Wynnewood State Historic Site

Wynnewood State Historic Site Wynnewood State Historic Site features an ancient mineral spring and the original Castalian Springs Resort, a National Historic Landmark.

Built by the Wynne family and their enslaved workers, it remains the largest early log structure in Tennessee. The Inn at Castalian Springs, later known as Wynnewood is Tennessee's largest surviving log structure at 110 ft long and 22 ft wide. Opened for guests in 1830 and then operated as a mineral springs resort and residence for the Wynne family until acquisition by the State of Tennessee in 19

71. Wynnewood State Historic Site is open for tours Thursday through Sunday from April 15th until October 31st. Tours are given at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM.

The answer to last week's What Is It Wednesday is... a cataract removal kit!While this kit may appear primitive compared...
06/24/2026

The answer to last week's What Is It Wednesday is... a cataract removal kit!

While this kit may appear primitive compared to modern cataract removal procedures, it actually represents a significant advance in this type of surgery.

As early as the 2nd century A.D., two methods of cataract removal were introduced in Ancient Greece. A doctor named Galen of Pergamon used a needle-shaped tool to remove a cataract from a patient’s eye. Shortly after, another Greek doctor, Antyllus, is credited with developing a bronze instrument that enabled doctors to use oral suction to remove cataracts. 👀

"Some men say an army of horsemen and some men say an army on foot and some men say a fleet of ships is the most beautif...
06/20/2026

"Some men say an army of horsemen and some men say an army on foot
and some men say a fleet of ships is the most beautiful thing
on the black earth. But I say it is
What you love."
-Sappho, Fragment 16

Did you know that this image of Sappho is original to Cragfont? The Wi******er family placed significant emphasis on classical education, a fact reflected in the artwork known to have been placed throughout the home. Sappho (630 BCE-730 BCE) is historically known as the tenth muse and one of the most prolific women poets in classical literature. She is also known, both in the Wi******ers' time and in modern times, as one of the first poets to write on topics related to homosexuality and le***an relationships.

While our print of Sappho has faded over the years, you can see the original brightness of the colors in the example on the right, which is currently in the British Museum's collection.

🎨: "Sappho." by E Scriven after R Westall, published 1802 by Clay & Scriven, No, 18, Ludgate Hill, London. (Left-hand image original to Cragfont, the right-hand image in the collection of the British Museum: 1992-U-133)

We've got so much going on with all of the sites of Historic Castalian Springs, and it is exciting! 😀From a new building...
06/20/2026

We've got so much going on with all of the sites of Historic Castalian Springs, and it is exciting! 😀

From a new building to host programs and field trips to archaeology and new discoveries, now is a great time to become a MEMBER of Historic Castalian Springs! ❤️

We offer a variety of membership levels and a bunch of perks. Join at one of our regular levels, which include Individual, Dual, Family, and Family-Plus, to enjoy free admission to tours at Cragfont and Wynnewood, discounts on events, free programs like Coffee With a Curator and Parlor Talks, and a 10% discount in our gift shops. 🌞

If you'd like your membership to reach a bit farther, consider becoming a Patron Member. Join at the Advocate, Curator, Conservator, or Preservationist level and know that you are directly supporting the preservation of three incredible historic sites and the protection of almost 250 acres of land. 👏

Become a Member of Historic Castalian Springs and help us PRESERVE HISTORY! 🏛️

When Thomas Paine wrote “Common Sense” 250 years ago, he recognized that many Englishmen preferred their own style of go...
06/19/2026

When Thomas Paine wrote “Common Sense” 250 years ago, he recognized that many Englishmen preferred their own style of government over others in the world. It was what they were comfortable with and also a matter of national pride.

Paine says, “The prejudice of Englishmen, in favour of their own government by king, lords and commons, arises as much or more from national pride than reason…but the WILL of the king is as much the LAW of the land in Britain as in France, with this difference, that instead of proceeding directly from his mouth, it is handed to the people under the more formidable shape of an act of parliament.”

Englishmen were proud of their parliament and its representation of the people. However, the King’s word was law. In this way, the king in Britain was no different than the king in France. But while the French king proclaimed his laws himself, the British king pushed his laws through Parliament to make them appear more subtle and representative of the people. According to Paine, a king with too much power will exert their will over the people, one way or another. How that is done is up to the king and how he wants his image to appear to the people he is supposed to represent.



🖼️ Pitt addressing the House of Commons, 1793, by Karl Anton Hickel, National Portrait Gallery, London

Our last Volunteer Day for the MTSU Archaeological Field School at Cragfont is tomorrow, June 20th! ❤️Lend a hand, obse...
06/19/2026

Our last Volunteer Day for the MTSU Archaeological Field School at Cragfont is tomorrow, June 20th! ❤️

Lend a hand, observe, and ask questions at the field school anytime between 9:30 AM and 3 PM tomorrow. No need to register in advance; just check in at the tent next to the Visitor Center at Cragfont.

We'll see you tomorrow with trowels in hand! 😍

On this day in 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with the news that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black p...
06/19/2026

On this day in 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with the news that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free.

This day came to be known as , now officially a federal holiday, often called "America's Second Independence Day."

Learn more about the history and legacy of Juneteenth from the National Museum of African American History and Culture: https://s.si.edu/3Cy9GKN

🎨: "A Ride for Liberty," 1862 painting by Eastman Johnson

For this , we can see how the dining room at Wynnewood looked shortly after restoration work was finished following the...
06/18/2026

For this , we can see how the dining room at Wynnewood looked shortly after restoration work was finished following the 2008 tornado. In this photo, there are two dining tables, as it might have looked for guests staying at the resort. Currently, we have the room set up as a family dining space with one table. Another big difference we see are the ropes to keep visitors separate from the artifacts in the room. Nowadays, we like visitors to feel as if they are visiting the home as the Wynnes lived in it and to interact more with the space, not as tourists viewing the scene from behind ropes.

What other changes do you notice?

📷 Centric Architecture

This week's What is it Wednesday is often a shocker to visitors!Any guesses as to what it could be?
06/17/2026

This week's What is it Wednesday is often a shocker to visitors!

Any guesses as to what it could be?

Archive records not only tell us about Alfred Wynne's involvement in the domestic slave trade, but also hint at the jour...
06/16/2026

Archive records not only tell us about Alfred Wynne's involvement in the domestic slave trade, but also hint at the journeys of the enslaved people he sold.

In the 1845 bill of sale shown here, Alfred purchases an enslaved girl named Rhody from Joseph Johnson for $450 on October 9th, 1845. Rhody is described as being "of a yellow colour and fourteen years." In the second document, which shows how these sales were recorded in Alfred's account books, we see her then re-sold at $575 at Natchez to a person named Banks.

While we do not know what happened to Rhody after she was sold at Natchez, it is evident that at the young age of fourteen, she was subjected to uncertainty and loss, likely having been separated from her family and unable to determine her own future.

It's !One common myth we encounter among our visitors concerns short doors. Why were doors shorter in many old houses? ...
06/15/2026

It's !

One common myth we encounter among our visitors concerns short doors. Why were doors shorter in many old houses? Many people think it’s because people in general were shorter. While people are, on average, a bit taller today than 200 years ago due to better nutrition, it’s only a difference of about 1 inch.

The average height of door frames has little to do with people's height. Lower doorways equal heat retention. Low doorways, low ceilings, and narrow staircases—each of these designs traps heat. Heat rises and goes out. Lower ceilings and doorframes compact the heat back down, allowing rooms to stay at a consistent warm temperature - critical for homes heated only by fireplaces. Additionally, doorway sizes were not standardized, and most 19th-century housebuilders used proportional measurements to determine door and window sizes.

Just in case you were wondering, while the doorways at Wynnewood vary quite a bit, the doorway to the parlor is 6'4" tall, and the standard today is 6'8". At Cragfont, doorways sometimes appear shorter due to a couple of factors. First, the ceilings are quite high, which can make the doors appear shorter, and second, the doors are rather deep (owing to the stone walls), which can also make the doorway appear shorter. We have measured Cragfont's doors and found they are consistent with modern standard door frame measurements.

Address

210 Old Highway 25
Castalian Springs, TN
37031

Opening Hours

Thursday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Sunday 9:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

(615) 452-7070

Website

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