Travellers Rest Historic House & Museum

Travellers Rest Historic House & Museum is a restored 1799 home in south Nashville, at 636 Farrell Pkwy. Judge John Overton and his family lived here for more than 140 years, and the house later served as Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood’s headquarters before the 1864 Battle of Nashville. A guided tour takes you through the Federal-style rooms and exhibits on the Cumberland Basin, Native American settlements, the Civil War and slavery. Outside, look for the old magnolia trees and landscaped grounds.

From a four-room home to a plantation house

Judge John Overton built the original four-room frame house in 1799. He expanded it over the years, and by his death in 1833 it had become a 12-room plantation house. Overton lived at the property with his family for more than 140 years. The restored home is built in the Federal style.

The house is at 636 Farrell Pkwy in south Nashville, a few miles from downtown. Its history reaches beyond the Overton family: the property was once a plantation, and the museum’s exhibits address both slavery and Native American settlements in the region.

A home and a Civil War headquarters

Travellers Rest served as Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood’s headquarters shortly before the Battle of Nashville in 1864. The house preserves artifacts and furnishings, including a collection of furniture made in Tennessee.

The museum’s exhibits cover the history of the Cumberland Basin, Native American settlements, the Civil War and slavery. A guided tour brings together the rooms of the house and the wider history of the property. The guest room is kept as it was during the 19th century.