The Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen this week took the final step in the City’s recent acquisition and management of Rippavilla Plantation by approving the annexation of the historic home, related buildings and its 98.4 acres.

In May, the City officially acquired Rippavilla and its related operational responsibilities, allowing for its permanent preservation. However, until now, the property was within an enclave on the Maury County side of the city, just outside of Spring Hill’s corporate city limits.

With this annexation, Spring Hill city limits is now slightly over 28 square miles covering about 17,931 acres.

The 98.4-acre property includes a two-story, brick antebellum-style plantation home, carriage house, an original slave cabin, a freedmen bureau’s school house, historic Cheairs Cemetery, Brown’s Stand, the Ikard Center, Rayburn Amphitheater, and several barns and other structures supporting the agricultural use of the property.

Rippavilla’s current activities include tours to travelers, school groups, civil groups, bus tours, along with hosting living histories and reenactments. The site also operates a gift shop in the 1914 carriage house serving as the office for the site rental coordinator to meet with potential renters as they tour the facility prior to renting the venue. The home includes a fully functioning catering kitchen. Rippavilla also leases remaining acreage to a local farmer for crop production, as well as allowing local Scouting and civic groups to meet in the Ikard Center.