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Owners hope donation may seed battlefield preservation
Thompson's Station farm placed in trust; leaders hope neighbors will follow
By RACHEL STULTS
Staff Writer
The Battle of Thompson's Station was fought on 47 acres surrounding the home, which was built between 1809 and 1819 and served as a hospital for wounded Civil War soldiers and as a place of refuge for those looking to hide during the war. PHOTOS BY SANFORD MYERS / THE TENNESSEAN
Published: Tuesday, 02/20/07 THOMPSON'S STATION — Town leaders applauded a local couple for choosing to keep their 47 acres of historic battlefield property green in the wake of rapid development.
In a ceremony Monday, The Land Trust for Tennessee celebrated its newest section of conserved Tennessee countryside at Battlefield Farm at Homestead Manor in Thompson's Station.
Local preservationists, along with Homestead Manor owner Jay Franks, also announced they are hoping to put those 47 acres toward a proposed Civil War battlefield park in Thompson's Station — a project that could result in an undeveloped area larger than Franklin's 110-acre battlefield park on the eastern flank.
Other land in the battle area is privately owned and the battlefield conservation plan is in only the talking stage at this point.
Franks, a developer, and his wife, Marcia, a prominent local real estate agent, signed the voluntary conservation agreement with The Land Trust for Tennessee to protect their historic home and surrounding property, which they bought three years ago.
"The more we learned about the property, the more we realized how important it is to preserve it," Franks said.
House linked to two wars
Homestead Manor was built by Francis Giddens between 1809 and 1819 after he and his family settled here on a Revolutionary War grant awarded to him for his service as a gunsmith. The house was the first large brick manor home in the area, and one of the few that has three stories. Homestead Manor was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
The land the manor sits on was the site of the Battle of Thompson's Station on March 5, 1863, where the Confederate Army, led by Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest clashed with Union troops. It was the county's second-largest military engagement during the Civil War.
The home served as a hospital for those wounded during the battle, and as a place of refuge for area residents who hid in the manor's cellar.
Land considered key
"For a long time in historic preservation we talked about the buildings, but really the landscape they're on really gives the context of the building. It's not just the structure, it's the land around it. And particularly this one, because it's battlefield land, it's even more important," said Eileen Hennessy, director of land protection for The Land Trust for Tennessee. "When people go back it won't be, 'Wow, I don't recognize anything.' They'll say, 'I'll remember.' This is a great way to do things as towns are tested by growth and change."
The goal is to create a contiguous stretch of preserved historic areas, from Franklin to Thompson's Station and one day on in to Spring Hill, preservationists say.
"We want to see what it can do to knit the fabric of this community together," said Jean C. Nelson, president and executive director of The Land Trust for Tennessee.
The nonprofit Land Trust for Tennessee was founded in 1999. Its mission is to preserve the unique character of Tennessee for future generations. To date nearly 17,000 acres of land has been put in trust, mostly through voluntary conservation easements given by private landowners.
Thompson's Station farm placed in trust; leaders hope neighbors will follow
By RACHEL STULTS
Staff Writer
The Battle of Thompson's Station was fought on 47 acres surrounding the home, which was built between 1809 and 1819 and served as a hospital for wounded Civil War soldiers and as a place of refuge for those looking to hide during the war. PHOTOS BY SANFORD MYERS / THE TENNESSEAN
Published: Tuesday, 02/20/07 THOMPSON'S STATION — Town leaders applauded a local couple for choosing to keep their 47 acres of historic battlefield property green in the wake of rapid development.
In a ceremony Monday, The Land Trust for Tennessee celebrated its newest section of conserved Tennessee countryside at Battlefield Farm at Homestead Manor in Thompson's Station.
Local preservationists, along with Homestead Manor owner Jay Franks, also announced they are hoping to put those 47 acres toward a proposed Civil War battlefield park in Thompson's Station — a project that could result in an undeveloped area larger than Franklin's 110-acre battlefield park on the eastern flank.
Other land in the battle area is privately owned and the battlefield conservation plan is in only the talking stage at this point.
Franks, a developer, and his wife, Marcia, a prominent local real estate agent, signed the voluntary conservation agreement with The Land Trust for Tennessee to protect their historic home and surrounding property, which they bought three years ago.
"The more we learned about the property, the more we realized how important it is to preserve it," Franks said.
House linked to two wars
Homestead Manor was built by Francis Giddens between 1809 and 1819 after he and his family settled here on a Revolutionary War grant awarded to him for his service as a gunsmith. The house was the first large brick manor home in the area, and one of the few that has three stories. Homestead Manor was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
The land the manor sits on was the site of the Battle of Thompson's Station on March 5, 1863, where the Confederate Army, led by Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest clashed with Union troops. It was the county's second-largest military engagement during the Civil War.
The home served as a hospital for those wounded during the battle, and as a place of refuge for area residents who hid in the manor's cellar.
Land considered key
"For a long time in historic preservation we talked about the buildings, but really the landscape they're on really gives the context of the building. It's not just the structure, it's the land around it. And particularly this one, because it's battlefield land, it's even more important," said Eileen Hennessy, director of land protection for The Land Trust for Tennessee. "When people go back it won't be, 'Wow, I don't recognize anything.' They'll say, 'I'll remember.' This is a great way to do things as towns are tested by growth and change."
The goal is to create a contiguous stretch of preserved historic areas, from Franklin to Thompson's Station and one day on in to Spring Hill, preservationists say.
"We want to see what it can do to knit the fabric of this community together," said Jean C. Nelson, president and executive director of The Land Trust for Tennessee.
The nonprofit Land Trust for Tennessee was founded in 1999. Its mission is to preserve the unique character of Tennessee for future generations. To date nearly 17,000 acres of land has been put in trust, mostly through voluntary conservation easements given by private landowners.
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