The James K. Polk Ancestral Home, also known as James K. Polk House, is U.S. President James K. Polk

James K. Polk

James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...

's only surviving home other than the White House

White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

. It is located at 301 West 7th St., Columbia, Tennessee

Columbia, Tennessee

Columbia is a city in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. The 2008 population was 34,402 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. It is the county seat of Maury County....

. The home was built by his father, Samuel Polk, in 1816. The Federal style

Federal architecture

Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...

 brick home was constructed while James was at the University of North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

.

The residence of the 11th U.S. President is open to the public, and displays original items from President Polk's life. It is owned by the State of Tennessee under the auspices of the Tennessee Historical Commission

Tennessee Historical Commission

The Tennessee Historical Commission is a Tennessee state government agency, a division of the Department of Environment and Conservation, that has missions related to the state's history and historic preservation....

. The site, a designated National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

, is operated by the James K. Polk Association. The fountain on the site was moved here in 1893 after Polk Place

Polk Place

Polk Place was the home of 11th President of the United States James K. Polk. It was his final residence, and was demolished in 1900. His tomb was located here until 1893, when it was moved to the Tennessee State Capitol. It was located in Nashville, Tennessee. An iron fountain was preserved...

 was demolished.

It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and included in the initial list of National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

in 1966.

External links

• Official website
• James K. Polk House - State Historic Site
• James K. Polk Home from american-presidents.org