Winstead Hill

Located just south of Franklin, Tennessee, Winstead Hill, played a vital role during the Civil War in Middle Tennessee. The 840 foot tall hill was once part of the Samuel Winstead Farm. The hill is 200 feet higher than the City of Franklin. In November 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood set up an observation post on top of the hill. This allowed Hood to maintain his position during the battle. From this post, Hood was able to watch his Army of Tennessee charge and get thrown back thirteen times by the Union forces. By the time the battle was over, the Confederates had lost 6,000 of the 18,000 they started out with. This marked the beginning of the end for the Confederate Army in Middle Tennessee. Historians have labeled Winstead Hill as the place where the Battle of Franklin began. Following the Civil War, the hill became used for agricultural purposes once again. In 1948, approximately nine acres of the Winstead Farm were given to the local United Daughters of the Confederacy Chapter. This group installed interpretive materials on the property and today Winstead Hill is part of the City of Franklin Park System. In 1974 Winstead Hill was listed in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for its historical significance.

   View from the top of Winstead Hill today.

At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.

Harrison House

The William Harrison House located in southern Franklin, Tennessee, was built in 1848. William Harrison and his family settled in Williamson County after leaving Virginia. Harrison served as the sheriff of Williamson County from 1836-1842. The house replaced a structure that had been built on the property around 1810. This structure and the newer structure have been able to coexist, as the older one now serves as additional living space at the rear of its newer counterpart. Both structures are sheathed in brick, with the older one being built in the Federal architectural style and the new one built in the Colonial Revival style, with a Greek Revival style full height entry portico. Inside the house features include an open air, central hall floor plan with a total of ten rooms. While carrying out a renovation, a secret room in the upstairs portion of the house was discovered. The room was unfinished and no one knows its purpose. Like so many historic houses in Franklin, the Harrison House witnessed combat during the Civil War. Due to the house's location between the cities of Franklin and Spring Hill, the Harrison House was often used as a headquarters by both sides. In 1864 a small skirmish occurred at Perry's Station. The wounded were taken to the Harrison House, due to its close proximity to the skirmish site. Among the wounded was General John Herbert Kelly. Kelly was the youngest Brigadier-General in the Confederate Army. Kelly was tended to inside the Harrison House for two days before succumbing to his injuries. He was buried in the front yard of the house, but was exhumed a few years later and moved to a cemetery. Later in 1864, General John Bell Hood used the Harrison House as his headquarters during the Battle of Franklin. After surveying the city from the top of Winstead Hill, Hood gave the order to attack Franklin from the front parlor of the Harrison House. Following the war, the house was owned by several members of the William Harrison family, until eventually being sold. In 1975, the Harrison House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A and C for its significance in history and architecture respectively. Today the house remains privately owned. The Harrison House is yet another key component of the City of Franklin's history and their great efforts in the field of historic preservation.

At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.

The Cedars

Jackson, Tennessee's The Cedars was constructed in 1930 by automobile executive William H. Collier. Collier was responsible for the design of the Marathon Automobile that was assembled at a plant in Nashville. Collier also served as the vice president of the Southern Engine and Boiler Works Company in Jackson. Collier purchased the Adam Huntsman Home and Farm making Jackson his permanent home. On Christmas Day, 1929, the Huntsman House burned. In its place Collier built a Colonial Revival style house. The unique thing about this new house was that Collier labeled it "fireproof." Upon examining its construction elements, one can see why he labeled it as such. The house features concrete walls fourteen to eighteen inches thick, load bearing, reinforced with steel, railroad rails in the footings, concrete floors, and a slate roof. The house features an open air central hall floor plan, a full height entry portico, and a dogleg staircase. The house was dubbed "The Cedars" because of the cedar trees lining the driveway up to the house. Legend says that David (Davy) Crockett planted these cedar trees to pay off a gambling debt owed to Adam Huntsman. Collier never completed The Cedars due to an increasing amount of debt. Finally in 1942, the property was foreclosed on. For the next few years the house was owned by a variety of people. In 1999 The Cedars was listed in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C for its significance in architecture. Today the house remains privately owned and based on pictures and Google Street View, appears vacant.

At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.