Triune, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Triune is an unincorporated community
in eastern Williamson County
, Tennessee
, United States
, approximately halfway between Franklin
and Murfreesboro
. The community is located along the Wilson Branch of the Harpeth River
and at the intersection of Tennessee State Route 96
(Murfreesboro Road) and the concurrency
of U.S. Highways 31A and 41A (Nolensville Road), just north of their interchange with Tennessee State Route 840.
who built a log cabin
in the area in 1796. In the early 1800s, the community, then called Hardeman's Crossroads (or Hardeman Cross Roads) for an early landowner, grew. By the 1820s it included several substantial buildings, including stores, saloon
s, and leather shops. Several local plantation
s had their own mill
s and cotton gin
s. By 1830, Hardeman's Crossroads had a post office
. The community later was called Flemingsburg. The name Triune was derived from the name of the Triune Methodist Church, built in 1849 and the first church building in the community. Triune was the site of five schools built between 1820 and 1845.
During the Civil War
, Triune was the scene of several engagements. Several Confederate
brigades under General Braxton Bragg
were stationed in the area in 1862, and in December 1862 the area was the scene of military activity related to the Battle of Stones River
. After Bragg's defeat there, Union Army
forces occupied Triune and erected fortifications at the crossroads. Between April and June 1863 there were several cavalry
skirmishes in Triune, including one in June in which Confederate forces led by Nathan Bedford Forrest
succeeded in penetrating Union lines. The Methodist and Baptist
churches, several homes, and the Porter Female Academy, a girls' school, were destroyed by fire as a result of military action in 1863. As of the 1880s, Triune had 57 residents.
Dr. Jonathan Bostick, a Mississippi
plantation
owner who had been a trustee of Porter Female Academy and who died in 1868, provided in his will
for the establishment of a "suitable site and buildings" for a new "female academy" in Tennessee. There was a long delay, including extended litigation that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, before his directions could be carried out, but eventually 11 acres (4.5 ha) of land in Triune were purchased for the construction of the Bostick Female Academy
, which was built in 1892 and began operation in 1893. The Bostick Female Academy operated as a girls' boarding
and day school
, enrolling as many as 75 girls, until about 1900, when the availability of public education eliminated the demand for private school
ing. After the Hardeman Academy, which had been built in 1828 and was serving as a public school, was destroyed by fire in 1904, the Bostick Female Academy building took its place, serving as the Triune public school until the mid-20th century.
Modern Triune is the site of a manufacturing facility that produces equipment for harvest
ing tobacco
.
in 1982. The Triune Methodist Church, built in 1874 on the foundation of the church's original building, is another 19th century landmark building in Triune. Several homes built in the early 19th century were also still standing as of 1988.
A more recent local landmark is Castle Gwynn, a replica of a 12th-century Welsh
border castle
. It was built as private residence beginning in 1980 and serves as the location of the Tennessee Renaissance Festival, a Renaissance fair
held annually in May.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in eastern Williamson County
Williamson County, Tennessee
Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010 US Census, the population was 183,182. The County's seat is Franklin, and it is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, a...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, approximately halfway between Franklin
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:...
and Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
. The community is located along the Wilson Branch of the Harpeth River
Harpeth River
The Harpeth River, long, is one of the major streams of north-central Middle Tennessee and one of the major tributaries of the Cumberland River...
and at the intersection of Tennessee State Route 96
Tennessee State Route 96
State Route 96 is a long east–west highway in Middle Tennessee. The road begins in Dickson and ends in Granville. The current length is . Along its path it goes through 10 counties. Locals mostly refer to it as Highway 96.- Route description :...
(Murfreesboro Road) and the concurrency
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
of U.S. Highways 31A and 41A (Nolensville Road), just north of their interchange with Tennessee State Route 840.
History
The earliest recorded non-Native American settlement in the Triune area was by William Jordan, a man from VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
who built a log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
in the area in 1796. In the early 1800s, the community, then called Hardeman's Crossroads (or Hardeman Cross Roads) for an early landowner, grew. By the 1820s it included several substantial buildings, including stores, saloon
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
s, and leather shops. Several local plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s had their own mill
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
s and cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
s. By 1830, Hardeman's Crossroads had a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
. The community later was called Flemingsburg. The name Triune was derived from the name of the Triune Methodist Church, built in 1849 and the first church building in the community. Triune was the site of five schools built between 1820 and 1845.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Triune was the scene of several engagements. Several Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
brigades under General Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg was a career United States Army officer, and then a general in the Confederate States Army—a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and later the military adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.Bragg, a native of North Carolina, was...
were stationed in the area in 1862, and in December 1862 the area was the scene of military activity related to the Battle of Stones River
Battle of Stones River
The Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro , was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War...
. After Bragg's defeat there, Union Army
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
forces occupied Triune and erected fortifications at the crossroads. Between April and June 1863 there were several cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
skirmishes in Triune, including one in June in which Confederate forces led by Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years...
succeeded in penetrating Union lines. The Methodist and Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
churches, several homes, and the Porter Female Academy, a girls' school, were destroyed by fire as a result of military action in 1863. As of the 1880s, Triune had 57 residents.
Dr. Jonathan Bostick, a Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
owner who had been a trustee of Porter Female Academy and who died in 1868, provided in his will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
for the establishment of a "suitable site and buildings" for a new "female academy" in Tennessee. There was a long delay, including extended litigation that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, before his directions could be carried out, but eventually 11 acres (4.5 ha) of land in Triune were purchased for the construction of the Bostick Female Academy
Bostick Female Academy
The Bostick Female Academy, also known as Triune School, is a property in College Grove, Tennessee that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.It is in the hamlet of Triune, a crossroads community...
, which was built in 1892 and began operation in 1893. The Bostick Female Academy operated as a girls' boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
and day school
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
, enrolling as many as 75 girls, until about 1900, when the availability of public education eliminated the demand for private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
ing. After the Hardeman Academy, which had been built in 1828 and was serving as a public school, was destroyed by fire in 1904, the Bostick Female Academy building took its place, serving as the Triune public school until the mid-20th century.
Modern Triune is the site of a manufacturing facility that produces equipment for harvest
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
ing tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
.
Landmark buildings
The Bostick Female Academy building is now a private residence and was listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational 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 1982. The Triune Methodist Church, built in 1874 on the foundation of the church's original building, is another 19th century landmark building in Triune. Several homes built in the early 19th century were also still standing as of 1988.
A more recent local landmark is Castle Gwynn, a replica of a 12th-century Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
border castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
. It was built as private residence beginning in 1980 and serves as the location of the Tennessee Renaissance Festival, a Renaissance fair
Renaissance Fair
A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the United States, open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent theme parks, others are...
held annually in May.