Days Gone By

THE “FULLER STORY” RECEIVES $50,000 COMMITMENT FROM HELLER FAMILY

The Battle of Franklin Trust announced that Kay and Roderick Heller of Franklin, through the Heller Family Foundation, have generously committed to fund the balance needed to complete the statue of the U.S Colored Troops (USCT) soldier on the Franklin Square.

“We are grateful to the Heller family for contributing to this historic project,” Battle of Franklin Trust CEO Eric A. Jacobson said, “The Heller family has gone above and beyond for Franklin and the Civil War community and it is an honor to recognize them once again.”

Although the Hellers have been Franklin residents since 2007, Roderick Heller has deep ties to middle Tennessee. His grandmother, Hattie McGavock, was of the last generation of the McGavock family to grow up at Carnton, and he and Kay acquired and put 150 acres around Carnton in permanent historic easement, most notably the land that is now the Eastern Flank Battlefield Park. A former partner in a large DC law firm and corporate leader, he is the Chairman and CEO of Harpeth Associates, the developer of the downtown Harpeth Square project. He previously served as Chairman of WETA, Washington’s public TV and radio station and of NCRC, the economic development agency for Washington, as well as Founding Chairman of the Civil War Trust, and Vice Chairman of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“Our intention has always been to put something up rather than tearing something down,” shared Eric. “We recognize the importance of bringing awareness to the African American experience.”

The Battle of Franklin Trust is a 501(c)(3) management corporation acting on behalf of Franklin’s battlefield sites to contribute to a greater understanding and enrich the visitor experience of the November 30, 1864 battle. It is organized for the charitable and educational purposes of preserving, restoring, maintaining and interpreting the properties, artifacts and documents related to the battle so as to preserve an important part of the nation’s history.

The “Fuller Story” initiative was conceived by three pastors: Hewitt Sawyers, Dr. Chris Williamson and Dr. Kevin Riggs, and historian Eric A. Jacobson. After the white nationalist protest rally in Charlottesville, VA over the proposed removal of two Confederate monuments in 2017, where one counter protester died and nineteen were injured, Williamson County leaders and residents gathered to hold a prayer meeting in the town square. Not long after, Hewitt, Chris and Kevin and Eric created “A Fuller Story.” It was launched with the help of the City of Franklin, community leaders, pastors and historians with the hopes of working alongside these decision makers and influencers to build a more united, inclusive community and to create additional monuments to better educate visitors.

In the fall of 2019, four interpretive markers were dedicated and unveiled in the town square that call attention to the experiences and advancements of African Americans before, during and after the Civil War. A fifth marker details the Battle of Franklin. The culmination of the “Fuller Story” will be the unveiling of the bronze statue of a U.S. Colored Troops soldier that will be placed on the square near the historic Williamson County Courthouse.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously to place the markers as well as a full-scale statue on the square in a place of equal nobility across from the Confederate monument. Tennessee native Joe F. Howard is sculpting the statue, expected to be erected in early 2021.

To learn more about the Battle of Franklin Trust and current projects, visit boft.org.