Friday, November 23, 2007

Carter House

In 1829, Fountain Branch Carter purchased 19 acres of land on Columbia Turnpike in Franklin. The following year, he built a two-story, brick home on the property (above) which was, at the time, considered "in the country" even though it was a mere four-five blocks from downtown Franklin's Main Street. (You can see a map of the locations by clicking here.)

An industrious man, Carter held many jobs, including county surveyor, farmer, merchant, and more. In addition, he operated a cotton gin, manufactured and sold shoes and boots, and bought and sold property. Over the years, he purchased more land and eventually owned 288 acres on both sides of Columbia Turnpike. (Note: Carter was on the committee that oversaw the building of the Historic Franklin Presbyterian Church in 1841. See my post from two days ago for information on it.)

Carter and his wife, Mary, had 12 children, eight of whom survived to adulthood. Mary passed away in 1852, nine years before the start of the Civil War, and 12 years before her property became the site of the bloodiest battle of the war - The Battle of Franklin.

A couple of interesting facts about Carter House: I took the photo of the house from the sidewalk in front. From where I stood, I could see the intersection of Main Street and Columbia. The house is right in the middle of other residences. One of the Carter children, four-year old Samuel, died when he fell through the house's banister to the entry hall below. The house played an important role in the Battle of Franklin. Three of the Carter sons fought in the Civil War, and one died during the Battle of Franklin.

Do you know what the building in the photo above right is?

Tomorrow I'll show you more of the Carter House property and tell you a bit about the Battle of Franklin and the house's role in it.

10 comments:

Carlos Lorenzo said...

Great idyllic place full of so much history. I like the roof very much.

quintarantino said...

I like the house. It's beautiful. And you are giving some good information.

By the way, that photo still doesn´t open.

~tanty~ said...

I like the house very much and the photo is beautiful!

Anonymous said...

I bet the bricks were made on the same site. Usually they were. It is an interesting post.

Andrea said...

Very interesting post. I love to hear the history about an old place like this. Beautiful house.

Jim Klenke said...

Great history lesson. Is the smaller building a outbuilding used for chores, to keep them out of the main house?

Felicia said...

Wow, that is a small house for so many people in the family. I hope they all weren't there in the midst of the battle.

NorthBayPhoto said...

Fantastic photos. Great information on the house and its occupants.

Thanks for visiting my NorthBayPhoto blog and the wonderful comments. As for your questions: The noise of engine was not too loud but we did have ear phones on so we can speak with the pilot...plus it gave us a chance to listen to the tower and others in the air that day.

Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving.

Wayne said...

Neat pics, and a very interesting story. Nicely done Chris. And I am guessing the small house is a smoke house? Or kitchen?
Thanks,
Wayne

FĂ©nix - Bostonscapes said...

Nice post, Chris. The house is in impeccable condition. Quite a resourceful man, Carter. The little building... It couldn't be an outhouse, too fancy for that. It has a chimney and a nice window. Carter made shoes... Was it his workshop?