COLLECTING STORIES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY During the period of 2000-2025, a greater emphasis was placed on collecting stories of African American history in Franklin. The Williamson County Historical Society collected and published stories, as did a number of local historians. Some of the stories have been published in magazines, others are housed at The Williamson County Library, and still others are housed in different collections and are available for research. In addition, videos were made by Leadership Franklin, the Heritage Foundation, and the CHP at MTSU which record many aspects of Franklin’s African American history. Still further, both the City and the Williamson County Historical Society engaged in an intentional program to name streets and to place historic markers highlighting important leaders and events in Franklin’s African American history. TELLING THE FULLER STORY Many concerted efforts have revolved around telling more of the story around African American history and the Civil War through Reconstruction. In 2019, a group of local leaders, working with the City of Franklin, initiated what became known as the “Fuller Story” movement, by raising funds to place historic markers in the Public Square discussing slavery, as well as the history behind the erection of Franklin’s Confederate Monument. Also in 2019, a group of private citizens launched an effort to erect at Carnton a Monument to the Enslaved. In 2021, the same group of local leaders initiating the Fuller Story movement also led a successful fundraising effort to create a statue of a Colored Troop Soldier outside the historic Williamson County Courthouse. In 2023, BOMA approved the erection of three markers memorializing Reconstruction and Jim Crow era lynchings that occurred in Franklin. Throughout this time, the Battle of Franklin Trust adopted programming, tours, and educational forums focusing on slavery and African American history. The Williamson County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau initiated an intentional effort to incorporate Franklin’s African American history into experiences that visitors can enjoy. CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH Juneteenth practices are celebrations of freedom for African Americans that originated with observances in Texas when enslaved people there were officially emancipated on June 19, 1865, by an order from Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger (who coincidentally was in command of troops the previous year at the Battle of Franklin). Annual Juneteenth celebrations have spread across the United States and have been adapted in various localities including Franklin. The African American Heritage Society has celebrated Juneteenth in Franklin since 2004. NAMING LEGACIES In 2025, the largest city park to date broke ground by Robinson Lake and it is named after the late Pearlene Bransfield, a former Alderman, who was a strong advocate for preservation in the historic African American neighborhoods. A street near Bicentennial Park leading into Downtown Franklin was renamed in honor of local African American A.N.C. Williams and national leader Martin Luther King, Jr. 91
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTY1Mzc2