The Lotz House is a building in Franklin, Tennessee

Franklin, Tennessee

Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...

 that was built in 1858. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

in 1976.

History and the Battle of Franklin

The land on which the house was constructed was purchased from the Carter family by German emigrants Johann Albert Lotz and Margaretha Lotz. Johann, a very talented woodworker, constructed such things as pianos and much of the house itself. Margaretha bore three children, twins Paul and Augustus and daughter Matilda.

In 1864, the Union Army, expecting a Confederate attack, began to mobilize many soldiers in the areas containing the Carter and Lotz houses. The Union soldiers cut down every tree they could to prevent Confederate sniping and poisoned much of the water supply. This would prove tragic when the Lotz twins, Paul and Augustus, went out to play at a nearby stream where they were killed due to the poison in the water.

When the Battle of Franklin was imminent, the Lotz family took refuge in the cellar of the Carter house because the Lotz house had no substantial or hidden shelter. Johann salvaged as many of his tools as he could before hiding because the tools were necessary to support his family. The battle raged on for five hours and is condsidered one of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.

When the two families emerged from fighting, the area was a wasteland- piles of bodies everywhere and evidence of brutal hand-to-hand combat. The Lotz house was still standing, though damaged, and the south wall had been blasted off, obviously by Confederate forces. There are cannon ball holes inside the house that can be seen to this day. Johann was quick to repair the house.

The house became a hospital after the battle. To this day a visitor can see many bloodstains on the floors and walls all over the house.

After the Civil War

Family life went on as usual after the Confederate surrender. A cemetery not far from the Lotz House contains the bodies of those that died in the Battle of Franklin. Johann continued woodworking and Matilda, since young childhood, became an extremely talented artist who painted animals and became known even throughout Europe. She also had an uncanny ability to attract animals of all kinds to herself.

Later in life, Johann Lotz was forced to flee the Lotz house with his family after constructing a piano that he carved an image on it that was controversial: he carved an American eagle holding up an American flag with one foot and with the other a Confederate flag, which was pointing down. Confederate activists sought to destroy the piano and perhaps kill Johann. Though the house was unharmed, the piano was taken outside and burned. Lotz and his family trekked across the country to San Jose, California.

Today the house is a museum where there are many interesting artifacts to be seen. Its close location to the Carter House and the Franklin Battlefield make it an ideal destination for tourists.

External links

• Lotz House Museum