$960,000 grant to help preserve Civil War battleground in Franklin
By Josh Adams • The Tennessean • November 24, 2010
FRANKLIN — A state grant of $960,000 was awarded Wednesday to help preserve part of a Civil War battleground upon which a strip mall currently exists. The money, awarded by the Tennessee Department of Transportation as an enhancement grant, is to help purchase the property so that preservationists can install a small park.
The one-acre site on the corner of Columbia and Cleburne streets is near a former cotton gin and the Carter House. Historians describe it as the epicenter of the Battle of Franklin where Union and Confederate forces met Nov. 30, 1864.
Ernie Bacon is the director of Franklin’s Charge, a nonprofit focused on land preservation. It is his organization, in conjunction with the Tennessee Historical Commission, that will use the money to ultimately demolish the single-story commercial buildings and create a passive park.
“This grant is certainly going to propel us forward and help us in many ways,” Bacon said.
This was the second time Franklin’s Charge and the state commission applied for the grant. The money was awarded this time, said Julie Oaks, a spokeswoman for TDOT, because of an outpouring of community support.
“We had 407 letters of support from citizens,” she said. “That tends to make a difference.”
