The Carnton Plantation is located in Franklin, TN about one mile south east of the Carter house. The plantation house was originally built as a federal style house but later porches were added on in a Greek revival style. The plantation was mainly a hog farm and a few crops like wheat and potatoes unlike most plantations in the area. Earlier in the day before the battle of Franklin occurred as the confederate soldiers marched by, Mr. McGavock (who owned the house) agreed to let the house become a confederate hospital. .
First of all the house was amazing. I absolutely loved it. It was very big and beautiful; I would love to live there. Before the Carnton foundation received the house, it was used as a barn and most of the upstairs ceiling has collapsed. They had to redo a lot of the house. Through the process they found several samples of the original wallpaper. The foundation has spent many years and dollars redoing the house to how it originally was.
The tour guide was very informative and gave a lot of history about the family and the house. Many of the rooms showed just how rich the Carnton's were. In each bedroom there were two closets that didn't hold much but were there to show others how much money they had to spend. I was really impressed with the fact that when the foundation got the house it was empty and now it is filled with many original pieces.
After the battle of Franklin was over, the house filled up with wounded soldiers. There were so many they overflowed onto the porches and outbuildings. In many of the rooms you can still the blood stains on the floor. There was also a display of civil war medical tools. I found this very interesting because I am an RN and it was nifty seeing what they used back then. There is also the largest private Confederate cemetery located on the grounds.
I would defiantly suggest this place to others and will probably go back myself when I have more time to spend there.