Travellers Rest

Prior to European contact, a Mississippian village was located on the site now known as Travellers Rest. The first Euro-American owner of the site was Judge John Overton (1766-1833), who built a home on the land in 1799. During the Battle of Nashville in December 1864, Travellers Rest served as a headquarters of Confederate John Bell Hood. Following the Civil War, the Overton family continued to operate Travellers Rest as a farm and horse stud until 1946. In 1954, the Colonial Dames of America acquired the property and opened it to the public as a historic house museum. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.