 Grave Matters
Stories
behind the Stones....
Dead
men tell no tales, but their tombstones do. And your Franklin on Foot guide
will tell the about the always interesting, sometimes tragic and often
shocking stories
from Franklin's Rest Haven and Old City cemeteries.
Father
and son Fountain Branch and Tod Carter are among the
well-known Franklinites buried in these cemeteries. Their stories are told
daily at the Carter House, today a historic house museum, but in 1864 a
farmhouse that found itself at the epicenter of the Battle of Franklin. Less known
but still compelling are the two Georges, Grummond and Cuppett,
both of whom fought in the War, although on different sides, and who are
remembered for different reasons. Other wartime accounts will come from John
McEwen, mayor of Franklin and Dr. John Park, a well-respected
physician, as well as Fannie Courtney, a Union sympathizer who
tended to the Union wounded at First Presbyterian Church. You won't
believe the rest of her story.
Not
all the stories are Civil War-related.
You
won’t want to miss the grave of Anarchy Cowles, a freed slave, or
the marker of the two Marr sisters, whose short lives are
commemorated by a broken shaft. 
You'll
hear about Franklin’s founder Ewen Cameron, as well as one of the original Tennessee volunteers Dr.
Daniel McPhail.
And no, he wasn't a football player.
Rest
Haven cemetery was in the national news in 2009 as it became the
final resting place of the Unknown Civil War soldier whose remains
were uncovered at a Franklin construction site in May, 2009 and
re-interred at Rest Haven on October 10, 2009.
$15 for ages 14+;
$5 for children 7-13. Please bring a
flashlight for each person in your party (for nighttime tour), and be sure and wear flat,
closed-toed shoes.
We
have no tours scheduled at this time, but if you have a party of four or
more, we can schedule a tour at your convenience. Call 615-400-3808.
    .
The
cemeteries are located across the street from each other at Fourth Avenue North and North Margin Street.
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