In the 1960s and 1970s, several preservation organizations formed in Tennessee, including the Metropolitan Historical Commission in Nashville (1966), the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County (1967), Historic Nashville Inc. (1968), Knox Heritage (1974), Memphis Heritage (1975), and Preserve Chattanooga (1975). These groups grew alongside the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities (APTA), which formed in 1951 to save the Belle Meade Mansion in Nashville. The APTA expanded its mission to preserve nine historic sites across the state. FRANKLIN’S EARLY DESIGNATIONS OF NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS In 1960, the federal government designated the Franklin Battlefield as a National Historic Landmark (NHL). The NHL boundary contained four individual historic resources: Carnton Plantation including the McGavock Confederate Cemetery, Fort Granger, Carter House, and Winstead Hill. In 1973, the NPS designated Hiram Lodge No. 7 as a National Historic Landmark. FRANKLIN’S EARLY LISTINGS ON NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES In 1966, the Franklin Battlefield became the first resource added to the National Register in Franklin. In 1972, the National Park Service listed Franklin’s original 16-block town plat on the NRHP. This was followed by the Hincheyville District, to the west of the commercial district, which contained 71 properties, in 1982. In 1988, the NPS added the Lewisburg Avenue Historic District, which abuts the south side of downtown Franklin and includes 40 properties, to the NRHP. Also in 1988, the NPS added 15 individual properties in Franklin to the NRHP as part of a countywide multiple property nomination. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the NPS listed other individual resources in the NRHP, including Fort Granger (1973) and several other resources associated with the Civil War. The Toussaint L’Overture County Cemetery (known today as Toussaint L’Ouverture) was listed in 1995 and the McLemore House in 1999. The State’s Preservation Movement Takes Form The advancement of the national preservation movement led to the creation of several preservation programs at the state level, which benefited Franklin. THE TENNESSEE ARCHAEOLOGY ACT WAS PASSED In 1970, the Tennessee Legislature passed the Tennessee Archaeology Act and created the Tennessee Division of Archaeology (TDOA). Professional staff was hired two years later. Since the 1970s, the TDOA has assisted with archaeological excavations at several sites in Franklin as part of redevelopment projects or infrastructure improvements. The TDOA collaborated with university programs such as MTSU, other state agencies, and private nonprofits (Figure 6). In Franklin, archaeological excavations typically involved prehistoric sites and military battlefields. THE TENNESSEE MAIN STREET PROGRAM WAS LAUNCHED The Tennessee Main Street Program was launched in 1983, having grown out of an effort pioneered by the National Trust in the late 1970s to revitalize historic downtown commercial districts in small towns and cities. The foundation of the program’s economic revitalization strategy was preservation of historic resources. Franklin joined the Tennessee Main Street Program in 1984. 71
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTY1Mzc2