Chalkboard History: The Official Podcast of the Battle of Franklin Trust

In episode 20, Joseph and Eric explore the history behind The Widow of the South and how the novel’s popularity helped shape tourism at Carnton for years to come. The episode highlights how individual stories, like that of Carrie McGavock, can influence the way we understand and connect with the past.

Please like, subscribe, and comment to support The Battle of Franklin Trust and continue sharing important history.

The missio...

In a second episode dedicated to the topic, Jeff and Eric explore why many younger people seem disconnected from the history of the Civil War, according to the popular trope in public history. They reflect on how changing education, cultural shifts, and present-day priorities influence whether younger generations find the war relevant, and consider what those trends mean for preserving collective memory of this pivotal period.

Plea...

In this episode, Bella Coyne and Eric Jacobson examine a familiar question in public history: why do younger people seem disengaged from the Civil War? They consider the roles of changing education, cultural shifts, historical distance, and modern priorities, while also challenging this assumption, arguing that many young people aren’t uninterested at all, but instead engage with history in different and often deeper ways tha...

In today's episode, Joseph and Eric explore the life and legacy of Tod Carter, a Franklin native whose story has become one of the most well-known human narratives tied to the Battle of Franklin. They discuss who he was, why his experience is remembered, and how his story helps visitors connect more personally with the history of the battlefield and the Carter House today.

Please like, subscribe, and comment to support The Battle o...

In episode 18, Joseph Ricci and Eric Jacobson discuss the newly unveiled monument honoring Texas troops on the Franklin battlefield. They explore the monument’s significance, what it commemorates, and how battlefield memory continues to evolve more than a century later.

Please like, subscribe, and comment to support The Battle of Franklin Trust!

The mission of the Battle of Franklin Trust is to preserve, understand, and inter...

In this episode of Chalkboard History, Eric and Joseph explore how Confederate cavalry legend Nathan Bedford Forrest became involved in the founding of the original Ku Klux Klan. They chart his transformation from Civil-War general to the Klan’s first “Grand Wizard,” and examine how the group used violence and intimidation to undermine Black civil rights and resist Reconstruction. The discussion also touches on Fo...

In this episode, Eric and Joseph walk us through how Civil War monuments shape, and sometimes distort, public memory. They consider why these memorials were built, whose stories they honor or ignore, and how modern perspectives change the meaning of monuments over time.

Please like, subscribe, and comment to support The Battle of Franklin Trust!

The mission of the Battle of Franklin Trust is to preserve, understand, and interpret t...

In this installment of Chalkboard History, Joseph and Eric reflect on The Gettysburg Address. They invite listeners to reconsider why those words still matter today.

Please like, subscribe, and comment to support The Battle of Franklin Trust!

The mission of the Battle of Franklin Trust is to preserve, understand, and interpret the story of a people forever impacted by the American Civil War.

⌲Website: www.boft.org

⌲Instagram: www...

In this special "hiatus" episode, Bill, Bailey, and Joseph talk about a letter from the Battle of Franklin Trust's collection written by W.E. Scott, a soldier in the 121st Ohio who was stationed in Franklin in 1863. 

To support The Dispatch and the efforts of the Battle of Franklin Trust, please visit the link below: https://boft.org/general-donations

For a link to our online store, click here: https://store.boft.org/books-and...

In the Dispatch's Season Finale, Bailey, Bill, and Joseph discuss the lead up to the secession of Southern states and the beginning of the Civil War. From December 1860 to June 1861, eleven states left the Union in response to the election of Abraham Lincoln and the breakdown of the political discourse over slavery. Listen in for more!

To support The Dispatch and the efforts of the Battle of Franklin Trust, please visit the link be...

In episode 10 of Chalkboard History, Joseph and Eric discuss their favorite (or not so favorite) Civil War movies, and examine how the Civil War has been portrayed in movies and popular media. They discuss how film interpretations shape public memory; which myths or truths get reinforced, and what gets lost when Hollywood retells history.

Please like, subscribe, and comment to support The Battle of Franklin Trust!

The mission of th...

In today's episode of Chalkboard History, Joseph and Eric revisit some of the most persistent legends surrounding the Battle of Franklin and its aftermath. They separate fact from fiction, challenge common misconceptions, and show how stories about the battle have changed over time.

Please like, subscribe, and comment to support The Battle of Franklin Trust!

The mission of the Battle of Franklin Trust is to preserve, understand, an...