FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) —Williamson County is a place layered with history and the Battle of Franklin Trust is both resurrecting the past and while preserving the past.

“You sit here and go on my goodness, what happened here? When you are looking at bullet holes,” explained Eric Jacobson, CEO of Battle of Franklin Trust   

It’s a site to take in, as Jacobson sits on the front porch of the Carter House.   

“Long before it was a battlefield, the Carters lived here. They built this house around 1830,” Jacobson said.   

At the time, Fountain Branch Carter was a wealthy slave owner in the small town of Franklin.    

“Three and a half years into the Civil War, in a terrible twist of fate, he couldn't have built his house in the worst place,” Jacobson explained.

Late on the afternoon of Nov. 30, 1864, The Confederate Army attacked this position and the Carter family hid in the basement.    

The Carter’s farm office is one of the most heavily damaged buildings from the Civil War with about 250 bullet holes.   

“These are mostly fired by Confederate soldiers, those on that side mostly fired by US soldiers. So, there is a crossfire,” Jacobson said. “There are bullet holes in the door, that's where it came in, that's where it blew the wood out in the other side."

The historical home and site have been open to the public since the early 50s. Rain or shine, the Carter House sees about 40,000 visitors a year. Tours taking you inside the home, where you learn about the battle and the people, both free and enslaved.   

“And places like the Carter House, where slavery existed, where the war was fought, are so important,” Jacobson said.   

For the last 20 years, the Battle of Franklin Trust have been reclaiming sites of the Franklin battlefield, gathering about 175 acres.   

“We bought a house that was a flower shop, we bought a pizza house, another house that was a construction lot, a stirp mall, another house, and just on down the road,” Jacobson said.   

The trust has purchased about $35 million of property to resurrect the past.    

The Battle of Franklin Trust has also been putting up historical markers to help visitors understand how the Civil War redefined the country.   

“Somebody's memory has to be told. And to have a place like this to tell it, you’re just spreading the gospel, the gospel of history and why it's important,” Jacobson said.   

A new multi-use visitor center is expected to open next spring to welcome guests from all over the world. 

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/on-tour-middle-tn/battle-of-franklin-trust-resurrecting-the-past-while-preserving-battle-of-franklin-site/