Moscow Carter maintained meticulous journal entries of the restored garden and orchard from the early 1870s. The discovery of this journal provided the compass for the restoration of this historic property. The orchard was started in 2012, after clearing old fencing, brush and debris. WCMGA volunteers were instrumental in clearing the property and planting the orchard and vegetable garden. Carter had planted roughly 400 apple and peach trees in the late 1800s. The orchard currently has 69 trees: 50 apple and 19 peach. Both varieties are grown in the same row order as Carter had planted after the battle. WCMGA volunteers have been able to find and successfully grow all seven original varieties of apple trees and two of 10 peach varietals that were planted in 1870. These heirloom trees are more susceptible to disease than modern cultivars; therefore, a comprehensive spray program based on guidance from UT Extension is required. Local UT Extension professionals assist WCMGA volunteers in identifying problems and taking corrective action.

Today, the garden and the orchard is protected as much as it would have been in the mid-1860s by an Osage-Orange hedge. Over 150 are being pruned into an impenetrable hedge that 19th century farmers claimed to be “horse high, bull strong, and hog tight.” The hedge has dense foliage and limbs with large thorns that are strong and flexible. Osage-Orange trees were used to make bows by Native American Indians and were widely used for fences, posts and as ornamental specimen trees in the early 19th century.

The property is managed by the Battle of Franklin Trust as part of their preservation of important historic landmarks in Williamson County. In 1830, Fountain Branch Carter built a 1.5 story brick house just south of downtown Franklin for his small family. He and his wife, Polly, had 12 children, eight of whom reached adulthood. In just 20 years, the Carter farm grew from 19 acres to 288. On Nov. 30, 1864, the Battle of Franklin raged across the fields south of town, scarring the landscape, claiming the lives of thousands and changing life on the Carter farm forever. Before daybreak, Federal Brig. Gen. Jacob D. Cox woke the Carter family, took possession of the house, and made the parlor his headquarters. The fighting began in the waning afternoon sunlight when 20,000 Confederates attacked a similar number of entrenched Federals. The Carter family, a neighboring family, and several Carter enslaved took refuge in the north room of the basement as the battle ensued around their home. In the years following the Civil War, the Carter family made efforts to rebuild their farm and revive their livelihood. But the farm was never the same. Eldest son, Moscow Carter, sold the house and land in 1896. Carter House was purchased by the State of Tennessee in 1951 and opened to the public in 1953.

The Williamson Scene also published a great article in 2021 on this project and Carnton that you can read here.