FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) – The Battle of Franklin was fought on Nov. 30, 1864. It was a disaster, with more Confederate generals dying than in another other Civil War battle.
In the middle of town square, there is a statue commemorating the battle and soldiers. It’s made of Italian marble that was erected on Nov. 30, 1899. The day they put it in place, the bill of the soldier’s hat broke.
It has never been fixed and the statue has been known as “Chip” ever since.
Historians told News 2 the cannons are real. They belong to the federal government and are on loan.
The Union cannons are made of brass—a Confederate monument surrounded by Union cannons.
PHOTOS: Haunted Tennessee
Roughly 100 yards from the square, as the crow flies, is Shuff’s Music. The venerable structure was built 188 years ago, and rumor is there are still spirits that haunt the old structure.
When the sun sets and the air grows still, some say paranormal energy swirls around the old Franklin house.
Since 1978, it’s been a mecca for music. The old stairs, the hidden rooms, the ornate chandeliers… the stories they might tell.
It’s known as a ghostly beacon for some of the city’s most unexplained phenomena.
Margie Thessin conducts Franklin ghost tours and told News 2 the story of Sally Carter, a beautiful Confederate spy who lived in the home now known as Shuff’s.
She wined and dined Union soldiers inside, collecting their secrets.
“She would head over to the county courthouse, the Union headquarters, and invite the officers for dinner. After a nice meal and a lot of whiskey, they gave up the info none the wiser,” Thessin explained.
One-hundred and eighteen years later, an artist heard a rocking chair in an upstairs room. She went upstairs and entered the room.
That’s where she saw the ghost of Sally Carter.
“She takes a deep breath, opens the door, and sees in the rocking chair the spirit of a very old woman,” Thessin recalled.
“She is petrified. She can’t move. She is scared, so the spirit rocks a few more seconds, notices [her], turns to look at her, and says, ‘I used to live in this house,’ and that is when [she] bolted out of the place,” Thessin continued.
Over the centuries, there have been countless stories detailing similar interactions and other paranormal activity.
A boy saw a man with blood in the building, lights have turned off and on, people hear footsteps when no one is home, and soldiers from both armies have been inside.
And, fittingly, music has been heard while no one is around.