Downtown Franklin’s McConnell House, which dates back to 1905 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, reached a new milestone.
The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County opened The Moore-Morris History and Culture Center in the restored 6,000-sqft, three-story building on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Leaders recognize it as the county’s “first interactive exhibition space dedicated to telling Williamson County and Middle Tennessee’s comprehensive history.”
Look out for educational events like local and national speakers, workshops, field trips, and symposiums in the future.
Photo via The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County
Here’s a sneak peek at the initial exhibitions you can expect ahead of your tour:
The Emerging Commercial Union (1783–1865) | First Floor East Gallery
- A series of layered maps and narrative detailing the transformation of Middle Tennessee’s landscapes by early white settlers
The Industrial Landscape (1866–1917) | Second Floor West Gallery
- A look at accelerated industrialization connecting the region through new forms of transportation infrastructure following the Civil War, with an emphasis on Williamson County’s first railroad, the Tennessee and Alabama (Decatur) line
Managing Townscapes (1930s–1950s) | Second Floor North Gallery
- Linked digital screens embedded into the bar top and living portraits dive into the rise and fall of local business following the second World War (think: The Franklin Theatre, Gray Drug, Southern Discount, and more), plus stories of prisoners from the Old, Old Jail next door