Memorial Weekend in Middle Tennessee is a busy weekend. In Williamson County and beyond, you’ll find family friendly events, live music, festivals, as well as opportunities to pay homage to those who died while serving our country.
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Visit The Carter House & Carnton Plantation
Take in a little history this weekend with a tour of The Carter House & Carnton Plantation.
The Carter House and Carnton Plantation are open daily for guided tours. The guided tour at each site lasts approximately one hour. You can visit both or just one.
About The Carter House & The Carnton Plantation:
In 1830, Fountain Branch Carter built a one-and-a-half story brick house just south of downtown Franklin for his small family. He and his wife Polly had twelve children, nine of whom reached adulthood. On November 30, 1864, the Battle of Franklin raged across the fields south of town, scarring the landscape, claiming the lives of thousands and changing life on the Carter farm forever.
Just a little over a mile from The Carter House, The Carnton Plantation sits. It was built in 1826 by former Nashville mayor Randal McGavock (1768-1843). Throughout the nineteenth century it was frequently visited by those shaping Tennessee and American history, including President Andrew Jackson. Carnton grew to become one of the premier farms in Williamson County,
Before daybreak Federal Brig. Gen. Jacob D. Cox woke the Carter family, took possession of The Carter House and made the parlor his headquarters. The fighting began at 4 pm in the waning afternoon sunlight when 20,000 Confederates attacked a similar number of entrenched Federals. The Carter family, the Lotz family from across the street, and several Carter slaves took refuge in the north room of the basement as the battle raged around their home. Carnton Plantation was witness to one of the bloodiest battles of the entire Civil War. Everything the McGavock family ever knew was forever changed. The Confederate Army of Tennessee furiously assaulted the Federal army entrenched along the southern edge of Franklin. The resulting battle, believed to be the bloodiest hours of the Civil War, involved a massive frontal assault larger than Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg. The majority of the combat occurred in the dark and at close quarters.
