BAP site syndication http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com 2010-07-30T12:47:58+01:00 http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com/images/M_images/ text/html 2009-08-14T02:53:30+01:00 http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com/natchez-trace-parkway.html The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444 mile (715 km) long parkway, in the form of a limited-access two-lane road, in the southeastern United States. The southern end of the route is in Natchez, Mississippi, at an intersection with Liberty Road; the northern end is northeast of Fairview, Tennessee, in the suburban community of Pasquo, Tennessee, at an intersection with Tennessee 100. The road links the cities of Natchez, Mississippi, and Nashville, Tennessee, via Jackson and Tupelo, Mississippi, and Florence in northwestern Alabama. History Construction was begun by the federal government in the 1930s. The final two segments, between Interstate 55 and Interstate 20 (in Ridgeland and Clinton, Mississippi, respectively); and between Liberty Road in the city of Natchez, Mississippi and U.S. Highway 61Washington, Mississippi, opened to the public on May 21, 2005. The road is maintained by the National Park Service, and has been designated an All-American Road. The purpose of the road is to commemorate the original route of the Natchez Trace. near The gentle sloping and curving alignment of the route is due to the fact that it follows an ancient salt-lick-to-grazing pasture migratory route of the American Bison and other game, who moved between grazing the pastures of central and western Mississippi and the salt and other mineral surface deposits of the Cumberland Plateau. The route generally traverses upon the tops of the low hills and ridges of the watershed divides from northeast to southwest. Native Americans, following the traces of Bison and other game, further improved this walking trail for foot-borne commerce between major villages located in middle Mississippi and central Tennessee. The route is locally circuitous. However, by traversing this route the Bison, and later humans, avoided the endless, energy-taxing climbing and descending of the many hills along the way. Also avoided was the danger to a herd (or groups of human travelers) of being caught en-masse at the bottom of a hollow or valley if attacked by predators. The nature of the route, to this day, affords good all-around visibility for those who travel it. Though the modern traveler by car or foot will only appreciate the beauty of the scenery afforded by the topography of the alignment. By the time of European exploration and settlement the route was well known and established as the fastest means of communication between the Cumberland Plateau, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico settlements of, Pensacola, Mobile, and New Orleans. In the early Post Revolutionary War period of America's (south) westward expansion, the Trace was the return route for American flat-boat commerce between the territories of the upper lower Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland River valleys. The Americans would construct flat-boats, load their commerce upon them, and drift upon the said same rivers, one-way south-southwestward all the way to New Orleans. They would sell their goods (including the salvageable logs of the flat-boats), and return home via the Trace (for the middle section of their return trip), to as far away as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Improved communications (steam boats, stagecoach lines, and railroads) and the development of river cites along the rivers named above, (e.g., Natchez, Memphis, Tennessee, Paducah, Kentucky, Nashville, Tennessee, and Louisville, Kentucky) made the route obsolete as a means of passenger and freight commerce. As a result no major population centers were born or developed along the Trace, because of the Trace's alignment, between its termini Nashville and Natchez. The two cities of note, near or on the Trace's alignment (Jackson, Mississippi and Tupelo, Mississippi), developed as a result of their alignment along axis of communication different from the Trace. To this day has there has not been constructed a dedicated rail alignment between Natchez and Nashville. Thus the Trace and its alignment come down to us today almost completely undeveloped and unspoiled along its whole route. Many sections of the original foot path are visible today within the Parkway right-of-way to observe and for hiking. The road was one of the many projects of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. The road was the proposal of U.S. Congressman Thomas Jefferson Busby of Mississippi, who proposed it as a way to give tribute to the original Natchez Trace. Inspired by the proposal, the Daughters of the American Revolution began planting markers and monuments along the Trace. In 1934, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration ordered a survey. President Roosevelt signed the legislation to create the parkway on May 18, 1938. Construction on the Parkway began in 1939, to be overseen by the National Park Service. Its length includes more than 45,000 acres (182 km²) and the towering Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge in Williamson County, Tennessee, completed in 1994 and one of only two post-tensioned, segmental concrete arch bridges in the world. (See the Federal Highway Administration's photo.) There are numerous historical sites on the Parkway, including the Meriwether Lewis Museum, the refurbished Mount Locust stand, and the Ridgeland Crafts Center in Ridgeland, Mississippi, which focuses on promoting Mississippi's native art. Nestléd between the Parkway and Old Port Gibson Road is the ghost town of Rocky Springs that thrived in the late 1800s. Today the old Rocky Springs Methodist Church, the cemetery and several building sites still exist and are accessible from the Parkway. Scenic Cypress Swamp is located at Mile Post 122. There are also several cascading waterfalls to view, some require a little hike from the parkway to view. In addition, parts of the original trail are still accessible. The history of the Parkway and that of the entire Trace is summarized at the Natchez Trace Visitor Center in Tupelo, Mississippi. Commercial traffic is prohibited along the entire route, and the speed limit is 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). Emergency Appropriations Act of June 19, 1934, allocated initial construction funds; established as parkway under National Park Service by act of May 18, 1938. Ackia Battleground National Monument (established August 27, 1935, and now called Chickasaw Village) and Meriwether Lewis Park (proclaimed as Meriwether Lewis National Monument February 6, 1925 and transferred from the War Department August 10, 1933) were added to the parkway by act of August 10, 1961. Total area: 51,746.50 acres (209.41 km²) Federal area: 51,680.64 acres (209.14 km²) Nonfederal area: 65.86 acres (0.27 km²) The parkway headquarters is in Tupelo. The parkway also manages two battlefields: Tupelo National Battlefield and Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site. The parkway has nine district offices: Leipers Fork Meriwether Lewis Cherokee Tupelo Dancy Kosciusko Ridgeland Port Gibson Natchez text/html 2009-08-14T02:41:39+01:00 http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com/tennessee-civil-war-trail.html TENNESSEE'S CIVIL WAR HERITAGE TRAIL 1. Tennessee River Museum 2. Shiloh National Military Park 3. Clarksville/Montgomery County Museum -Fort Defiance/Fort Bruce 4. Fort Donelson National Battlefield 5. Homeplace 1850 6. Tennessee State Capitol/Tennessee State Museum 7. Hunt-Phelan Home 8. Mississippi River Museum at Mud Island 9. Memphis National Cemetary/Elmwood Cemetery 10. Fort Pillow State Historic Site 11. Britton Lane Battlefield 12. Salem Cemetery Battlefield/Riverside Cemetery 13. Parker's Crossroads Battlefield 14. Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park 15. Davis Bridge Battlefield 16. Town of LaGrange 17. Forrest Park 18. Memphis Pink Palace 19. Johnsonville State Historic Area 20. Cumberland County Driving Tour 21. Tullahoma Campaign Driving Tour/Franklin County Old Jail Museum 22. Sam Davis Trail 23. Sam Davis Home 24. Oaklands Historic House Museum 25. Stones River National Battlefield/Fortress Rosecrans 26. Sumner County Museum 27. Battle of Hartsville Driving Tour 28. Mount Olivet Cemetery 29. Tennessee Civil War Railroad Driving Tour 30. Chickamauga Chattanooga National Military Park 31. Battles for Chattanooga Museum 32. Chattanooga National Cemetery 33. Chattanooga Regional History Museum 34. Loudon County Museum/Carmichael Inn 35. Farragut Folk Life Museum 36. Knoxville Driving Tour/Siege of Knoxville Battle of Fort Sanders 37. Fort Dickerson 38. Museum of East Tennessee History 39. Confederate Memorial Hall 40. Mabry-Hazen House 41. Confederate Memorial Hall/Old Gray Cemetery 42. Abraham Lincoln Museum 43. Cumberland Gap National Historical Park 44. From Bridge to Bridge, the Civil War in East TN 45. Andrew Johnson National Historic Site 46. Dickson-Williams Mansion 47. Tipton-Haynes Historic Site 48. Historic Jonesborough Visitor's Center 49. Carter House 50. Carnton Plantation/McGavock Confederate Cemetery 51. Winstead Hill 52. Fort Granger 53. Lotz House: War Between the States Old West Museum 54. Historic Traveller's Rest 55. Battle of Nashville Driving Tour 56. Belle Meade Plantation 57. Belmont Mansion 58. Battle of Nashville Monument 59. Spring Hill Battlefield/Rippavilla 60. The Athenaeum Rectory 61. Tennessee Antebellum Trail 62. Fort Negley Image Map Image Map text/html 2009-08-14T02:35:35+01:00 http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com/the-lotz-house-museum.html The Lotz House Museum, open to the public and in a historic home that stands on the battlefield of Franklin, features the largest and most comprehensive collection of War Between the States and Old West artifacts in the Mid-South. A perfect companion to the historic Carter House and Carnton Plantation, the Lotz House Museum offers its visitors a chance to see the material culture of the soldiers who fought in the war - North and South. Exhibited on the first floor of the museum are hundreds of artifacts. Many of these are one of a kind and can not be found in any other museum. Almost every aspect of the soldiers life from the pipes they smoked to the uniforms they wore to the photographs of loved ones they carried are represented within our War Between the States exhibition rooms. Flags, weapons, letters, war logs, hats, canteens, swords, and many other artifacts are to be seen on exhibit. The exhibit area dedicated to the Old West and Native Americans boast many artifacts related to that chapter of our country's history. Memorabilia from our frontier days, not to be seen anywhere else in the Mid-South, bring those days alive for our visitors. Headdresses, photographs, a battle shirt with 32 scalps, pottery, autographs, and much more like the Tombstone, Arizona business license for Ill Fame carried by Nellie Pottsum (Ike Clanton's girlfriend) are all to be seen by our visitors. The second floor of our historic house is used to interpret the lives of the people who once lived within its walls. One room is decorated to give the impression of a turn of the century Confederate veteran's bedroom with it's memorabilia and regimental flag tacked to the wall. Across the hall visitors will look into a parlor from the 1860's. There can be seen a complete and pristine set of parlor furniture, a dress worn by Mrs. Mary Forrest (wife of Gen. N.B. Forrest), as well as the silver tea service owned by Gen. and Mrs. Forrest. Also exhibited on the second floor of the museum are the Forrest Family Bibles. Three generations of Bibles owned by the Forrest Family, starting with that carried by Mrs. N.B. Forrest, are prominently exhibited with other artifacts from the famous cavalry commanders family. While visiting the Lotz House Museum our visitors will be guided through the historic house built in 1858 by Johann Albert Lotz. An immigrant from Germany, Mr. Lotz set about to build this home with his own hands. The house was completed in 1858 after three years of construction. During the building of his home Mr. Lotz added the personal touch of his wood working skills to the interior and exterior of the home. Many detailed wood carvings are still seen inside and out of this home. During General J.B. Hood's futile campaign for Tennessee in the autumn of 1864, the Lotz House became a prominent landmark on the field of the battle of Franklin. Located a few yards behind the center of the Union's entrenched line, the Lotz House divided part of Col. Emerson Opdyeke's brigade as it made the famous counter charge that stemmed the Confederate breakthrough along the Columbia Pike. After that fateful conflict the house was used as a hospital treating wounded men from both armies. text/html 2009-08-13T17:18:35+01:00 http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com/winstead-hill.html Winstead Hill The Battle Of Franklin Winstead Hill is historically rooted to the City of Franklin due to a significant confrontation during the Civil War. The crest of Winstead Hill rises approximately 200 feet above downtown Franklin and is located two miles to the south. Because of its exceptional location and vantage from the south, the hill served as a command and observation post for the Confederate Armies during the Battle of Franklin in 1864. It was after General William T. Sherman sacked Atlanta in September of 1864 that Confederate General John Bell Hood led the Army of Tennessee towards the middle Tennessee area with intentions to join Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia. While Hood was camped near this site south of Franklin, Maj. General John M. Schofield slipped Union troops past Confederate forces during the night, joining a well supplied Fort Granger on the north banks of the Harpeth River. [damage]...against the advice of his subordinate generals, Gen. Hood gathered the Army of Tennessee's 20,000 soldiers for an attack upon the Union camp beginning in mid afternoon. Observing from the vantage point atop Winstead Hill, Gen. Hood witnessed 13 assaults beginning at 4:00 pm and finally ending near 1:00 am in the morning. Union troops withdrew across the Harpeth River and retreated towards Nashville. Hood found his revenge in victory, but at an extreme price. Although the Union troops retreated in defeat at this battle, the results of this confrontation were anything but a victory for the Confederacy. The Army of Tennessee lost nearly a third of its forces as Gen. Hood witnessed 6,261 wounded and killed soldiers. Gen. Schofield's troops sustained only 2,326 fatalities out of 22,000 soldiers. Hood also lost 15 allied generals in the Battle of Franklin including 8 wounded, 6 killed, and 1 taken captive. The battle signaled the end of hope for the Confederate Armies to halt Sherman's march through georgia. The Battle of Franklin was a turning point in the Civil War, as a substantial threat to the security [of] Washington D.C. vanished in this loss of Confederate manpower. The Battle of Nashville two weeks later culminated the loss of hope for the South. Winstead Park History Winstead Hill Park is located approximately two miles south of downtown Franklin. The hill's name comes from an early inhabitant of Williamson County, Samuel Winstead, who owned the land. Some 19 years before the Civil War, he executed a handwritten will that provided for the freedom of each of his 70 slaves after the death of he and his wife. The will called for the sale of his property in Franklin and Spring Hill to pay for the safe passage of his slaves to Liberia for their freedom. Following the death of the Winsteads, the State Supreme Court twice upheld the will insuring that remaining funds were distributed to the freed slaves. Mr. Winstead was laid to rest on this property along with several of his slaves. Winstead Hill is part of the Winstead-Breezy Hill range made of high ridges formed along the southern border of the plain of Franklin. The crest of Winstead Hill is 840 feet above mean sea level and approximately 200 feet above the City of Franklin. The landscape consists of open meadows, wildflowers and large stands of trees including Eastern Red cedar growing on thin soils that in many areas expose the Ordovician limestone bedrock. The park's landform is characteristic of that identified in the greater Nashville Basin. Only minor changes have occurred to the site since the Battle of Franklin on Nov. 30, 1864. In 1948, Walter A. Robers deeded 9.75 acres on Winstead Hill to the United Daughters of the Confederacy as a memorial to the Confederate soldiers. In 1954, a stone wall quarried on site was erected with steps and handrails constructed by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The steps lead to a lookout shelter at the 825 [foot] elevation housing a bronze relief map depicting troop movements during the Battle of Franklin. This lookout shelter, sitting on the adjacent land owned by the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, is still accessible today to the public. The city park property offers a large parking area, multi-use trails, trailhead shelters with interpretive signage, restroom facilities and rest areas. Additional site features include a woodland loop multi-use trail, an amphitheater, and a second small parking facility as future construction. (Text Adapted From: the Welcome to Winstead Hill Park signage at Winstead Hill Park, at the base of Winstead Hill, off Columbia Avenue (the historic Franklin Columbia Turnpike)). text/html 2009-08-13T17:08:59+01:00 http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com http://www.franklintennesseehomes.com/carnton-plantation.html Carnton is a historic plantation house and museum in Franklin in Williamson County, Tennessee. Carnton is the setting for the well-received novel The Widow of the South, by author Robert Hicks. The sprawling farm and its buildings played an important role during and immediately after the Battle of Franklin during the American Civil War. Antebellum years Initial construction The first construction at Carnton took place in 1815 by Randal McGavock (1768–1843), who had emigrated from Virginia, settling in Nashville, Tennessee. Significant work on the home started in the mid 1820s using slave labor. McGavock named the property after his father’s birthplace in County Antrim, Ireland. The term “Carnton“ was derived from a Gaelic word cairn that means “a pile of stones”. A cairn is sometimes a pile of stones marking a grave, which makes this place name a sad prophecy. Early on, the main house was adjoined to the smokehouse or kitchen by a two-story wing. The smokehouse was the first structure in the property (c. 1815). The kitchen was destroyed by a tornado in 1909. The remains can clearly be seen today and were being excavated by archaeologists. Patriarch: Randal McGavock Randal McGavock was a prominent local politician, serving as Mayor of Nashville for a one-year term in 1824. He knew PresidentJames K. Polk and was good friends with President Andrew Jackson, who stayed in the McGavock home on more than one occasion. Jackson gave a rocking chair to the McGavocks, and it is one of the several original artifacts or pieces of furniture one can see when touring the home today. The home was ready for the McGavock family to permanently occupy in the late 1820s. At the time it was 1,400 acres (6 km²) of which 500 acres (2 km²) was used for farming. In the 1830s, McGavock had 250 hogs, cattle, and sheep. Son: Col. John McGavock Randal McGavock died in 1843, leaving his property to two sons, James and John (1815–1893). John took possession of the Carnton property. He continued to farm it until his death in 1893. John married Carrie Winder (1829–1905), who is famously known as the Widow of the South . John McGavock started renovating the home in the late 1840s, preferring a Greek Revival style to the Federal style it was birthed from. Thus, he added a two-story Greek Revival portico and two dormers in the attic. In the 1850s, McGavock added a two-story porch onto the rear of the home. There are Greek Revival touches in the interior as well, including then-fashionable wallpapers, faux-painting and carpets in most every room. Three distinct wallpaper patterns have been discovered on the third floor. The central passage downstairs appears much as it did in 1864 during the Civil War. The wallpaper design, though a reproduction, is based on a popular design for the time. The parlor also saw a Greek Revival upgrade in the form of a fireplace mantel, new wallpaper and carpeting. The china set in the dining room is original to the McGavock family and contains over 200 pieces, all hand-made, each completely unique. The clock on the mantel in the parlor is original to the family and it still works, counting the time like it did in the hours after the Battle of Franklin in December 1864. In December 1848 John married his cousin Carrie Winder of Ducros Plantation House in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The couple had five children but only two would survive past 1864. McGavock sent his slaves to Alabama in 1862, so in 1864 there were no McGavock slaves present. Carnton's Greek Revival style back porch Carnton during the Civil War Just prior to the Civil War, the McGavock’s net worth was about $339,000 in 1860, which is about $6 million in 2007 dollars. Among the crops the McGavocks grew in the mid-19th century in middle Tennessee were wheat, corn, oats, hay, and potatoes. The McGavocks were also involved in raising and breeding thoroughbred horses. Carnton became the epicenter for tending the wounded and dying after the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. The home was situated less than one mile (1.6 km) from the location of the activity that took place on the far Union Eastern flank. Since most of the battle took place after dark, from 5 to 9 p.m., the McGavocks witnessed the fire and explosion of guns and muskets that permeated the sky over Franklin on that Indian summer evening. More than 1,750 Confederates lost their lives at Franklin. It was on Carnton's back porch that four Confederate generals’ bodies—Patrick Cleburne, John Adams, Otho F. Strahl and Hiram B. Granbury—were laid out for a few hours of the Battle of Franklin. Some 6,000 soldiers were wounded and another 1,000 were missing. After the battle, many Frankln-area homes were converted into temporary field hospitals, but Carnton by far was the largest hospital site. Hundreds of Confederate wounded and dying were tended by Carrie McGavock and the family after the battle. Some estimates say that as many as 300 Confederate soldiers were cared for by the McGavocks inside Carnton alone. Scores, if not hundreds more, were spread out through the rest of the property, including in the slave cabins. Some wounded had to simply sleep outside during the frigid nights, when the temperature reached below zero. Carrie Winder McGavock - Widow of the South Carrie led the Good Samaritan services for the family on behalf of the Southern soldiers after the battle. She made breakfast the following morning, and witnesses say her dress was blood soaked at the bottom. Doubtless, many soldiers died inside the home or out on the grounds of the plantation due to the horrible Battle of Franklin. At least 150 died the first night. Carrie's two children, Hattie (then nine) and son Winder (then seven) witnessed the carnage as well, probably providing some basic assistance to the surgeons as well. Many of the floors in Carnton became stained as the Confederate blood soaked through the carpets and seeped into the wood floors. Many blood stains are still present today. The heaviest stains are in the children’s bedroom which was used as an operating room. Today one can gather a sense of the tragedy by examining the medical equipment and supplies displayed. Initial burial of the soldiers – December 1864 After the battle, at 1 a.m. on December 1, Union forces under Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield evacuated toward Nashville, leaving all the dead, including (several hundred) Union soldiers, and the wounded who were unable to walk as well. So morning, the 900 residents of Franklin faced an unimaginable scene of what to do with over 2,500 dead soldiers, most of those being 1,750 Confederates. Confederate General John Bell Hood gave orders to burial details to work through the battlefield and gather the Rebel dead by units, regiments, and companies. He did not want the Southern boys buried in mass graves, whose identities would sure to be lost in time. Most of the 1,750 boys were identified by name, rank and unit before being buried on the battlefield in shallow graves two to three feet deep. Wooden markers were created to mark their identity. Many of the soldiers were originally buried on property belonging to Fountain Branch Carter and James McNutt. Many of the Union soldiers were re-interred at the Stones River National Cemetery in Murfreesboro. Deterioration of the graves – 1865 through April 1866 Over the next eighteen months (from all of 1865 through the first half of 1866) many of the markers were either rotting or used for firewood, and the writing on the boards was disappearing. Thus, to preserve the graves, John and Carrie McGavock donated 2 acres (8,100 m2) of their property to be designated as an area for the Confederate dead to be re-interred. The citizens of Franklin raised the funding and the soldiers were exhumed and re-interred in the Mcgavock Confederate Cemetery for the sum of $5.00 per soldier. A team of four individuals led by George Cuppett took responsibility for the reburial operation in the spring of 1866. By June, some ten weeks after the start, the last Confederate soldier was laid to rest at McGavock Cemetery. Some 1,481 Rebel soldiers would now be at peace. Soldiers from every Southern state in the Confederacy, except Virginia, is represented in the cemetery. Sadly, George Cuppett’s brother, Marcellus, died during the process of the reburials. Just 25 years old, he is buried at the head of the Texas section in the McGavock Cemetery. He is the only civilian interred there. Soldiers' identities preserved originally The McGavocks, especially Carrie, took great care to preserve the identity of the Confederate soldiers. The original names and identities of the soldiers were recorded in a cemetery record book, probably by George Cuppett, and the book fell into the watchful hands of Carrie after the battle. The original book is on display upstairs in Carnton. Time has not been favorable to the identities of the Confederate soldiers though. 780 Confederate soldiers’ identities are positively identified, leaving some 558 as officially listed as unknown. Postbellum years Carrie's devotion It would fall to the McGavocks to care for the nearly 1,500 Confederate dead for the remainder of their lives. John died in 1893 and Carrie in 1905. Carrie's shepherding of the fallen of Franklin lasted 41 years. Rev. John W. Hanner was quoted in Confederate Veteran magazine praying, mentioning about Carrie in 1905 (CV 30, p. 448): We thank thee for the . . . feeble knees she lifted up, for the many hearts she comforted, the needy ones she supplied, the sick she ministered unto, and the boys she found in abject want and mothered and reared into worthy manhood. In the last day they will rise up and call her blessed. Today she is not, because thou hast taken her; and we are left to sorrow for the Good Samaritan of Williamson County, a name richly merited by her. (Quoted in Jacobson:McGavock, p. 37) Today, the McGavock Confederate Cemetery is the largest privately owned and maintained military cemetery in the United States. The Franklin Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy has maintained the cemetery since 1905. Carnton's post-McGavock years and restoration - 1907 until present When Winder McGavock died in 1907, his widow sold the house a few years later (c. 1911). Since then, Carnton has passed through the hands of several owners. By the late 1970s, the property was in horrible disrepair and nearly unsalvageable. However, in 1978 Carnton fell into the hands of the Carnton Association when they acquired the house and 10 acres (40,000 m2). The property has been in constant renovation since, and by the late 1990s it was restored to its former elegance and glory. Carnton has never received any funding or support from local, state or the Federal government. The private sector is responsible for the success of preserving the plantation. Carnton today Today, Carnton receives visitors from all over the world as many people visit to learn the true story of the Widow of the South, Carrie McGavock. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. From Wikipedia