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From Our House to YOURS
The Howarth House FRANKLIN’S MOST “ACTIVE” OF HAUNTED HOUSES BY ANNA ROBERTSON HAM
The Howarth House, also known as Cherry Manor, sits at the corner of 3rd Avenue North and Bridge Street in historic downtown Franklin. Many have been made aware of the house’s history and haunts, but we were made more aware of the home’s spooky reputation by Franklin Walking Tour’s owner Alicia King Marshal. During a recent interview with Alicia, she was asked what she considers the most “active” location on her tour. She said, “People have long said that Cherry Manor, on 3rd Avenue North, is the most active building in Franklin…possibly all of Tennessee. After going there thousands of times over the years, I would have to agree. It’s the only negative or dark haunting on any of my routes, and it definitely affects some people physically. While it draws many visitors here, I actually wish it wasn’t so well known because I don’t enjoy being close to the building every night. I stay off the porch and go to the next spot as soon as possible to wait for my guests when they’re ready to move on. The photos people have taken there 56 FALL 2021
Celebrating 10 Years
are chilling, and (after checking them for any signs of tampering), I share them on my tours.” So, naturally, after hearing this response from Alicia, I had to investigate more. Being a lover of all things spooky, I was completely intrigued with this statement about a house that sits just down the street from my office. I reached out to the house owner, Dori Howarth, to get more information and tour the home. Dori’s parents bought the house in 2003 while looking for a great location for an office for their company, The Howarth Group, Inc. Dori says that the house was named Cherry Manor because it used to have cherry trees along the front and along the Bridge Street side of the house. “Unfortunately, these were removed and replaced with another type of tree when the downtown sidewalk renovations took place,” Dori explains. “They say it was built in 1820, but I’d guess it was built before then as that is only the date of the first known records for this property. From what I know, it has been many
