House Built on Love and Cotton
In 1837, brothers James and Nathaniel Dick—prosperous New Orleans cotton merchants—commissioned architect Nathan Vaught to build a grand two-story brick home as a gift for their only sister, Sarah Todd. Named for the stately American elms and natural springs that dotted the property, Elm Springs rose near Columbia in Maury County, then a booming agricultural center. Sarah and her husband Christopher Todd lived out the rest of their days within its walls, raising a family that would become entangled in the defining conflict of the era.↗
