The Landscapes of the Battlefield of Franklin, Tennessee, Carnton Plantation, 1345 Carnton Lane, Franklin, Williamson County, TN

Significance: Carnton was built in 1826 by Randall McGavock (1768-1843), a former Nashville mayor, who passed the house on to his son John. John McGavock (1815-1893) and his wife Carrie made their living farming wheat, corn, oats, hay, and potatoes, supplementing their income by raising and breeding livestock and thoroughbred horses. The house was originally connected with the smokehouse building via a kitchen, but the kitchen was destroyed by a tornado in 1909. John McGavock renovated Carnton in the Greek Revival style in the 1840s, adding a portico and two dormers. Following the Battle of Franklin, the McGavocks dedicated two acres of the plantation to serve as the McGavock Confederate Cemetery. Following the death of John and Carrie, Carnton passed into the ownership of their surviving son, Winder. The house was sold in 1911, following Winder McGavock's death. In 1973, Carnton was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 1977 the house and ten acres were donated to Carnton Associate, Inc. The house exists today as a central location for tourism related to the Battle of Franklin.
Survey number: HALS TN-7-A
Building/structure dates: ca. 1826 Initial Construction
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 73001857