Our last day on the road was spent enjoying Franklin and environs. The Battle of Franklin was one of the most decisive of the Civil War. Per the AAA guide book “on November 30, 1864, 5 hours of fighting resulted in the death, wounding or capture of more than 6,000 Confederate and 2,000 Union soldiers. The Confederacy lost six generals; seven more were among those wounded or captured.”
We spent a lot of time oohing and aching at Jacque’s daughter’s home—120 acre farm with a new house they spent three years building while they lived in an RV and “barn” on the land. As Jacque drove us to the farm we passed by the estate of Alan Jackson of country music fame which recently sold for $28 million.
We spent a lot of time oohing and aching at Jacque’s daughter’s home—120 acre farm with a new house they spent three years building while they lived in an RV and “barn” on the land. As Jacque drove us to the farm we passed by the estate of Alan Jackson of country music fame which recently sold for $28 million.
Jacque’s daughter, Courtney, got a lot of ideas for their home from Pinterest! The gourmet kitchen is incredible (I seem to be using that word a lot lately!). There is a six-burner gas stove with additional griddle surface and a spigot above the stove to fill pots with water. On the island in the middle is the microwave which opens like a drawer, so you are not reaching above to put food in and take it out. There are two ovens, tons of drawer and cabinet space and a large refrigerator in the kitchen area. The pantry has the freezer and shelves with everything arranged in closed bins and shelves. The door has a switch which turns the light on and off.
This similar feature is on all the bedroom closets. The doors to closets upstairs are barn door style, sliding on rails outside the room. The partial bath downstairs off the kitchen has both a toilet and urinal and a basin-style sink.
There is a laundry room on both the main floor and upstairs where the two children’s and another guest bedroom are. Their 12-year-old son has begun doing his own laundry! He is a hunter of deer and ducks and turkey and has several of his trophies in his bedroom. The broad deck on the front of the house is actually concrete made to look like boards.
Their property is bordered by the Harpeth River and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll along it while Ashlie and Courtney cruised downstream, Ashlie on a paddle board and Courtney in a kayak.
There were lots of birds singing and the skies were initially blue, but began to cloud as the day progressed. Rain is expected tomorrow for our trip home. The burial site of Montgomery Bell is located on the farm. Montgomery Bell was an early 19th century entrepreneur in Middle Tennessee who established iron works using Tennessee's wealth of rivers to power his mills. His Cumberland Furnace works made lots of the cannonballs used in the War of 1812. His greatest project was blasting a 100-yard tunnel on the narrows of the Harpeth River thus having the water force to power his mills. The tunnel is still visible and his burial site looks across the Harpeth to the tunnel. The property across the Harpeth from the farm is Harpeth River State Park.
We went to Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant, which dates to the early 1950s, serves Americana food and has live entertainment evenings. Some of us enjoyed a fried green tomato, bacon and lettuce on a cornmeal pancake sandwich, a house specialty. Like Knoxville, TN Franklin is undergoing a renewal of its downtown space and has many boutiques and shops and restaurants. Puckett’s has won numerous awards for service, food, entertainment and value.
We strolled main street trying to walk off the calories. In the center of the town is a tall statue honoring the Confederate soldiers.
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