Responding to threats was the main driver for preservation initiatives during this period, and the work was consequential. Had these core resources not been saved, Franklin would be a very different place today. Key achievements during this phase included: • Main Street Revitalization: Perhaps the largest-scale achievement of this era was saving Franklin’s Main Street from disinvestment and decline. Through advocacy, fundraising, and collaboration with City leaders, the Heritage Foundation initiated the work that preserved historic storefronts and created the vibrant downtown Franklin we know today. • Landmark Preservation: Advocacy efforts were effective at documenting and listing landmarks, and saving the Post Office, the Factory, and Carnton, among others. • Battlefield and Park Acquisitions: Early groundwork for battlefield preservation began during this period with the acquisition of properties like Winstead Hill and Fort Granger. • Cultural Resources: Preservation of African American heritage also began in this era, notably with the preservation of the McLemore House, home of Harvey McLemore, who became a landowner in the neighborhood that would become known as Hard Bargain. • Financial Context: Investments during this phase were relatively modest compared to later decades but significant for their time. Approximately $10 million in combined public and private funds supported acquisitions, restorations, and adaptive reuse projects. The National Preservation Movement Takes Form Since the 1960s, Franklin has leveraged virtually every state and federal level preservation program available. In 1966, Congress passed the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) a significant milestone in the historic preservation movement. It was during the decades following the NHPA that Franklin’s preservation movement became more organized and focused. The NHPA specified the roles of state and federal governments in the preservation of historic resources. The 1966 legislation and later amendments established a wide range of policies that provided leadership in historic preservation and assisted various public and private agencies, including local governments. As a result of the legislation, the work of the THC expanded to include county surveys of historic properties, nominations for listing properties in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), review of federally funded projects to determine potential threats to cultural resources, technical assistance for federal rehabilitation tax incentives, managing grants through the Historic Preservation Fund, and administering the Certified Local Government (CLG) program.38 The NHPA also had a dramatic impact on the private sector and resulted in the creation of private nonprofit preservation organizations across the U.S.. 38 Jones and Brackett 2019:3. Phase 2: Grassroots Rescue: 1960–2000 70 FRANKLIN, TN | PRESERVATION PLAN
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