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NEW TRAIL WINDS THROUGH OLD SOUTH
October 28, 2009 Thompson Station, Tennessee
by Suzanne Normand Blackwood
The Tennessean
Although there were many skirmishes in the Civil War, the conflict in Thompson's Station was a full-fledged battle resulting in 1,800 casualties.
This is one of several reasons the small rural town deserves to be part of a new self-guided tour called Old Tennessee: Settlers to Soldiers Trail, said Thompson's Station resident Marcia Franks.
The 84-mile tour is a pilot project of the new Discover Tennessee Trails & Byways program, to be unveiled in downtown Franklin Nov. 3. The tour, which begins and ends in historic Franklin, takes curious tourists and history buffs through one of the oldest parts of the state once primarily inhabited by Native Americans.
The tour visits various historic sites, shops and restaurants in Leiper's Fork, Thompson's Station, Spring Hill, Mt. Pleasant and Columbia. Included along the way are views of the area's scenic landscape and other natural features, such as the Duck River.
"Thompson's Station has always been the quiet little village nestled between Franklin and Spring Hill," said Franks, who served on the Tennessee Trails committee."It's one of the areas in Williamson County that has pretty much stayed with its rural roots."
Spring Hill alderman Jonathan Duda, who is also chairman of the Spring Hill Historic Commission, said the tour brings attention to Spring Hill's role in the Civil War, as well as other aspects of its rich history.
Duda said there are still remnants of Spring Hill as an agrarian community.
"I think there's great potential to capture some of the tourist dollars from those who pass through our community," he said, adding that he hoped the tour would have a positive effect on the city's "unique downtown."
"I'm optimistic about the effect it will have in further defining that area of our community," he said.
Manor At Battle's Center
Tour stops in Thompson's Station consist of the railroad depot, Homestead Manor and Roderick Place.
The depot is a replica of the one destroyed in the Battle of Thompson's Station. Roderick Place is known as the burial site of Roderick, a Civil War steed that died after bravely galloping to his owner's side, despite having suffered three gunshot wounds. Homestead Manor was built between 1809 and 1819 on a Revolutionary War land grant given to Frances Giddens, and it is where much of the fighting in the Battle of Thompson's Station took place.
Homestead Manor served as a field hospital during the battle, which occurred March 5, 1863, and it has several soldiers buried on-site.
Among the manor's stories is that of a teenage girl, Alice Thompson, who sought refuge in the manor's cellar with other women during the war. After seeing a Confederate flag bearer shot down, she ran out of the house to courageously lift up the flag. According to the story, her heroic act inspired the Confederate soldiers to regroup, and drive the Union soldiers back.
"This was a brave thing she did," said Franks, adding that the story highlights the courage of a female during the war.
Franks and her husband, Jay, own the manor and the surrounding 50 acres, which are under a conservation easement. The tour's launch comes at an appropriate time, as the couple recently formed a 501(c) 3 and plans to convert the site into Thompson's Station Battlefield Park.
The manor, which already serves as a special events venue, will open as a teahouse in mid-November. Servers will be dressed in period attire, Franks said.
The owners also plan to cut out trails throughout the property, place interpretive signage and have day camps for children that will feature people in period dress.
A 'Logical Progression'
The Battle of Spring Hill took place Nov. 29, 1864.
The Union Army retreated during the night, resulting in the bloody Battle of Franklin.
The Battle of Spring Hill resulted in the deaths of about 850 soldiers.
In addition to the 110-acre Spring Hill Battlefield, city sites on the tour include Rippavilla Plantation, Ferguson Hall and the former campus of Branham and Hughes Military Academy, which is now the Tennessee Children's Home.
Rippavilla was built in 1853 by Nathaniel Cheairs, a colonel in the Confederate Army and the man who carried the surrender flag at Fort Donelson in 1862.
Ferguson Hall, which is now part of the Tennessee Children's Home, was built in 1854 and shares an architectural design and history with Rippavilla. The home was a private residence until 1905, later becoming part of the Branham and Hughes campus.
The site is famous for the murder of Confederate Gen. Earl Van Dorn, shot by a doctor in the area who suspected his wife was having an affair with Van Dorn.
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