The Special Collections Department of Williamson County Public Library will host local historian Paul Clements as he discusses his recent book Battle Ground Academy: Voices From Back in the Day on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Meeting Room at the Main Library.
Battle Ground Academy was established in 1889 in Franklin, Tennessee, and struggled for decades to survive. Through a series of narratives from former students, Clements chronicles those struggles, and captures what it was like to attend the school during a period of time that spanned two world wars and the Great Depression. Clements also reveals how the institution experienced the political and social changes that swept across America during the mid-1900s. The book presents memorable teachers and idiosyncratic students, recounts practical jokes, and preserves countless details of an educational experience that has long since passed from the scene.
Paul Clements in a local historical researcher and author in Williamson County. An alum of Battle Ground Academy and a Middle Tennessee native, Clements has made a name for himself in the world of local research. He has researched and published works on the frontier period and Reconstruction period of Tennessee history. Works by Clements include the Draper family funded Chronicles of the Cumberland Settlements, Tell Them We Were Rising, and A Past Remembered.
This program is intended for adults 18+. All Library programs are free and open to the public. Register at https://www.wcpltn.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=11124&month=5&year=2026&day=21&calType=0 or through our website calendar. Call the Library at (615) 595-1246 or email SpecialCollections.Library@williamsoncounty-tn.gov if you have questions or need assistance registering.
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