Franklin depot established for passengers & freight The Civil War began in April 1861. Three notable battles at Brentwood, Thompson’s Station, and Franklin had some of the highest fatalities during the war. Railroad Civil War PRE-CIVIL WAR (1830–1860) Williamson County contained productive soil, timber, and land especially suitable for raising livestock. During the pre-Civil War period, the county became one of the wealthiest in Tennessee due to its agricultural industry. Enslavement was an integral part of the local economy. By 1850, planters and smaller slaveholders in the county held some 13,000 enslaved Black people who made up nearly half the population of more than 27,000. As the county seat, Franklin became a prosperous town and the county’s primary commercial, industrial, and educational center. During the pre-Civil war era, transportation improvements drove the region’s economy. In the 1830s, private toll turnpikes were constructed, connecting Franklin with Nashville, Columbia, Murfreesboro, and elsewhere. In August 1855, the Nashville & Decatur Railroad—which evolved into the Tennessee & Alabama Railroad—opened freight and passenger depots at Franklin. In 1830, an extraordinary event was held in Franklin when U.S. Commissioners John H. Eaton and John Coffee accompanied President Andrew Jackson to meet with representatives from the Chickasaw Nation. The delegations held the council meeting to negotiate the sale of tribal lands. This marked the first time in U.S. history that a president had personally participated in treaty negotiations. The meeting occurred at Hiram Lodge No. 7, which had been completed in 1823 on 2nd Avenue. At the time, the three-story Masonic Hall was known as the Grand Lodge of Tennessee. The County Courthouse in the middle of the Public Square was torn down in 1858 and a new two-story brick courthouse was constructed in the southeast corner of the Square. Early city hall operations likely borrowed space from the County Courthouse or a nearby building on the Public Square. By 1850, 13,000 Black people were enslaved, making up nearly half the population of more than 27,000. A new two-story, brick courthouse was constructed in the Public Square. (Source: Heritage Foundation of Williamson County) County Courthouse 1850 1855 1861 1858 44 FRANKLIN, TN | PRESERVATION PLAN
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTY1Mzc2