At this 1800s mansion, once used as a hospital site for Confederate soldiers and now a plantation house and museum, folks say soldiers still walk. Their apparitions have been seen, as well as that of a ghostly woman in white who has been seen on the back porch. Allegedly if you walk along the right-most row in the plantation cemetery, you’ll find the graves of two twin brothers. As you walk by you may feel one of them grabbing or tickling your ankles. Don’t be scared, they seem to do that to everyone who passes by their final resting spot!
If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know!
Related Videos
Rate this Haunted Place
What do you think? Is this place really haunted? Voice your opinion here! Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale.
Geographic Information
- Address:
- 1345 Carnton Ln
Franklin, TN
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 35.90346870834172, -86.85862592960814
- County:
- Williamson County, Tennessee
- Nearest Towns:
- Franklin, TN (1.6 mi.)
Thompson's Station, TN (7.6 mi.)
Brentwood Estates, TN (9.5 mi.)
Brentwood, TN (9.9 mi.)
Nolensville, TN (11.1 mi.)
Spring Hill, TN (11.3 mi.)
Forest Hills, TN (11.4 mi.)
Belle Meade, TN (13.3 mi.)
Oak Hill, TN (13.4 mi.)
Berry Hill, TN (15.6 mi.)
Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time.
Share Your Experiences
Comments (12)
Share Your Comments
Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.
Very haunted…I lived there back in the early 2000s….as a dare, went on the property late at night….with some friends, we tried to have a good laugh….it wasn’t very funny…..saw an apparition on the front porch, in a chair…a lady, in period dress,clear as day…..she looked at us, put her finger as to whisper……or shush us…we all ran….but also saw and heard gun shots, and there was nothing there…..heard what sounded like cannons in the distance……and heard cries, like I’ve never heard before….out of all honesty, I believe in the GOOD LORD,and this place, I’m truly frightened of……I grew up off of Mack Hatcher, and Columbia Avenue…..I know the history, and I’ve seen and heard plenty of strange things in downtown Franklin…but, I’m an honest believer, this place, rates up there with one of the most haunted places in America, and I honestly think GHOST ADVENTURES should check it out…..I won’t EVER go there alone……
My child was on a field trip here and I arrived later. While I was waiting I saw what I thought was a volunteer dressed in a Confederate general’s uniform pacing the balcony. He had a beard and reminded me of Nathan Bedford Forrest. It was a little warm and his coat was halfway unbuttoned. I just assumed it was a volunteer on break.I remember thinking how convincing he was. Later when I met up with the group we went upstairs, but was told that the balcony was locked. When I asked about the person on the balcony I was told no one was up there and no one had been there. When I asked about ghosts I was told very decisively that there were none there. Several years later I read about the apparition of a general that appears on the balcony. It was believed to be John Bell Hood or Nathan B. Forrest. I didn’t know that Forrest had been there until I read that article.
I grew up in Franklin during the late 70s to the mid 80s. My father was a civil war buff. My mother, father and I would have picnics on the porch during the summer. We usually made sure we left by dark. This was before it was declared a historical site. The house was dilapidated and unkept and you could roam the property and cemetery freely. Spent many late summer afternoons and early evenings on the back porch with KFC and our battery powered radio. We saw the ghost of general cleburne many times on the balcony. My mother saw the Lady in white several times and we heard a dog barking inside all the time even though there was no dog inside. Once in the early 80s it was getting dark and we left but I had left behind a stuffed bunny rabbit under one of the huge oak trees. My father had one too many beers that day and refused to go back. My mother and I had to go back and get it around midnight. I can still remember how scared she was. Many great memories there. It was kind of like our place.
Been there 3 times – once was for a re-enactment of the Battle of Franklin. The second time, nothing out of the ordinary happened. The third time was in October of 1998. It was the last tour of the day, and around 4 pm my in-laws and I went into the Confederate cemetery (front yard) before leaving. It was cool, breezy, and the ground was covered in leaves as we walked down the center aisle to the far end where there is a book on a pedestal that attempts to organize name and location of each soldier. It is divided into states. My mother-in-law and I were in deep thought over the book, looking at Kentucky’s list, since I was from KY. We heard someone walk up behind us and also movement from my peripheral vision, and they stopped there without going further. About 7 feet behind us. Sounded like heavy boot steps through the leaves, and never turned around because we thought it was her husband seeing what we were doing. When we tired of the book, I turned around to say something to him, fully expecting to see a person, and no one was there. We looked behind a large tree that was close by, trying to find this ‘person’. She heard it as well, and we just looked at each other, and walked out confused, and told father-in-law about it when we went to the car. There is a lot of ‘life’ at this place, which once had so much death.
I grew up in middle Tennessee. The cemetery at Carnton was always a picnic go to when we were traveling in the area. In 1983, while attending MTSU, I went there by myself. That afternoon, in the middle of a nap, I woke up from a dream and all of my dorm mates were standing in the doorway laughing at me. I had been dreaming that I was a dying soldier leaned up against a tree stump. In the dream my entrails were exposed and I was pleading for help and repeating,” I want to go home.” I remember saying that over and over as I was waking up because every time I would say it my roommate would say, “Then why don’t you go home.” When I was completely awake, I realized that I was sitting up against the wall in the same position as the soldier. A few years ago, I stopped by there with my niece who had never been there. I didn’t tell her my story because it wasn’t relevant to the visit. I wasn’t even thinking about it. Since we were rambling, we didn’t bring enough money along to go on the house tour. We were able to walk up to the gate. While standing there, I kept feeling a tugging at my back pocket. At first I thought someone was after my wallet, so I swatted my hand back, realizing instead that was the pocket I carry my Bible in. At the same time, my niece doubled over saying she felt like she was shot in the stomach. She got so sick that we had to leave.
I lived in Franklin around 92 I was on an afternoon Sunday cruise and drove my car down the paved path and walked around for a while as I decided to leave I saw a spirit that looked very angry at the exit I said to it do something then and it just stared at me it’s face was complex let’s just say I got out of there extremely fast.
Went there in the late 80s and didn’t make it past the front door. I got cold dizzy and felt sick to my stomache. Went to my car left got few blocks down the road felt normal again. So I drove back tried again never made it to the front of the house felt the same way. Couldn’t pay me to go in that house. It’s actually sad. For those who will go say a prayer for those who have suffered there.
Went in there a couple years back for a ghost tour one night. A coworker of a family member was there as well, and had placed a voice recorder in one of the rooms downstairs-the parlor if I remember correctly. Anyhow, they lock you in as soon as you enter the house, and no other party was there. So on this tape, you can hear us all upstairs in the room with the bloodstains, and with my relative standing in the doorway purposely tracking everyone verifying that no one had left the group. We went back and listened to the recorder, and you hear heavy boot steps coming across the downstairs floor, onto the carpet, and right into the recorder you hear, “Hey” or some heavy, similar sounding voice, goes on for a few seconds. a few minutes later you hear us all come back downstairs. Tell me that isn’t screwed up? It happened the time before to him as well.
My husband and I arrived towards the end of the day. The staff graciously allowed us a quick tour. While visiting the cemetary, I felt something brush against my leg and saw something out of the corner of my eye that I could not quite connect with. Knew nothing of the occurances that others have experienced in the cemetary altho I had heard about some in the house. I want to revisit.
Took the tour about a month ago. While in the first sitting room I sensed the strong smell of cigar smoke. I asked the group and the tour guide if anyone else smelled it….no one else did. I am not psychic…I asked if the home is haunted and the guide said absolutely not. After the tour I snapped this photo….the light was not visible to my eye…only the camera. Notice how the light actually streams from the front door to the sky….or vice versa. The photo was NOT shopped nor altered.
TRied to post JPG file but didn’t work for some reason…
September 2022 I took a tour of Carnton mansion along with my brother. We began the tour as the only two guests and walked the bottom floors with our guide. As we stood in the room with Carrie’s portrait hanging over the fireplace our guide continued his story. In the middle of his story the clock that hangs on the wall between the fireplace and window began to chime. Our guide looked at the clock confused and stated that had never happened before. Also, he noted the clock has never worked since he has been working there and didn’t believe it had been repaired.
I didn’t look too close to debunk the theory of the clock not working, I really just took the guides word for it. If I recall correctly the clock struck two bells and we were the first tour of the morning. Shortly after, others joined our tour group and nothing else happened.
The tour was amazing. Carnton mansion is a special place.