The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County has announced the opening of The History & Culture Center for private event rental use along with the hiring of Jessica Pfranger to the position of Director of Event and Tourism Sales.

The property formerly known as the McConnell House was acquired by the Heritage Foundation in March 2022 and rechristened as The History & Culture Center of Williamson County. This National Register building has a long history as an in-demand venue for private events with numerous corporate meetings, weddings, receptions, and social events having been hosted there over the years. The Heritage Foundation will keep this legacy of rental availability going to serve the community while also helping financially sustain the nonprofit organization.

To help facilitate rentals, Jessica Pfranger has joined the team in the role of Director of Event and Tourism Sales, and she will head the private event rental opportunities for The History & Culture Center and The Franklin Theatre. Previously, Jessica spent 11 years at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville, TN in the Events Department during their $100 Million expansion with the Omni Hotel. She was recently with Wesley, LLC, leading the contract administration team and later internal communications.

“This is such a great opportunity to make this beautiful, historic building accessible to the public again,” said Jessica Pfranger. “The 6,000-square-foot, three-story building with exposed brick walls, hardwood floors, tall windows, and fireplaces offer a distinct backdrop for our guests’ historic events.”

To mark the availability of The History & Culture Center for private events, the Heritage Foundation will conduct a contest to award a free event rental to be hosted at The Center for one randomly selected Williamson County nonprofit. “We know the value that a premier venue can offer nonprofits as a way to conduct fundraising or host other events in support of their missions,” mentioned Meg Hershey, Chief Operating Officer of the Heritage Foundation. “We believe this contest will be just one of many future nonprofit mission-advancing events hosted at The History & Culture Center.”

To enter the contest, visit www.WilliamsonHistoryCenter.org/Free-Event for complete information and to submit the entry form. Entries are required by September 30, 2022, and a winner will be chosen by October 7, 2022.