Tennesse - Nashville

Today we are headed out to the town of Franklin, Tennessee. Roxy joined us in our adventures today. It is only 31 miles from where we are staying in Nashville; an easy drive from the city. Franklin is very quaint little town with shops, cafes, restaurants and trendy commerce centre. It reminds me a lot of Sydney, Vancouver Island. Franklin has one of the most important stories to tell when it came to the Civil War. It was the last war front between the Federal and Confederate soldiers.

During the American Civil War, the Battle of Franklin was fought in the city on November 30, 1864, resulting in almost 10,000 casualties (killed, wounded, captured, and missing). Forty-four buildings were converted to use as field hospitals. The Carter, Carnton, and the Lotz historic homes are still standing from this era; and available for public tours.

The Carnton plantation house was built in 1826 by former Nashville mayor Randal McGavock (1768-1843). Throughout the nineteenth

century it was frequently visited by those shaping Tennessee and American history, including President Andrew Jackson. Carnton grew to become one of the premier farms in Williamson County, Tennessee. Beginning at 4 p.m. on November 30, 1864, everything the McGavock family ever knew was forever changed. The Confederate Army of Tennessee furiously assaulted the Federal army entrenched along the southern edge of Franklin. The resulting battle, believed to be the bloodiest hours of the Civil War, involved a massive frontal assault larger than Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. The majority of the combat occurred in the dark and at close quarters. The Battle of Franklin lasted barely five hours and led to some 9,500 soldiers being killed, wounded, captured, or counted as missing. Nearly 7,000 of that number were Confederate troops. Carnton served as the largest field hospital in the area for hundreds of wounded and dying Confederate soldiers.

In early 1866, John and Carrie McGavock designated two acres of land adjacent to their family cemetery as a final burial place for nearly 1,500 Confederate soldiers killed during the Battle of Franklin. The McGavocks maintained the cemetery until their respective deaths. Today, the McGavock Confederate Cemetery is a lasting memorial honoring those fallen soldiers and the Battle of Franklin.

Over the years and through the variety of land and property sales the original battle grounds at Carnton Plantation were converted to a golf course. However, recognizing the importance to preserve history the land has been turned back to the foundation, allowing it to be reclaimed by nature to return to its original state as it once looked in the battle of Franklin. The public can stroll through the battle ground at a leisurely pace through the walkways and informative exhibit to imagine what the battle must have been like all those years back. It

is an amazing place to visit.

On our way from Nashville to Franklin we meandered through the countryside, passing by the numerous civil war historical areas and plantations houses along the way. The place really is like a scene from out of the movies. After a nice stroll through the main street of Franklin, we decided to take the back-way into Nashville.
We came back through the community of Belle Meade. It has one of the largest plantation houses in the area.

In 1807, Virginian John Harding bought Dunham's Station log cabin and 250 acres (100 ha) on the Natchez Trace. The plantation, that he named "Belle Meade," French for beautiful meadow, and known as the "Queen of Southern Plantations", was not used for farming, but rather various service enterprises such as a blacksmith shop, cotton gin, and a grist and saw mill. By 1816, Harding was boarding horses for neighbors such as Andrew Jackson, and breeding Thoroughbreds for which the plantation became renowned throughout the world. John registered his own racing silks with the Nashville Jockey Club in 1823 and was training horses on the track at his McSpadden's Bend Farm. William Giles Harding inherited Belle Meade Plantation in 1839 and enlarged the mansion and the estate into a 5,400-acre (22 km2) plantation with 136 enslaved people. Racing and breeding operations came to a halt in the South with the onset of the Civil War in 1861.

Belle Meade Plantation historic mansion now functions as a museum, consisting of 30 remaining acres. It includes a winery, visitor's center, and some of the original outbuildings including, the Harding cabin, dairy, carriage house, stable, mausoleum and a reconstructed slave quarters. It is an amazing site to visit.

We got back in time to kick up for a while before we headed out the Grand Ole Opry for a night of historical entertainment. In the spring/summer months it is located in its new location, northeast of downtown.

A bit of history of the Grand Ole Opry:
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country-music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, which was founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.), it is the longest-running radio broadcast in US history. Dedicated to honoring country music and its history, the Opry showcases a mix of famous singers and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, Americana, folk, gospel, and comedic performances and skits. Since 1974, the show has been broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry House east of downtown Nashville, with an annual three-month winter foray back to the Ryman since 1999. Performances have been sporadically televised in addition to the radio programs.

The night we attended we saw the following musicians: (copy and past the link to view the videos from youtube)
Chris Young - American Singer/Songwriter
The Man I want to be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWcs1GmJRQs
Lindsay Ell - Canadian Country artist - from Calgary (just hit the top charts)
Criminal
https://www.youtube.com/user/lindsayell
Tommy Emmanuel & Jerry Douglas
The SteelDrivers - a bluegrass band
Long Way Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-IOLc5emC4
Drake White - American Singer/Songwriter - has a bluesy sound
Makin' me look good again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTBQ05KuaZE

The broadcast was not only complete with amazing music but also "commercials" that remind you that it is still a radio broadcast.
When they built the new auditorium in 1973 the tried to keep with some of the historical design of the Ryman, right down to the bench seats; there isn't a bad seat in the house. The way to theatre is designed the acoustics are second to none. Our performance had a variety of music, from bluegrass, old classical western music to modern day country artists. We throughly enjoyed our night out. It was so fantastic that I would come back again to Nashville just for the Grand Ole Opry. Something that everyone should experience!