Mary C. (Mary C. Currey) Dorris

Born in Nashville in 1850, Mary Clementia Currey Dorris grew up in a family closely connected to Tennessee history and graduated from Ward Seminary in 1867. She married Duncan Robertson Dorris in 1870 and became deeply involved in preserving the Hermitage, the home of Andrew Jackson.

Dorris was a founder and early leader of the Ladies' Hermitage Association. Working with the Jackson family, she took on much of the responsibility for collecting records, protecting the property, and sharing its history with the public. Her writing grew directly out of that work, combining local memory, historical detail, and a clear desire to keep an important American landmark alive.

Her best-known books include The Hermitage, Home of General Andrew Jackson and Preservation of the Hermitage, 1889-1915; Annals, History, and Stories. She died in 1924, but her work remains part of the long effort to preserve one of Tennessee’s most famous historic homes.