If you're ever in Franklin and have to choose one Civil War house to take a tour of, make it the Lotz house. Franklin has made a business off of tragedy with ghost tours, plantation tours, battlefield tours, and various other historical attractions tied to the Civil War and the Battle of Franklin. Franklin was notoriously devastated by this battle coming on the end of the Civil War where most of the fighting was done at night and a huge amount of casualties piled up.
The Lotz house itself is a bit of an oddity as a Civil War house tour. Mr. Lotz was not a plantation owner or a slave holder and his house is so ornate because he was a woodworker and his home was used as his show house. Because of this the Lotz family was caught in the unenviable position of having a major battle fought in their front yard and destroying a good part of their home. In addition, the family lost their two youngest children when Federal troops poisoned the area wells. They also had their livestock confiscated and many of their supplies and out buildings taken to use by Federal troops. The house was used as a hospital after the battle for both sides and the Lotz family had to live in their basement for several months. The house still shows evidence of cannonball damage and blood stains. Even more tragically the family left the area several years later after they were threatened by the KKK, so the Lotz family suffered more than their fair share in a fight they really didn't even have a vested interest in. The tour guides at the house are wonderful and some of the most knowledgeable I've ever come across on house tours (aside from the ghost tour at the Hermitage, but that one was conducted by the head of the tourism department at the Hermitage when I went). The house has been restored with a lot of interesting items that may not have been owned by the Lotz family themselves, but are representative of the time period. There is a taxidermy piece by Audubon and china that served several presidents. The tour also lets you get close to the house items as the guides take you through the rooms. The Lotz family themselves are notable. Matlida Lotz became a well known artist who traveled the world by herself at a time when that was unthinkable, painted for the very wealthy, and eventually married a Count when she was 55. One of her brothers became a photographer who pioneered in color photography and the other an inventor who was one of the creators of the vacuum cleaner. Clearly this was an intelligent and talented family. Their personal tragedy because of the war shines a different focus on the civilian cost of a war fought on front lawns. It's often a side of the Civil War that many forget. www.lotzhouse.com/
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AuthorA librarian who likes to travel and experience life. CategoriesArchives
June 2022
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