Dark Destinations

General

Dark Destinations

Dark Traveler Library

Horror Blogs

General Horror Quotes

Dark Destinations > Locations by The Civil War > Carter House

Clear Markers

| Show Street View Overlay

Carter House

Other destinations within a
mile radius.

Nearby Destinations:

	Haunted Franklin Tours
	Carnton Plantation
	Haunted Tavern Tours, Nashville, TN
	Ryman Auditorium
	The Hermitage Hotel
	Nashville Ghost Tours
	Old Tennessee State Prison
	Tennessee State Capitol
	Devil's Dungeon
	Haunted Nashville, Hermitage, TN
Displaying 10 of 24 View All on Map

Availability:	Open to the Public
Filed Under:	Historical Locations > The Civil War Museums/Libraries/Exhibitions Paranormal Hot Spots > Haunted Houses Paranormal Hot Spots > Tours/Ghost Walks
Added By:	TheCabinet
Added On:	June 01, 2007 - 07:59 PM UTC
Last Modified:	July 10, 2007 - 09:48 PM UTC
Your Rating:	Sign in to add your rating
Average Rating:	4 (1 ratings)
Visited By:	1 Users

Address
1140 Columbia Ave, Franklin, TN 37064, USA (Franklin, Tennessee)

Information
The Carter House In 1830, Fountain Branch Carter constructed this house for his family here in Franklin, Tennessee. It would become part of history on November 30, 1864, when the Civil War would quite literally show up on the front doorsteps. The resulting battle would cast a gloom over the property in the years that followed and many people believe that soldiers and/or former occupants of the home still haunt the grounds to this day. The Battle of Franklin The battle, also known as The Second Battle of Franklin and "The Gettysburg of the West," was set up the day prior during the Battle of Spring Hill. There, the Confederate Army of Tennessee, led by Lt. General John Bell Hood, engaged in a battle with the Union Army of the Ohio, led by Major General John M. Schofield. Hood had hoped to isolate the Army of the Ohio from the Army of the Cumberland, which was north in Nashville. They succeeded for the most part, but failed to capture a major road that was held by Union troops. Combined with the fact that orders for the finishing attack never made it to the proper his field commander, the Union soldiers had an opening to retreat north to Franklin. Retreating from Spring Hill, Schofield's Army had to leave behind their pontoon bridges because they did not have the equipment to carry them. When they reached Franklin at 1:00 AM, they faced the daunting task of crossing Harpeth River and the only path out was through damaged bridges. A knock at the door awoke the Carter family, who were told their house was being commandeered as a Union headquarters. They needed time to repair the bridges and decided to set up a front around the breastworks that were used in the First Battle of Franklin in 1863. Satisfied that the defensive line was optimal, the Union Army went to work at making the repairs on the bridges, while awaiting the arrival of Hood's Army from the south. They were ordered to make a retreat over the bridges at nightfall. Hood's Army arrived a short time later and the Battle of Franklin was about to begin on November 30, 1864. After seeing the Union defensive line, Hood's generals advised against an attack. However, some of Schofield's Army could be seen crossing the bridges and Hood felt that the opportunity to stop the Union retreat was slipping out of his hands. He believed that the defensive line was placed there only as a front and that a mass retreat was underway. If allowed to cross the river, they would merge up with Army in Nashville and be far too strong to engage. At that point, he ordered a complete frontal assault of the Union defensive lines at dusk. The resulting scene turned into one of the bloodiest moments in the Civil War. The property surrounding the Carter House was soon filled with Union and Confederate troops engaged in a savage, hand-to-hand combat. Some were shot, some were strangled, some were stabbed, some were clubbed, and some were bayoneted (including one soldier right on the porch of the house). The Carter family retreated to the basement as the battle took place around them. In all, 23 men, women, and children huddled in the small basement as the battle raged on for around five hours. Three of the Carter family's sons had joined the side of the Confederate Army during the War and they were about to be tragically reunited with one of them. After being away for three years from his home, Theodrick Carter would return that night and engage in battle on his very own property. Night fell, but the fighting continued, making the Battle of Franklin one of the rare occasions that a battle took place at night during the Civil War. To the Confederate's right, three infantry brigades were advancing on the Federal line but were being decimated by artillery fire. As they advanced, they encountered a barrier of branches that they couldn't pass. With nowhere to run, the troops were gunned down in a bloody mess. As night descended, the skirmishes lessened and, as planned, the Union troops retreated back across the bridges. While technically a victory for the Confederacy, the amount of casualties (more in this five hour battle than the two day Battle of Shiloh) sustained basically wiped out the Army of Tennessee. They would continue to move north in pursuit of the retreating Union Army, but ultimately be defeated in the Battle of Nashville and Hood would later resign his generalship. Following the battle, the parlor in the house was quickly converted into a makeshift hospital to treat the wounded. One of the wounded was the Carter's own son, Theodrick. After the family had heard he was wounded on the property, they searched by lantern for hours aided by General Smith, until they finally found him. He was brought in to the house, but died two days later in the same room that he was born in. The Ghosts of the Past Given that the property saw the violent deaths of so many, it isn't much of a surprise that there are reports of paranormal activity. The ghost of a small girl, believed to be Annie Carter, has been seen running down the stairs, through the upstairs hallway, or tugging on people's sleeves. Theodrick's apparition has also reportedly been seen in the bedroom he died in. Still further reports of activity include things moving on their own, objects disappearing and re-appearing somewhere else, and voices seemingly coming from nowhere. The House and Property Today The Battle of Franklin was one of the smallest battlefields of the Civil War. Fighting took place on land around two miles long and one and a half miles wide. During the years after the Battle, some of the property was sold off and developed despite efforts to preserve it for its historical significance. In 1951, the State of Tennessee purchased the Carter House and surrounding property and opened it two years later to the general public. Today, the registered historical landmark sits on eight acres and serves as a non-profit museum and interpretive center of the brutal Battle of Franklin. The Carter House still has over 1,000 bullet holes visible in its surrounding structures to this day. There are efforts underway to expand the property to the original battlefield and get it listed as a National Battlefield (much like Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Shiloh, etc.). See the site below for hours of operation and/or information about how you can help.

GPS Interface
Save Waypoint to Garmin Device.


User Trips
There are no user trips associated with this location.

Related Sites
The Carter House The official site of the reportedly haunted Carter House of Franklin, Tennessee - the site of a bloody battle of the Civil War.
Prairie Ghosts: The Carter House Prairie Ghosts' entry for The Carter House in Franklin, Tennessee. It was the site of a bloody Civil War battle and reports of paranormal activity ever since.

Similar Destinations
National Gallery of Art
Andersonville National Historic Site
Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum

See Also on TheCabinet.com
Blog: Battle of Franklin (Part 1/2): Carter House (11/30/08)
Blog: Battle of Franklin (Part 2/2): Carnton Plantation (12/01/08)

Available from Amazon.com
Haunted Places in the American South
Strange Tales of the Dark and Bloody Ground: Authentic Accounts of Restless Spirits, Haunted Honky Tonks, and Eerie Events in Tennessee
Haunted Houses U.S.A.
Five Tragic Hours: The Battle of Franklin
The Battle of Franklin: Five Hours in the Valley of Death

User Options

	Edit this Location
	Manage Categories
	Add/Edit Related Sites
	Add/Edit Images
	Add/Edit My Trip
	Set Up Reminder
	User Trips (0)
	Comments (0)
	Dark Destinations Search
	Print Location

Images

The historic Carter House of Franklin, Tennessee in June 2007 - Site of the Battle of Franklin.
From: TheCabinet

Bullet holes and damage from the Civil War battle still seen on the Carter House in June 2007.
From: TheCabinet

The surrounding buildings and land on the property of the Carter House in June 2007.
From: TheCabinet

Battle Damage on Property of the Carter House

Remnants from the Civil War battle visible on a structure in June 2007 on the Carter House property.
From: TheCabinet

Displaying 4 of 7.
View All Images

The above content is for informational purposes only. Before making any travel arrangements, it is highly recommended that you contact those in charge of the property to check for updated availability and hours of operation. While we do our best to keep this information updated, we cannot guarantee that it is completely valid and up to date. Any destination marked "Closed to the Public" is marked that for a reason and we discourage any visits or attempts to gain access to that facility. Similarly, take note of any "Travel Advisory" that may be associated with a destination. Finally, treat any location and its local residents with respect. Any vandalism and/or unruly behavior is completely despicable and only ruins the experience for future visitors.

There are 0 comments in the database.
User Comments	Order by: Most Recent \| Originally Submitted
There are currently no comments for this entry.

There are 0 comments in the database.
Add Comment \| Return to Index

Dark Destinations Search

Dark Destinations | Dark Traveler Library | Horror Blogs |
General Horror Quotes