Born in Nashville, Billy Billington was the youngest of three children to Dr. R. W. and Polly Prichard Billington. Billy began attending Battle Ground Academy in Franklin before the family moved to the area. At the time of Polly’s mother’s passing, Riverview Farm, a 250-acre farm on the banks of the Harpeth River off Lewisburg Road, fell to Polly and her family. The family moved into the property in 1939.

In 1942, Billy left home for California where he received both his primary and basic training before going to Yuma, Arizona, and here he received his wings in September 1943, with the rank of second lieutenant. He made 65 missions as a pilot over enemy territory, including Germany, Belgium and France. He received his discharge on June 2, 1945.

Enter Mrs. Harry Lee Billington; however, at the time, she was a single gal coming to Franklin to visit her sister. Harry Lee’s sister had married a local Presbyterian minister named Henry Mobley. During her visit, she met her soon-to-be husband, Billy Billington.

As Harry Lee recalls, “I came as a bride in 1949, and Franklin was 6,000 people. You knew everybody, and everybody knew what kind of car you drove, how many children you had, what kind of dog you had. I could drop the children at the [Franklin] Theatre or they could ride their bikes down there and go to the picture show. The drug stores delivered, and the grocery store delivered. Now that’s all coming back!”

After getting married, Billy and Harry Lee purchased the Armistead house, built in 1901, in downtown Franklin. She said, “The house was unbelievable. My oldest child was four and a half, maybe five. She would not get out of the car. It was so overgrown. It had eight fireplaces – one in each room. We had to put in a gas furnace. Gas had just come to Franklin; this was 1957. We put the first gas furnace in that house. The kitchen – there was nothing in the kitchen, not a cabinet, not a thing. Everybody thought we were going to tear it down.”

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(Armistead-Billington House, circa 1950s, Photo Credit: Harry Lee Billington and County Historian Rick Warwick)

Harry Lee and Billy of course did not teardown the Armistead house, and it is now a beautiful ode to early 20^th century architecture in Franklin. They renovated the interior of the house over several years. It was a great home for entertaining with a large entrance hall, 11-foot ceilings and large adjoined living and dining rooms.

A decade after the Billingtons installed their gas furnace, the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County was established in 1967. When asked about her ties to the Heritage Foundation, she said “The Downtown Franklin Association is part of the Heritage Foundation. They were beginning to fix things up, and things were looking better downtown. I was involved in it from the beginning. Nobody knows how much they’ve done to keep people from tearing down pretty, old places. That was the beginning of the main street [streetscape initiative]. Each property owner had to put in so much. I had the little property on Main Street, where the shoe store is. We were one of the first to fix up one of the properties.”

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(Downtown Franklin before streetscape. Photo Credit: County Historian Rick Warwick)

In addition, Harry Lee recalled fond memories of the first Heritage Ball, held in the early 1970s, “I remember the first Ball. It was out at a big house. The man that was the decorator had done a lot of old houses – beautiful things – not contemporary at all. He and his wife decided to have the first Ball. We didn’t know what we were doing. I was in charge of seating, and we didn’t know if anyone was going to come. I had a terrible time because people just kept calling and calling, and we kept putting out more tables and more tables. Our cut-off was 600 [people]. So, that was pretty good.”

That husband and wife team were Ruth Anne and Mark Garrett. They hosted the first Heritage Ball at Magnolia Hall to benefit the Heritage Foundation. Expenses for that ball were covered by the Garrett family and all the money raised went straight to the Foundation. The following year, the Ball – as it’s known today – started in a tent set up outside Carnton. At the time, the Heritage Foundation wanted to save the antebellum home and its grounds.

Today, the Heritage Ball has been going on for 45 consecutive years. The 2018 Ball was held near Carnton at Eastern Flank Battlefield Park on September 15, 2018 with 755 guests and a tie-dye theme in honor of preservationist Emily Magid. Harry Lee attended the 2018 Ball as well! The 46^th annual Heritage Ball will be held on October 5, 2019 with Senator Bill and Tracy Frist as Ball Chairs.

Following the passing of her husband Billy in 1999, Harry Lee maintained the historic Armistead home for another decade-plus.

Then, in 2012, she knew she was ready to make a change. Harry Lee looked at three different senior living communities in the area. Ultimately, she was thrilled to make The Heritage at Brentwood her home. When asked why she chose The Heritage, she said “The people are really exceptional. The residents and the people that run the place make it…I still belong to my little bridge club in Franklin. So, I could still keep my contacts in Franklin if I were down here [as opposed to Nashville].”

The Heritage at Brentwood is a valued sponsor of the Heritage Foundation.   With a range of premier residential options, The Heritage at Brentwood is more than just a place to live. It’s a celebration of healthy, active living, with on-site amenities including a first-class fitness center; tai chi and yoga classes; walking and biking paths; putting green; nutritious, chef-prepared, restaurant-style dining; day spa and beauty salon; fully equipped woodworking shop; an on-site, resident-tended garden; and a wide array of opportunities both on-site and in the Brentwood/Nashville area.

Some of those opportunities even include touring the Heritage Foundation’s office space, the LeHew Magid Big House for Historic Preservation, also known as Franklin’s Old, Old Jail, built in 1943. Harry Lee attended this program earlier this year with other residents from The Heritage at Brentwood. County Historian Rick Warwick even gave a presentation to the group.

After living in a historic home for decades, Harry Lee was looking for certain amenities. She said, “I chose the right place. I remember I didn’t like the size of the closets at the other places. I had small closets in my previous home. I came out here before [The Heritage at Brentwood] was even built to look at it. I would give this place a 99. Everyone is so wonderful.”

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For more information about The Heritage at Brentwood, visit https://www.theheritagelcs.com/

Thank you to Mrs. Harry Lee Billington, The Heritage at Brentwood, Kristen Anderson PR, County Historian Rick Warwick and The Tennessean for contributing to this article.