Old Town
National Register of Historic Places

Old Town

Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee
Listed
April 13, 1988
Type
Building
Period
Pre Contact
Ref No.
88000324

About this property

Old Town, also known as the Thomas Brown House, is a house in Franklin, Tennessee, United States, at the Old Town Archeological Site that was built by Thomas Brown starting in 1846. It is a two-story frame structure built on an "I-House" plan, an example of vernacular architecture showing Greek Revival influences. The Thomas Brown House is among the best two-story vernacular I-house examples in the county (along with the William King House, the Alpheus Truett House, the Claiborne Kinnard House, the Beverly Toon House, and the Stokely Davis House). It was located on the Harpeth River branch of the Natchez Trace. Singer Jimmy Buffett owned the house in the late 1980s. It is built amidst and named for, Old Town, a village site of Mississippian culture with mounds. It is located near Old Town Bridge, the remains of a Natchez Trace bridge.

Location

Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee
35.99357, -86.93621

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Old Town

This page lists Old Town. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Old Town Bridge
Civil War
0.2 mi
Davis, Stokely, House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Montpier
Early Republic
0.7 mi
Knight-Moran House
Early Republic
1.5 mi
Meeting-of-the-Waters
Early Republic
1.9 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Nashville — Hood's Withdrawal and Pursuit
1864Civil War
1.5 mi
Skirmish at Franklin (Hood Advance, November 1864)
1864Civil War
4.5 mi
Battle of Franklin — Carter House
1864Civil War
6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Old Town listed on the National Register?

Old Town was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1988.

What type of historic resource is Old Town?

Old Town is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Old Town?

The period of significance for Old Town is recorded as the pre_contact era.

Can I research the history near Old Town?

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