State Historian, Polk Family Oppose Reburial Of President, First Lady

NASHVILLE, TN — Tennessee's State Historian and a descendant of President James K. Polk are urging the legislature to reject the removal of the president and his wife, Sarah Childress Polk, from their long-time resting place on Capitol Hill in Nashville to the Polk family home in Columbia.

Carroll Van West, a Middle Tennessee State University professor and the state historian, posted on Facebook that moving the Polks to Maury County would "detract from rather than add to the value and significance of the Polk Boyhood Home in Columbia."

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The State Senate is scheduled to vote on the joint resolution approving the removal Thursday. Supporters of the move, including the resolution's sponsor, Sen. Joey Hensley, argue that the reburial better reflects the wishes of the Polks and that reinterment would be a boon to tourism in Columbia. The Polks will explicitly says that they wished to be buried at Polk Place, their Nashville home that is near the Capitol but was razed shortly after the death of Mrs. Polk in the 1890s, after which both she and the president were moved to the Capitol grounds. Those that oppose the move, including Nashville Sen. Jeff Yarbro, say that it is clear the Polks wanted to be buried in Nashville. During a committee meeting, Yarbro was chastised for saying removal would be "macabre" and that the legislature should wait for the Tennessee Historical Commission to approve the move, as required by the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act.

While the Polks had no children and thus no direct descendents, some collateral descendents have begun chiming in. Bill Mason, a first cousin six times removed of the president, has written letters to every state legislator and the governor opposing the move.

"[W]hile the specific and explicit desire of the President and Mrs. Polk to be buried at Polk Place could not be honored in perpetuity, their desire to be buried 'in the city of Nashville' can be respected. The 1893 move to the State Capitol was a singular honor, clearly endorsed by the Polk family...

"Second, regardless of the prominence of those who would be exhumed, a third relocation of President Polk’s remains and a second relocation of those of Mrs. Polk would be disrespectful to them as persons. Such a move, in my view, makes their remains (whatever might survive of them) and the tomb that houses them into objects of curiosity, of status for the possessor, akin to a relic in a museum or art gallery, liable to be moved whenever some entity makes a case to do so. These are the bodies of real people who deserve dignity in their eternal repose. I would strongly object to any of my relatives being so treated. My cousin and his wife should be allowed to rest in peace.

"Finally, for nearly 125 years, President and Mrs. James K. Polk have been buried side by side on the grounds of our State Capitol. They and their tomb are a part of our history, our collective pride in our state. I regret that they have no direct lineal descendants to speak for them; but as a relative, I believe firmly that they would share my desire to see them remain where they are, in the city where they chose to live in their retirement and where they both died. As a Tennessean, I want one of our three Presidents and his beloved wife to remain in a place of honor, on the grounds of the building that meant much to him as it does to us all," he wrote.

Image via Flickr user Brent Moore, used under Creative Commons