Oakland's Mansion

Bring your class to visit the oldest preserved home open to the public in Murfreesboro. Initially constructed around 1815, the house witnessed the rise and fall of plantation society, survived devastating natural disasters and wars, and remained intact in the face of vandalism and neglect.

 Parallel Lives: The Maney family and the enslaved. 

The objective of this program is for students to gain an understanding of the lives of the Maney family and the enslaved laborers at Oaklands in the 19th century. By using primary documents like census records, court records, and Maney family papers, we are able to piece together what life was like for those who lived and labored at Oaklands prior to, and just following emancipation.

This program introduces students to some of the enslaved by name and the variety of tasks they performed like constructing the mansion, laboring in fields, tending livestock, and serving in the…