[247]

Polk Place, briefly James Polk's home and long that of his widow
After a visit to James's mother in Columbia, the Polks settled into Polk Place.[248] The exhausted former president seemed to gain new life, but in early June, he fell ill again, by most accounts of cholera. Attended by several doctors, he lingered for several days and chose to be baptized into the Methodist Church, which he had long admired, though his mother arrived from Columbia with her Presbyterian clergyman, and his wife was also a devout Presbyterian. On the afternoon of Friday, June 15, Polk died at his Polk Place home in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 53.[249] According to traditional accounts, his last words before he died were "I love you, Sarah, for all eternity, I love you", spoken to Sarah Polk. Borneman noted that whether or not they were spoken, there was nothing in Polk's life that would make the sentiment false.[250]
Polk's funeral was held at the McKendree Methodist Church in Nashville.[250] Following his death, Sarah Polk lived at Polk Place for 42 years and died on August 14, 1891, at the age of 87.