FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — November 30th, 2024 marks the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Franklin.
Volunteers helped set up ten thousand luminaries at the historic Carter House and Carnton plantation.
They represent the ten thousand casualties during the Civil War-era battle.
And those visiting the grounds say remembering the lessons from history is much more poignant today.
“Each one represents a casualty killed wounded captured all the same. They’re almost 10,000 from the battle of Franklin,” said volunteer, Cassie Hansen.
It's almost poetic.
160 years ago, historians say the weather was as crisp and clear as when the Battle of Franklin took place on the grounds now known as the Carter House.
The house still bears the marks of the bloody battle.
“All of a sudden 60,000 men come through and they leave the 10,000 wounded and that affects the normal everyday people who are just trying to live their lives,” said Hansen.
Cassie Hansen knows the lessons of our past are blueprints for the future.
For Hansen, volunteering to place these luminaries on such an anniversary is significant.
“Randomly you’ll hear someone say because of the political climate in the United States maybe we just need another civil war and realizing that concept is absolutely horrific,” said Hansen.
“I think more than ever a place like this is important because we are not as divided as we were 160 years ago,” said Battle of Franklin Trust CEO, Eric Jacobson.
He says while they deal in the past they're looking towards the future.
Crews will break ground on the $8 million project to demolish the current Carter House visitor's center and build a new 2-story one adjacent to it, opening spring 2026.
“It outlived its time,” said Jacobson. “It’s an investment in the future because we have 100,000 people a year who visit the Carter House and Carnton… this thing is paid for itself already and it will greatly benefit the middle Tennessee area.”
A home with a window into the past and ten thousand luminaries serving as a stark reminder, so we can better understand who we are today.
“The South didn’t lose the war the Confederacy did and the North didn’t win it. The United States did and that’s the world we live in,” said Jacobson.
Construction of the new visitor’s center will not impact the historical footprint of the Carter house.
The Battle of Franklin Trust says it has taken 10 years to secure the funding.
If you have more information about this story, please email me at Amanda.Roberts@newschannel5.com.
