2012 Annual Giving.

It has been an amazing period of time at both Carnton and The Carter House, and really throughout our historic community as additional segments of the battlefield have been reclaimed and forever preserved. Recent acquisitions will make a genuine battlefield park near the Carter House a reality. That park will be centered around where the Carter cotton gin once stood, and visitors will be able to walk the very ground on which so many brave soldiers struggled for what they believed to be right. Additionally, the site of the former Carter garden, where so much intense combat occurred, is literally being recreated.

Also, a beautiful new walnut and cedar fence has been installed at The Carter House. That is not all. A new loop road and interpretive signage on the Eastern Flank battlefield park will allow guests to better understand the action there and provide much better access to Carnton. The road is scheduled to be open by the end of 2013. All in all, the story of the Battle of Franklin is enjoying a renaissance that less than a decade ago seemed almost impossible.

At both historic house sites, attendance continues to rise. By the end of this year, more than 80,000 guests from right here in Middle Tennessee and around the country, as well as the world, will have visited Carnton and The Carter House. The 150th anniversary of the Battle of Franklin in late 2014 will certainly bring out even more significant numbers of visitors.

Over the past three years we have accomplished many great things. From installing a climate control system at The Carter House, to substantial work on the exterior and interior of Carnton, as well as very extensive work on the grounds at The Carter House, to fully digitizing the incredible collection of photographs and documents, there is no doubt that our work continues every day and will last long into the future.

But this is our time. This is our time to make Franklin’s story what is always should have been. We have a 10 or 20 year window to make a real difference in Franklin – to save what battlefield can be preserved, protect the homes that witnessed so much history, and leave this story to the next group of people.

As you consider making end of year donations, I would ask that you consider the Battle of Franklin Trust. There are many worthy causes, and in these economic times, every dollar matters. Please know that your donation to the Trust will go toward preserving one of the greatest treasures that all of us, and future generations, can enjoy together – American history.
Thank you.

Marianne Schroer
Chair, BOFT

Ashlyn Hines
Carnton Board President

Eric A. Jacobson
COO/Historian, BOFT

Ed Underwood
Carter House Board President

All payments can be mailed to:
BOFT/2012 Campaign
1345 Carnton Lane
Franklin, TN 37064