Monday, September 15, 2014

Carnton Plantation & Cemetery




 


I don't know why on Earth it has taken me so long to post about the day trip we took with Adam's family to Franklin, Tennessee, to tour the Carnton Plantation and Civil War Battlefield over Labor Day weekend. First of all, I want to say I really love Franklin,Tennessee, and you can read about another visit I took to Franklin to tour the Lotz house here.

When Adam's family was planning their trip to visit us, they requested to see a plantation and a cemetery of some sort. I could see why a plantation would be of some interest to a Midwestern family.  I racked my brain for a while for a good plantation to visit, and finally I remembered a book I read a few years ago, The Widow of the South

The Widow of the South is the historical fiction account of the Battle of Franklin and the McGavok family, whose plantation was turned into a civil war hospital during the battle.  I thought this location would be perfect to take Adam's family to because it also had a Civil War Cemetery on the property.

We started our day by touring the adjacent Slave Quarters and also the beautiful gardens. Before touring our attention to the home, which was gorgeous! I loved the style of it. I can't remember the name of the style, but it is the type of home that all sides are perfect mirrors of each other. If you cut the house straight down the middle, both sides would be identical. Unfortunately, we could not take pictures of the inside, but it was gorgeous. It had some original furniture from the McGavok family and other time period pieces.

Our wonderful tour guide told us about the interesting history of the plantation, the family, and battle. During the battle, when the plantation became a hospital, it was stacked with injured men in every room (even the children's rooms). All the tables they owned were turned into amputation tables, and you could still see the bloodstains on the floor.  They also had an interesting section of the tour where you could see surgical instruments from the 1860's. It made me glad to be born in the 1980's!

After our tour of the house, we took a sobering tour of the nearby cemetery where the men who died in battle were buried. It was astounding how many men lost their lives that day.

I was so happy because Adam's Aunt and Mother enjoyed the tour so much, and I was able to find them a place that fit all their criteria. I pride myself on being a good tour guide.

After the day was over, we had dinner downtown at one of my favorite restaurants, Puckett's groceries. Adam's family was able to partake in some fabulous Southern food, such as Fried Green Tomatoes. We also got to soak up the charming atmosphere in Downtown Franklin.

They said it was the perfect Southern day!


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