Rock Castle State Historic Site

Address & Contact Information

139 Rock Castle Lane
Hendersonville, TN 37075
(615) 824-0502

Hours

Please verify hours by calling the site before visiting.

Rock Castle is open March through December

10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday - Friday
10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday

About Rock Castle State Historic Site

In 1773 Daniel Smith married Sarah Michie in North Carolina. Subsequently, he received a land grant from that state. In 1784 the Smiths brought their family to this site and commenced construction on Rock Castle. Much of the construction supervision and plantation management was taken care of by Mrs. Smith, since her husband was gone for long periods on surveying trips. In addition to being a well-known surveyor, he served as a captain in the Revolutionary War, Brigadier General of the Mero District, Secretary of the Territory of the United States Southwest of the River Ohio, chairman of a Tennessee Constitutional Convention committee, U.S. Senator, and Indian treaty negotiator. The Smiths had two children, both of whom married into the Donelson family, who were prominent in the Nashville area.

Located on the shores of Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, Rock Castle is two miles south of Gallatin Road (Highway 31-E), off Indian Lake Road. A blend of the Federal and Georgian architectural styles, the house was once the center of a 3,140-acre plantation, which today is 18 acres. In addition to the house, there is a family cemetery and a smokehouse. The State of Tennessee purchased the property in 1969 from a Smith descendent, and since that time the site has been administered by non-profit group Friends of Rock Castle.