After Tomb Vandalism, The Hermitage Plans Security Upgrades

HERMITAGE, TN -- In the wake of what officials said was "unprecedented" vandalism at the tomb of President Andrew Jackson and Rachel Jackson, The Hermitage will increase security and surveillance at the home and final resting place of the country's seventh President.

Members of the Andrew Jackson Foundation, the successor to the Ladies Hermitage Association, which owns The Hermitage, discovered the vandalism Friday morning, saying that red and black spray paint covered the tomb and that profanity, the word "killer" and anarchist symbols were spray painted on the tombs as well.

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"It hurts. It's sad. It makes me angry," Howard Kittell, president and CEO of the foundation, told WKRN. "This is someone's grave. It's not a statue. It's not a monument. It's a grave. And it's a grave to a consequential president, whether you like him or not."

Currently, the tombs and obelisk are covered in plastic to prevent further damage while The Hermitage awaits preservationists and conservators to make repairs; the work must be completed fairly quickly before the paint sets into the stone.

While cameras have monitored the home itself for years, there is no surveillance at the tomb site. That will change soon. In addition, The Hermitage is bringing on additional security personnel.

Rachel Jackson died December 22, 1828, just six weeks after her husband's election to the presidency. The president always blamed his political enemies for her death. In proof that allegations of adultery are nothing new in politics, Jackson's opponents accused Rachel Jackson of bigamy because her first husband, Lewis Robards, had filed for but never finalized a divorce in Kentucky.

"May God Almighty forgive her murderers," Jackson said at her funeral. "I never can."

After eight years in the White House, Jackson returned to The Hermitage. When his failing health allowed, Jackson visited Rachel's tomb daily and situated his office so he could always see her burial place. He died 17 years later and was laid to rest next to her.

Image via Hulton Archive/Getty Images