On behalf of the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, I would like to personally thank you for visiting our new blog! My name is Bari Beasley, and I serve as the CEO of the Heritage Foundation. It’s a joy to serve the community in this capacity. Long before I joined the Foundation, my family enjoyed festivals in Franklin, as well as all that this County has to offer, from its rolling hills, to music venues, to restaurants and shopping. My husband and I could not think of a better place to raise our daughter!

This blog will be a place where you can stay up-to-date with the Heritage Foundation as we work with communities across Williamson County to preserve our cultural, geographic, and architectural heritage. We will also feature posts by Heritage Foundation staff and guest writers alike to highlight exciting projects and topics related to our county.

As 2017 nears to a close, we are reflecting on the past 50 years of historic preservation in Williamson County. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of countless people and organizations, Franklin has become a shining example of how preservation can save the physical markers of our history while simultaneously contributing to our community’s local economy. People come to Franklin from all over to enjoy our town’s charm that is rooted in the preservation of our history. We want to continue to be an advocate for preservation throughout the entirety of Williamson County.

We are also looking forward to other exciting initiatives that 2018 will bring. Education is a critical component of the Heritage Foundation’s mission, and we want to offer opportunities for both children and adults. To achieve this, we will be expanding our Heritage Classroom and crafting lesson plans related to Williamson County history that will follow Tennessee curriculum standards. Boiling Spring Academy’s program is a great example of this and we have been working with them to implement similar ideas into our own program. In doing so, we hope to provide a fun and interactive experience for Williamson County students as they learn more about their community.

For our adults, we are excited to announce that we are creating annual symposiums. Each symposium will have a theme, and we will bring in both locally and nationally known experts that will speak on a variety of topics ranging from historic preservation to local history to sustainable development and conservation. We know how important preservation is to Franklin and Williamson County, and we want to provide you with more opportunities to learn from both your neighbors and other organizations across the country.

To learn more about these projects, please continue to visit our website and follow us on social media. If you would like to get involved, you can join the Heritage Foundation by clicking here. Thank you!