Submit a "Sites to Save" nomination to be featured on this year's Endangered Places List!

Are you aware of any cherished architectural, historical, cultural, natural, or archaeological treasures facing imminent danger? If so, we invite you to nominate them for consideration in our "Sites to Save" 2024 list! The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County’s Endangered Places List seeks to highlight properties of significant historical value that are currently at risk, aiming to foster public awareness, advocacy, and preservation efforts. Please take a moment to complete this nomination form for any endangered historic sites located in Williamson County, Tennessee.

NOTE: Nominations must be submitted by April 8, 2024, at 11:59pm Central/DST for consideration!

Introducing Preserve Williamson, a community-centered campaign dedicated to safeguarding Williamson County's quality of life!

Although the Heritage Foundation’s mission remains the same as when we first began in 1967, our work has adapted, our strategies diversified, and our approach modernized. Through Preserve Williamson, we will remain at the forefront of the preservation movement creatively working to preserve places and stories, affect positive policy change to sustain the unique character and historic charm so our shared history can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Immerse yourself in Williamson County's storied history at the Moore-Morris History and Culture Center!

The Moore-Morris History & Culture Center (located at 108 Bridge Street, Franklin, TN!) is Williamson County’s first state-of-the-art, interactive exhibition space dedicated to telling its comprehensive countywide history. Surrounded in historic brick and hardwood décor with beautiful archways and stairwells that help you traverse into distinct thematic “room,” The Center transports guests to different environments within its 6,000 square feet and three stories. Multi-sensory experiences leverage the latest immersive technologies to wrap you in the sights and sounds of our history through interactive touchscreens, projected videos, audio accents, and tactile artifacts.

Be one of the first to experience this historic space, and plan your visit today!

Lee-Buckner Rosenwald School Moves to Franklin Grove Estate & Gardens Property

Looking back on a beautiful and momentous night in the history of our organization!

After many years of planning and perseverance, the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, TN and our extraordinary project partners were able to successfully relocate the Lee-Buckner Rosenwald School to our Franklin Grove Estates & Gardens property. This school holds a remarkable history, and we are grateful for the opportunity to save it, relocate it, restore it, and share its stories with the public.

Stay tuned for progress updates on this historic project!

You're invited to our next Practical Preservation event, a Cemetery Preservation Workshop!

Join us on Saturday, April 20th, as we explore best practices for preserving tombstones in the morning and apply our newfound knowledge at Toussaint L’Ouverture Cemetery in the afternoon. Learn from the following experts: Graham Perry, James Allen Gooch, Carol Hughes, Rachael Finch, and Anna Marcum!

Our 40th Annual Main Street Festival is right around the corner!

The Main Street Festival attracts 120,000+ visitors annually to enjoy eclectic arts and crafts vendors, superb entertainment, great food & drink, and fun for the entire family right in the heart of historic downtown Franklin. This beloved annual tradition produced by the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, TN is consistently listed among the top 20 events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society.

Become a member of the Heritage Hundred today!

You can play a part in the opening and the successful launch of The History and Culture Center! Opening soon, the History & Culture Center (HCC) of Williamson County will be a destination for exploring our past and present. As Williamson County’s first permanent, interactive exhibition space dedicated to telling the region’s history, the Center will honor and share stories of the people and places that comprise the fabric of middle Tennessee.

Your gift purchases an item to be placed within an exhibit with your logo or name for one year and permanent recognition as an original founding member of the Heritage Hundred in the lobby! Our gift options are as follows:

- A Signature Bottle of Stable Reserve Spirits ($5,000)
- Etched glassware or drinkware ($1,000)

One Nonprofit, Four Divisions

The non-profit Heritage Foundation operates The Franklin Theatre, Downtown Franklin Association, Franklin Grove Estate & Gardens, and the Moore-Morris History & Culture Center of Williamson County, TN to preserve and enrich Williamson County for the betterment of its citizens and visitors.

Saving the Places and Stories that Matter

Support the critical work of the Heritage Foundation today. Each gift funds preservation & education initiatives in our area that sustain the historic charm that makes Williamson County so beloved.

What We Do

History, Preservation, Community.

Impact
By the Numbers

350K
Yearly Festivals & Special Event Attendance
5
Historical Districts
134
National Register Properties
$10M
Annual Festivals Local Economic Impact

Mission

The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, TN is a nonprofit that preserves, promotes and advocates for the historic places, stories and culture of our community.

Impact

Through preservation, education, and events, we actively maintain the historic beauty of Williamson County for our residents and visitors. Without this paramount work, significant buildings and locations representing our area’s diverse history and vibrant culture would be lost forever.

Vision

To be the reason the world knows and falls in love with Williamson County’s culture and history.

Get Involved

Discover ways to give back to the community you love.

Whether you have time, funds or business connections to give, each are vitally necessary to sustain the work the Heritage Foundation does to enrich Williamson County. Let's talk, we know there is a meaningful way to get you involved.

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Latest News

2022 Sites to Save Nominee

Old Natchez Trace - Vaughn Road Segment, Franklin, TN

Located in northwest Williamson County, Vaughn Road segment from Sneed Road to Strickland Road represents a portion of Williamson County’s original Natchez Trace, an ancient network of trails that led from Nashville to Natchez, MS. This portion lies directly on, across, and over the footprint of the original Natchez Trace and still retains its historic, culturally significant, and scenic integrity on the Natchez Trace Historic Rural Landscape.

2022 Sites to Save Nominee

Historic Franklin Masonic Hall

Built c.1823, the Historic Franklin Masonic Hall is the oldest three-story building in Franklin and is the earliest significant Gothic Revival building in Tennessee.

2022 Sites to Save Nominee

Burns Farm, Arrington, TN

The Burns Farm and House on Patton Road is the last functioning rural farm with a historic house in the fast-developing Triune area. The two-story vernacular farmhouse was built ca 1900 and may contain an original log structure from the early 1880s.

2022 Sites to Save Nominee

Natchez Historic District - Franklin, TN

The Natchez Street Historic District, a National Register District listed for its African American ethnic and cultural heritage, is in danger of losing its historic integrity from the rapid development pressures in Franklin. The Natchez Street Historic District, unlike Franklin’s four other National Registered Districts, is not within the Franklin Historic Preservation Overlay. Currently, new development and demolition is expanding in and around the district, placing significant pressures on this historic neighborhood.

2022 Sites to Save Nominee

Gaylor House, Franklin, TN

The Gaylor House, originally built ca 1900, is a contributing structure to the Nachez Street Historic District in Franklin. Today it is owned by the Shorter Chapel AME and is slated to be used as a community center; however, the structure has significant water damage and structural issues.

2021 Sites To Save Nominee

The Creekside Property

The Creekside home is significant for its age and also because it was the home of Sarah Florence McEwen Adkerson (1846-1867), who was one of the daughters of John B. McEwen, mayor of Franklin during the Civil War.

2022 Sites to Save Nominee

Beard’s Grocery & Market, Franklin, TN

Located at the crossroads of Carter Creek Pike and Southall Road, Beard’s Grocery & Market, a ca. 1900 building, has been a general store since around 1945. The crossroads has long been a community hub.

2022 Sites to Save Nominee

Frierson-Voorhies Cemetery, Hardscuffle Community Brentwood, TN

The Frierson-Voorhies Cemetery is the final physical reminder of the once thriving African American Hardscuffle community in Brentwood. Hardscuffle, founded just after the Civil War by formerly enslaved people, began to decline after community members sold their property during the construction of the nearby Interstate 65. Without its community and ownership unclear, the cemetery has become neglected.

2022 Sites to Save Nominee

Nolensville Historic Corridor - Nolensville, TN

The Nolensville Historic Corridor and business district along Nolensville Road continues to be threatened by development pressures. State Hwy 31, Nolensville Road, is a main thoroughfare between Nashville’s suburbs and Nolensville's own explosive growth. Increased traffic along the highway and new development threaten the historic business district.

2022 Sites to Save Nominee

Daniel McMahon House Franklin, TN

The Daniel McMahon house is a two-story frame and log residence located on the Franklin First United Methodist Church property near Franklin Road and Mack Hatcher. This home, added to the National Register in 1988, started around 1812 as a sprawling farm owned by one of the county's earliest settlers, Revolutionary War veteran Daniel McMahon. The house, long neglected, suffers from water damage, mold, and other issues.