Carnton: One Day at a Time

By BOFT Staff

Originally Published in The Dispatch Vol. 8, No. 1 Winter 2020. Read the rest of the issue here.

Forty-two years ago, a small group of concerned citizens gathered at the Brentwood Country Club and signed the Articles of Incorporation of the Carnton Association assuring, at least for the time being, that Carnton would be saved from impending demolition and encroaching development. The owners of the property at that time were Dr. and Mrs. W. D. Sugg of Bradenton, Florida. They had acquired the property years earlier with the thought of someday retiring there. Eventually, though, they offered to give the house and ten surrounding acres to an association which was to be chartered before they made the gift. The Carnton Association acquired the property in 1978.

During the following three decades, the efforts of the Association and its many supporters secured a dilapidated mansion from the elements and restored it to near the elegance it knew in its heyday. What has been described as a "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" operation was able to restore the house utilizing the highest standards of scholarship, craftsmanship, and preservation. It also provided staff and programs that eventually welcomed tens of thousands of visitors a year, teaching them about Carnton's role in the Battle of Franklin, the McGavock family, the lives of the slave community, and the operation of what was once considered Williamson County's finest farming operation.

Mrs. Virginia Bowman, one of those who signed the Articles of Incorporation, mused years later that the Association managed to get off to a shaky start on August 26, 1977. "Dr. Joseph Willoughby was elected president and began the arduous task of getting affairs underway, a responsibility he met nobly during the early years of the Association..." The Board was faced with formidable problems from the very beginning. The roof needed repairing immediately, and the bedrooms in particular were in a bad condition with gaping holes several feet wide in the ceilings. Downstairs ceilings were also in danger of falling in places because of dampness. "...In the face of these obstacles, Dr. Willoughby and other Board members wrestled with securing the house and sought to find a source of money for such large-scale repairs."

Mrs. Bowman, who served the Association for a number of years as an officer, eventually becoming a Life Board member, recalled the "constant patching of the roof and gutters, the strengthening and stabilizing the columns, repairing the back veranda, rebuilding the broken parapet walls of the chimneys...getting someone to get the bees out of the columns of the front porch, and an exterminator to get the snakes out of the chimneys and closets. One snake fell onto the hall floor from upstairs during a tour and created a stampede." It was a "one day at a time" process. It was estimated that the restoration might take 20 years. Many supporters did not understand what the Board was up against financially. There was criticism of the lack of cosmetic restoration and furnishings. This eventually led to Mr. and Mrs. Sam Fleming restoring and furnishing one of the bedrooms. But before that could be done the roof had to be dealt with. The limited resources of the Association were sorely strained by the need to replace the old roof and gutters at the cost of nearly $35,000. Then came word that the then widowed Mrs. Sugg was going to sell a 38-acre tract on the south and west sides of the house. She offered it to the Carnton Association for $250,000. The Board voted to buy that property. There was no question of not buying it. Doing so was vital to the mission of the Association. Later, the State of Tennessee agreed to purchase those acres and hold them in perpetuity with certain restrictions. Although Board members and others had done a wonderful job of securing pledges and raising money, this action on the part of the State was a great relief.

Carnton was officially opened in June of 1981. Due to lack of money, work proceeded at a snail's pace. In 1985 the room the Flemings restored was opened. Other bedrooms followed. Restoration of the slave house was completed in 1987. Portions of the first floor were restored and furnished. By 1991, work had progressed to the point that the kitchen, bathroom, and office space (originally the dining room) could be cleared for restoration when a double-wide trailer became the new "visitor center" (pictured below).

In 1993, Board president Robert Hicks reminded supporters of how proud they should be of what had been accomplished, "especially since we have no major endowment, no government funding, or no major family backing. It has all been done by community backing and by dedicated friends of Carnton."

Nationally recognized interior consultants, landscape historians, archaeologists, and paint and wallpaper analysts joined the restoration team.

Over the years an HVAC system was installed, porches were restored and, too, the smokehouse and spring house as well as the 1847 garden. In 1995, Carnton began providing two-hour educational programs to area schools. By 2000, the house had taken on much the appearance it has today. In 2014, visitation exceeded 50,000 for the first time.

The obstacles those early preservation pioneers faced were formidable: structural decay and neglect, lack of finances, and little practical preparation for the daunting tasks that lay ahead to accurately restore and furnish an historical landmark. Fortunately, they--and those who succeeded them over three decades--were a tenacious group and methodically set about their work.