Fighting for the Heartland

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It is this summer’s most exciting and comprehensive Civil War heritage event. Over June 19-21, 2008, you should make plans now to come to Franklin, Tennessee, site of the cataclysmic Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864, and to participate in battlefield tours, roundtable discussions, and special events.

Comprehensive guided tours of the many historic buildings and landscapes associated with the 1864 battle as well as the town’s compelling occupation and emancipation stories from the war years will be featured.

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Just as important, you can get involved with roundtable discussions led by noted Civil War scholars about the battle’s impact on the competing Army of Tennessee CSA and the Army of the Cumberland USA, and its impact on the Confederate high command. Other experts will address the war’s impact on the homefront, the challenges of occupation, and the importance of emancipation.

In addition, preservation and heritage tourism professionals will discuss how to make battlefield preservation work in your community and how Franklin serves as a national model of why battlefield preservation makes dollars and sense.

Whatever your interest in the years of America’s greatest challenge, from wanting to know more about the heroism and terror of those years to using Civil War tourism as a local economic tool, this two-day event in Franklin is a must.

"Why Franklin Matters!" is sponsored and organized by Franklin's Charge, Inc., the non-profit organization that combined with support from the City of Franklin successfully raised over $5 million for the acquisition of the eastern flank of the Franklin battlefield. The symposium is the primary summer public event of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, a partnership unit of the National Park Service. The conference is presented in cooperation with the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, Civil War Preservation Trust, the Tennessee Preservation Trust, and the Williamson County-Franklin Chamber of Commerce. On a local level, major partners include Carnton Plantation, Carter House, City of Franklin, Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County, Land Trust of Tennessee, McLemore House Museum, MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, Save the Franklin Battlefield, Tennessee Historical Commission, Tennessee Wars Commission, and the Williamson County Historical Society.

The conference will be hosted at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs in Franklin and at local battlefield sites.

* See our schedule
* Click here to register!