FRANKLIN'S HISTORICAL HARRISON HOUSE

AND ITS GUARDIAN — PAMELA LEWIS

By Buffie Baril

Music industry legend, visionary, history lover, preservationist, philanthropist, and friend, Pamela Lewis, arrived in Franklin, Tennessee, in 1993. What she didn’t know was the house she was entertaining buying, was a home that changed the course of American history and ultimately would change her.

Not being from the South, Lewis often refers to herself as a damn Yankee who stumbled on Nashville by way of the music business. Whether it was fate, destiny, or something else, the moment Lewis laid eyes on the Greek Revival home, known as the Harrison House, she felt an emotional connection. The feeling you have when you finally meet your soulmate.

PHOTOS BY TRENTON LEE PHOTOGRAPHY

The Harrison House, located on Columbia Pike, south of Winstead Hill, has one of the most picturesque landscapes of Franklin, Tennessee. Surrounding the Harrison House are 68 bucolic acres complete with barns, horses, turkeys, guineas, chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats. As you walk the property, you feel a sense of connectedness with an important piece of Tennessee history.

Despite its serene setting today, the Harrison House was famous for being the site of the command post for Confederate General John Bell Hood during the 1864 Battle of Franklin. In fact, it’s where General Hood held his last staff meeting before the battle, was also used as a spy headquarters, and served as an army field hospital in 1862 and 1864. The historic home’s story is undeniably captivating, but so is Lewis’s story, who has been the guardian of the house now for many years.

Originally from the state of New York, Lewis grew up in Red Hook, a small town in upstate New York. Lewis graduated from Wells College on scenic Cayuga Lake, majoring in Economics and Marketing, and minoring in French and Communications. She did additional coursework at Fordham University and The New School for Social Research in New York City. She also attended Scarritt Bennett Center and received her Executive Mini MBA from Belmont University when in Nashville.

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After college Lewis eventually found herself working as a secretary at MTV’s parent company, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment Company, now Viacom. She questioned why she went to college to become a secretary but was quickly promoted to media marketing manager. At the time, she was dating a photographer who asked her to go to the Meadowlands with him. Lewis had no idea it would lead to her talking with heads of major record labels like Joe Galante, Randy Goodman, and Tony Brown, but she believes in the power of place, and these backstage conversations are what led her to Nashville.

PHOTOS BY TRENTON LEE PHOTOGRAPHY

Lewis decided she had to learn the music business and accepted a job at RCA Records with label executive Joe Galante, originally from New York as well, and moved to Nashville in 1984. During those times, there weren’t a lot of female role models or managers and Lewis shared, “I always felt like an outsider because I was from New York. I was scared to death, and it was really a stressful job, but it was a good learning experience.”

Lewis worked on the movie Rhinestone in 1984, which was filmed in Leiper’s Fork. Her client, Dolly Parton, co-starred with Sylvester Stallone. After working for RCA for a year with a roster including Parton and other legends like Kenny Rogers, The Judds, Vince Gill, Keith Whitley, and Alabama, Lewis would be unfairly fired. She recalled refusing the advances of one of her bosses and shortly thereafter, her office was moved to a closet in what Lewis believes was an attempt to make her quit. However, when Lewis refused to quit, she was fired. She never made the connection between getting fired and refusing her boss’s advances until the Me Too movement. “At the time, I thought I was just not the right person for the job,” Lewis said.

As she continued to push through, she set a financial goal of becoming a homeowner and rolled up her sleeves and went to work. Not only did she achieve her goal of home ownership in East Nashville, but she also got the attention of her future business partner Bob Doyle and the two formed Doyle/Lewis Management. Their first client was a newcomer from Oklahoma by the name of Garth Brooks.

PHOTOS BY TRENTON LEE PHOTOGRAPHY

The new management team was scrappy and creative, and Lewis believes these differences are how the magic happened. Because of her drive and marketing genius, she was able to open doors for Brooks and helped make him a superstar. She remained his manager for eight years and with more than 170 million records sold, he became one of the world’s best-selling artists. Billboard ranked Brooks as the greatest male solo artist on the Billboard 200 chart of all time. Doyle/Lewis Management went on to manage country rockers Great Plains, Trent Summar, and Hank Flamingo, along with folk singer/songwriter Buddy Mondlock and Stephanie Davis, landing deals for all these acts.

Life on Music Row wasn’t easy. Although Lewis felt lucky to be in the room, she had to deal with some men underestimating her. “It was demoralizing,” Lewis explained, “not to be taken seriously.” Lewis persevered and helped another unknown, Trisha Yearwood, land her first record deal at MCA Records. Yearwood’s first single, “She’s in Love with the Boy,” went to number one.

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An astute businesswoman, Lewis built an impressive real estate portfolio, which included five Nashville properties on 16th Avenue South, aka the Music Row area, which she purchased in 1993. Lewis explained, “I thought it was important to have a diversified income source and continue my public relations agency.” Tammy Wynette, who kept her beautician’s license even after she became a country music star, told Lewis, “You don’t put all your eggs all in one basket.” Lewis chose one of those properties for the new office of her public relations company, PLA Media. With her incredible team of Mark Logan, Becky Parson, and Ava Hundley, PLA Media is now one of the top public relations agencies in Nashville.

In addition to the property on Music Row, Lewis bought the historic Harrison House in Franklin that same year, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lewis fell in love with the land and the Harrison House so much so that in 2015, she published a book, A Tennessee Yankee, where she shares insight into how she became the guardian of the Harrison House and its history.

The original part of the Harrison House was built in 1810 and did not face Columbia Pike. It was built in the Federal style and was later extended and remodeled to face the new road of Columbia Pike in the Greek Revival style. You can see the exterior brick from the original house, which is now enclosed as a den and part of the new house.

The Harrison House was considered one of the finest homes in Franklin with immaculate gardens thanks to Mrs. Harrison. There are two staircases, one in the rear where the presentday kitchen is located from the original home, and one in the stunning foyer. The staircase and newel posts are still in beautiful condition considering the age of the home.

A GORGEOUS GIRANDOLE CANDELABRA, A GIFT TO THE HARRISON FAMILY FROM THE FOUNTAIN BRANCH CARTER FAMILY.

PHOTOS BY TRENTON LEE PHOTOGRAPHY

FRAMED PHOTO OF MATILDA HARRISON, WHO WAS THE GRANDMOTHER OF LILLIAN CAMPBELL STEWART — THE FIRST AND ONLY FEMALE MAYOR OF FRANKLIN FROM 1987-89.

PHOTOS BY TRENTON LEE PHOTOGRAPHY

Lewis’s extensive antique collection includes a piano once used by Matilda Harrison, a framed photo of Matilda, and a settee which was from the former First Lady Rachel Donelson Jackson’s Tulip Grove. The formal dining room is massive and boasts stunning buffets, fabulous chairs, and vintage serving pieces. A gorgeous girandole candelabra, which was a wedding present to the Harrisons from the Fountain Branch Carter family, who built the now Historic Carter House in Franklin, is on display. The floors, mostly original, are made of cedar, pine, and poplar wood.

There are many fascinating chapters to the story of the home. One of the front parlors, which Lewis decorated around a kimono she received in Japan while an exchange student, was probably where most of the surgeries took place during the war. The other parlor was commandeered by General John Bell Hood where he and his generals, including Nathan Bedford Forrest, planned the Battle of Franklin. And upstairs, there is the secret almost hidden room Lewis uses as a bedroom which was the spy headquarters for Annie Briggs Harrison during the Civil War.

PHOTOS BY TRENTON LEE PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOS BY TRENTON LEE PHOTOGRAPHY

Another piece of recent history includes former resident Jeannie C. Riley, known best for her 1968 number one hit “Harper Valley PTA.” The racy song for the time was penned by fellow Franklin resident, the late Tom T. Hall, sold over six million copies and won both a Grammy Award and CMA Award. Riley loved sitting on the portico and singing to the cows and also wrote a book, From Harpeth Valley to the Mountain Top, that can be purchased at Landmark Booksellers in downtown Franklin.

Lewis explained, “The Harrison House has been a blessing and an honor. The house found me and loved me. I’m just passing through trying to be a good steward.” Lewis has definitely been a good steward of her time and money and has been involved with a plethora of outreaches ranging from historic preservation in Franklin to women’s and children’s advocacy or global environmental causes to mental health as examples, but the list is very long. Additionally, in 2022 she was honored by becoming a distinguished fellow of the Royal Society of Arts FRSA during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration year and is also a U.S. Ambassador for The Unity of Faiths Foundation.

Furthermore, the charitable work Lewis has done is immense. Her foundation has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to a vast number of charities and educational scholarships. Her leadership in Nashville and Franklin is also very commendable. Whether it was working closely with Lillian Stewart and Mary Pearce to help make Franklin the wonderful community it is today, serving as an alderman, or being appointed to Planning and Historic Zoning Commissions in Franklin. This list is long and includes the Belmont Mansion and Tennessee State Museum boards, the Nashville City Cemetery Board, the Tennessee Preservation Trust, and so many others. The hours donated to numerous boards and philanthropies are immeasurable, but impactful to Middle Tennessee.

Throughout her life, Lewis has remained true to herself and continues to be passionate about history. She has worked hard to help others and her devotion as a preservationist and philanthropist is so big that it guides her into making the world a better place, especially here in lovely Franklin.

BUFFIE BARIL is a Tennessee REALTOR®, founder of LovelyFranklin.com, and local storyteller. You can follow her on social media at @buffiebarilrealtor and @lovelyfranklintn or visit LovelyFranklin.com.