Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
The Andrew Johnson National Cemetery was created in 1906, though the land had been used as the Johnson Family cemetery long before that.
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Unless you know somebody buried at the cemetery, most likely you will be visiting to see the graves of Andrew Johnson and his family members. The family plot lies at the very top of what was called Signal Hill during the Civil War. Johnson bought the property in 1852, a year after purchasing his home on Main Street.

Andrew Johnson died on July 31, 1875, and was buried at the top of the hill on August 3rd. The hill was a favorite spot of his, and he often came here with Sam, one of his slaves. Sam ended up becoming good friends with Johnson and stayed on as an employee after becoming a free man. It is Sam whom Johnson told about wanting to be buried on the hill, and after his death Sam made the family aware of his desire. Eliza, Johnson’s wife, died only six months later and was buried next to him. The current monument that marks their graves was erected in 1878.

Two of Johnson’s sons died before him and were buried elsewhere at the time. Charles, a surgeon during the Civil War, fell off his horse and died in 1863 at the age of 33. Robert, who suffered from tuberculosis, became addicted to alcohol and laudanum and killed himself at the house on Main Street in 1869; he was only 35 years old. Both were reinterred at the Johnson Family cemetery in 1878 when the monument to Andrew and Eliza was dedicated.

The Johnson’s youngest son, Andrew Jr., outlived his parents, but not by many years. He died at the age of 27. Unlike his brothers, he did get married, but never had any children. His grave is marked with the smaller but still ornate memorial at the base of the Johnson monument.

Both of the Johnson daughters, Martha and Mary, were married and went on to have children. Martha, her husband David Patterson, and their daughter, Belle, are all buried at the cemetery. Only Mary and her children are buried here; her two husbands are buried elsewhere.

The last family member buried at the cemetery is Margaret Johnson Patterson Bartlett, who died in 1992. She was the great-granddaughter of the Johnsons—daughter of Andrew Patterson, who was the son of Margaret Johnson Patterson, who was the first born child of Andrew and Eliza. Margaret and her mother were the last ones to live in the house on Main Street.

Surrounding the Johnson Family plot are the graves of military veterans. I normally like to browse through the tombstones, but the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery is on such a steep hill that I limited myself to exploring just enough to get a couple of photos for this article. Unless you are visiting a particular grave, I suggest just sticking to the Johnson portion of the cemetery. Plan to spend about fifteen minutes for your visit.

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