Carnton Plantation Garden
The Carnton Plantation House Garden has been a Williamson County Master Gardener project since 2003, just two years after the association was first established. Over the last two decades, Williamson County Master Gardeners have been integral parts of the historically accurate recreation and maintenance of this incredible garden, which served as a food source for the McGavock family in the 1800s. Volunteers have hosted free educational classes on rose pruning and trained the next generation of Master Gardeners on the property through growing and caring for period-appropriate vegetables, perennials, annuals and trees.
Carnton was built in 1826 by former Nashville Mayor Randal McGavock (1768-1843). Throughout the 19th century, it was frequently visited by those shaping Tennessee and American history, including President Andrew Jackson. Following the Battle of Franklin, Carnton served as the largest field hospital in the area for hundreds of wounded and dying Confederate soldiers. In early 1866, John and Carrie McGavock designated two acres of land adjacent to their family cemetery as a final burial place for nearly 1,500 Confederate soldiers killed during the Battle of Franklin. The McGavocks maintained the cemetery until their respective deaths. Today, the McGavock Confederate Cemetery is a lasting memorial honoring those fallen soldiers and the Battle of Franklin.
The McGavock family owned Carnton until 1911 when Susie Lee McGavock, widow of Winder McGavock, sold it. In 1973, Carnton was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 1977 the house and ten acres were donated to the Carnton Association, Inc. by Dr. and Mrs. W. D. Sugg. By that time the house had suffered from years of neglect and disrepair and since then the Association has been vital in restoring and maintaining the site through tours, gift shop sales, membership, and generous donations. In 2015, the Battle of Franklin Trust began managing and operating both Carnton Plantation and Carter House.
To read more about our work with Carnton Plantation and Carter House, check out this article from the Williamson Scene here.