I am a history nerd. I admit it. I happily own it.

I love antebellum homes, old 18th century log cabins, European castles, walking through cemeteries, and generally stepping back in time. I love diving into history and resurfacing again with unique and wonderful treasures from the past that I then weave into “true” fiction.

My sixteenth historical novel, With This Pledge, released last month, and I’m so grateful to you wonderful and ever-so-faithful readers for receiving it so enthusiastically (y’all totally rock!)! With This Pledge is set against the true history of the Battle of Franklin (Civil War, 1864) and the Carnton home in Franklin, Tennessee that served as a Confederate hospital.

Knowing you’re walking the halls of Carnton’s history with me, that you’re growing to know—and even love—these people I’ve written about, people who really lived and who left behind lasting impressions, means the world to me.

Another antebellum home I’ve written about is Belmont Mansion in Nashville, the setting of my Belmont Mansion trilogy.

I was at Belmont recently and got to “step back in time” yet again as the original flooring from Adelicia Acklen’s day was revealed after nearly 130 years of being covered. What a thrill! (Did I mention I’m a history nerd?)

Belmont Mansion has begun an enormous restoration project—transforming the grand salon floor to its original painted black and white “tiles” as it was in Adelicia’s day—and as it is in the Belmont Mansion novels. We get a first glimpse of that floor here in A Lasting Impression when Claire, the heroine, first arrives at Belmont . . .

When I was at Belmont three weeks ago, I took a picture of the original flooring that Adelicia Acklen had painted to look like black and white marbleized tile, which was in high fashion during that era. Here’s part of the original flooring . . .

Even more fascinating was when Jerry Trescott (Belmont Mansion’s architectural historian and my dear history-loving comrade) explained how the black and white painted tiles were “marbleized”—the person would dip their fingers in the paint and then drag them back across the surface of the painted tiles in a wavy and irregular pattern, working to give that particular tile the look of real marble.

And what did they find when they uncovered the current floor to reveal the original floor? A handprint!

Can you see the faint outline of a handprint on the floor just to the right of my hand? That’s one huge handprint. Jerry said it was likely the handprint of a male slave who worked on this floor under the tutelage of the painter overseeing the project. I wish I knew his name, who he was. I would love to know his story. Was he a believer in Christ? I hope so. I bent down on the floor that afternoon and pressed my hand into the imprint of his, hoping I’ll get to meet him…one day.

Each time I’m at Belmont (and the other antebellum homes I write about), I’m keenly aware of the fact that these homes were built with slave labor. These homes stand today not only as tangible reminders of America’s history, but as testament to a horrific time in America’s past.

Transatlantic slavery was an abhorrent evil. And as President Lincoln professed, this country had to bear a price for that wickedness. Yet there is more slavery in the world today than back then. It seems unimaginable, but it’s true. If you’d like to know more about fighting to combat this evil in our world, visit www.inourbackyard.org.

In closing, after much deliberation on how to accomplish the restoration of the grand salon floor, Belmont Mansion decided to cover the original floor with a new floor. BUT! They’ve installed the new floor over the original floor with a system of “spacers” in place so that Adelicia’s floor will be preserved for future generations. (History nerd within me is cheering wildly!)

Here’s a glimpse of the restoration project currently underway . . .

As Lauren Batte stated in a recent Belmont Mansion publication, “We’ll be basing the [floor] designs on the ones artisans created nearly 160 years ago and will leave a portion of the original floor exposed for viewing and future study. Additionally, the location of the Salon’s fountain and the service stair will be indicated on the new floor.”

It really does look beautiful, and I believe Adelicia Acklen would be pleased at the painstaking effort that’s being given to the home she and her husband Joseph built in 1853.

So what do you “nerd out” over? Don’t be shy. Share! Are you a history nerd like me? : )

Blessings on this first Tuesday of the month!

Tamera

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