Читать книгу Nashville Haunted Handbook - Jeff Morris - Страница 28

directions

From downtown, take TN 6 South/US 31 South/8th Avenue South/US 70 Scenic East, and continue to follow this road for the next 18 miles. When you reach the traffic circle, continue straight onto Main Street and then turn left onto 5th Avenue South. Follow 5th Avenue slightly to the right as it becomes Lewisburg Avenue. A little more than half a mile down the road, turn right onto Carnton Lane. The plantation and house will be on your left.

history

Important people from across the country would come to Carnton after it was built in 1826. A former mayor of Nashville named Randal McGavock built the house as an important social destination for politicians of the time, including President Andrew Jackson. However, tragedy and heartache would eventually seep into the once idyllic ambience of the plantation and completely change its atmosphere.

When Randal died in 1843, Carnton passed to his son, John. John and his wife, Carrie, had five children, but three of those children died in the house at a young age, a tragedy that would forever affect John, Carrie, and the entire atmosphere of the house.

Eventually, death would enter this household in a much more dramatic way. On November 30, 1864, the Battle of Franklin raged throughout the night. The dying and wounded were moved to local buildings for medical care, and since Carnton was such a large house so close to the epicenter of the battle (see Carter House chapter), Carnton became the largest field hospital in the area. Estimates suggest that at least 300 Confederate wounded and dying were in the house at any given time. Beyond this, the grounds and slave quarters were also used to tend to the dead. Hundreds of Confederate soldiers died on this property in the aftermath of the battle. Today, you can still see the bloodstains on the floors throughout the house, most markedly within the children’s bedroom, which was used as an operating room.

Land adjacent to the family cemetery on the property was used to bury nearly 1,500 Confederate dead in the aftermath of the battle (see McGavock Confederate Cemetery chapter). Within the next few decades, the house and the Confederate cemetery would both fall somewhat into disrepair. It wasn’t until relatively recently that the house and cemetery were restored and turned into the museum that it is today.

ghost story

Nearly every corner of this property is said to contain ghosts, most likely because of the somewhat dark history here. The first ghost that is often seen and heard within the house itself has been named by those who witness her “the Weeping Maiden.” People will see a woman dressed in Civil War–era clothing crying in different areas of the house. The bottom quarter of her dress is always soaked with blood. Sometimes, this weeping maiden is not seen but is simply heard, her sobs echoing through the house without any discernible source.

Another ghost that resides in this house is a fiddler that haunts the front parlor. Again, this ghost is both seen and heard by employees and visitors alike.

Once, the final group tour of the day was visiting the upstairs of the building after the house had been locked up for the night. To their surprise, they saw a woman and a small boy in Civil War clothing walking back and forth across the balcony. Suddenly these two figures vanished. On another occasion, a boy tried to climb the railing on the same balcony but was noticeably pushed off by some unseen force.

Finally, there are many ghostly remnants here from the Battle of Franklin. Voices of dying soldiers can be heard throughout the property. Also, the sounds of battle itself can often be detected in the distance by visitors to Carnton Plantation.

visiting

For normal tours, the building is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week except Sunday, when it’s open from 1 to 5 p.m. These tours are a good time to experience many of the ghosts at the plantation because this is when many of the sightings occur. Tours last for an hour and cost $12 per person. The last tour starts at 4 p.m.

During the Halloween season, Carnton also offers ghost tours of the property at night. The cost of the tour is $20, and the tour times and dates are subject to change. For further information about the ghost tours, visit the building’s website at www.carnton.org.