Shortly after James K. Polk's death in 1849, his widow adopted the young daughter of a niece who had died recently. The child, Sarah Jetton, grew up at Mrs. Polk's Nashville home and provided companionship for the former First Lady. When the girl married local merchant George William Fall, Mrs. Polk persuaded the couple to live with her.

When Mrs. Polk died in 1891, her beloved great-niece inherited many family possessions including White House items. To call attention to James K. Polk's overlooked accomplishments, Mrs. Fall planned public exhibitions of the President's personal belongings and political memorabilia. In 1924, her daughter Saidee Fall Grant founded the James K. Polk Memorial Association to continue efforts to collect, preserve, and display Polk artifacts.

Although the Association originally exhibited its collections at several locations in Nashville, the organization recognized that James K. Polk's surviving home in Columbia, Tennessee would be an ideal site for a Presidential museum. In 1929, the Association helped the State of Tennessee raise funds to purchase the house. The State assumed ownership of the historic home; the Association agreed to maintain the property and display its artifacts there.

In accordance with its original mission statement, the James K. Polk Memorial Association works to "perpetuate the memory of the eleventh President of the United States." If you would like to join the Association or support its projects, please email us at jkpolk@usit.net