For over 50 years, the Heritage Foundation has helped save some 40 properties with compelling stories, including Carnton, the Franklin Theatre, Lotz House, and the Dan German Hospital. Many of these historic treasures would be gone forever without the intervention of the Heritage Foundation.
Preservation is often a community effort and has many facets. Public preservation includes but is not limited to maintaining an accurate inventory of historic sites in Williamson County, working with the City of Franklin’s Historic Zoning Commission, advocating for streetscape, listing properties on the National Register of Historic Places, and participating in the Historic Preservation Plan for cities within Williamson County.
With its vibrant history, Williamson County has numerous homes, buildings and green areas worth sharing with future generations. Our organization supports local government and other organizations like the Land Trust for Tennessee when property owners are interested in placing conservation easements on their land to forever protect it from development. More than 10,000 acres in Williamson County, including 67 acres on Roper’s Knob, have been placed under conservation easements.
With our historian, Rick Warwick, we help individuals research and preserve their family history. We work closely with other historic preservation organizations such as Franklin’s Charge and the African-American Heritage Society.
The Downtown Franklin Association (DFA) is an award winning and nationally accredited Main Street Program since 1984. The DFA collaborates with all Main Street stakeholders, including the city, the county, building owners, and guests to be “America’s Favorite Main Street.” Franklin’s downtown is a rich resource and we proudly produce and promote community events that show it at its very best, including Main Street Festival, Pumpkinfest and Dickens of a Christmas.
