Nestled deep in the rolling hills of Tennessee is an iron ore village left over from America’s Reconstruction Era with a rich life-giving history of healing and truth. At first, it might feel like a stretch to see the parallels between a village known for its industrial advances and its current standing as the home to a therapeutic workshop retreat and a residential trauma treatment center. What we have come to find is that there are undeniable themes throughout the last few centuries, and the sacred grounds of Onsite have been healing hearts and bringing peace of mind long before Onsite opened its doors.
Cumberland Furnace first landed its place on the map when it received national recognition during the War of 1812. The ironwork village became the chief supplier of heavy ammunition for both the Navy and General Andrew Jackson’s Army. Throughout the 1800s, the furnace was bought and sold numerous times and eventually willed in 1863 to Mary Florence Kirkman and her brother, Van Leer. Mary and Van Leer were the only children of six in their family who survived to adulthood.
The Kirkmans held the reputation as Nashville’s most glamorous family and Mary was a central figure in aristocratic circles in antebellum Nashville. During the Civil War, Union troops began to occupy Middle Tennessee and Captain James Pierre Drouillard noticed Mary, the beautiful girl living in the Nashville mansion that at that time was also being used as a part of the Union headquarters.
On September 21, 1864, Mary Florence married Captain James Pierre Drouillard, West Point class of 1861, and a native of Ohio. In those days a southern socialite marrying a Union officer was not well received. The event sent shock waves through Nashville society and not one of Mary’s friends or family attended the wedding.
With the judgment and lack of acceptance surrounding the Drouillards, they escaped Nashville and went to Mary’s inherited land in Cumberland Furnace. Cumberland Furnace became for them, a safe place where they had permission to be their true, authentic selves. If you are familiar with the work done at Onsite, you will recognize the importance of that fact and how it ties in well with the Onsite mission.
As history would have it the Drouillards would be in Cumberland Furnace just long enough to heal, find acceptance, cultivate change and discover life to be joyful again. In 1870, The Drouillards built an Italianate-style mansion for entertaining that included a three-story spiral stairway from which Mary Florence could make her grand entrances at the summer parties that brought guests from Nashville and as far away as New Orleans. Today the mansion remains abundantly alive with southern hospitality and warm, safe places to stay for Onsite’s guests.
Also in 1870, the Drouillards bought Van Leer Kirkman’s share of Cumberland Furnace and Mary was able to turn her interest to improving the life of the villagers. She built St. James Episcopal church and a parish school where children of any race could attend. Mary Florence was an innovator, a creator of promise.
As time went on Nashville society came to generally acknowledge that Mary Drouillard was the victim to being the “first” to marry a Union officer. She had made it easier for other young ladies to marry northerners, and she was welcomed back into society. In 1886 the Drouillards returned to Nashville and Mary Florence became one of its most colorful socialites of the late nineteenth century.
The inspiring history of the Drouillards reminds me so much of the bravery it takes for our guests to share their story and ask for help. In doing so, they open the doors for so many others to ask for help. You read above that the Drouillards escaped to Cumberland Furnace for many reasons, but we hold onto the reason that they sought out a special place where they could just be who they really were. At Onsite every guest and client has permission to be unquestionably and unapologetically, exactly who they are. We find that this genuine acceptance is the key that exponentially increases the healing process.
Researching the progress and light that was the direct result of a woman recognizing the pain of feeling unworthy and her use of that dark despair as a motivator for breakthrough and hope captivates me. Circling back on Mary Florence as an innovator for change, at Onsite we create life-changing experiences. The goal of our programming is to help our clients get unstuck from whatever area of their life is standing still, so they can discover what living their life at its fullest potential feels like.
It may seem a bit romanticized, but we choose to believe Mary Florence could feel the invigorating energy so many of us who have stepped foot on Onsite’s grounds can feel. There is no doubt that there is healing in these hills and that stories of recovery will echo on for centuries to come.