By RaeAnna Goss
Every summer I go through the books we own and find the titles I want to focus on reading during the school year. One of the main subjects of our curriculum is history. I have a list of dates in American history that we cover each year. Last year, the dates 1800-1900 were the focus for our American history. We used the Tennessee History for Kids booklet “Torn Union” to cover the history of the Civil War, and I found a gem of a historical fiction book called “Lizzie’s War” to focus on the events of the Battle of Franklin. I can’t remember how Lizzie’s War made its way to my bookshelf. I think my good friend Kim had it in a stack of books that she gave me after her children outgrew the middle grade reading years! When I found it and realized what a treasure this book is for my children as they study the Civil War, I immediately added it to our curriculum schedule!
The book can be a quick read but we spread it out over a couple months. As we neared the end I knew I wanted to do some sort of field trip where we could visit the landmarks talked about in the book! I reached out to the author who is a Williamson County resident and she was more than happy to schedule a guided tour for us! Margie Thessin was so welcoming and accommodating to our group! We had over 30 people read the book before our tour and discuss the events of the Civil War with Margie!
This book party was not like our other book parties where we meet at a park and celebrate over food and games – it was an incredible walking tour of historic homes and places that served as an important role in the Battle of Franklin.
Our children loved bringing their books along on the tour and following the hand drawn map in the book! Each time we stopped at a home and Margie talked about the significance of the family or business, our children loved finding it and pointing it out on the map!
One of the favorite stories in the book was a true account of Hardin Figuers who was a boy during the battle. He climbed a tree in his front yard to watch the battle until his mom yelled at him to come inside to stay safe! Isn’t it amazing to know personal stories like this and actually see where those events happened? It really makes history come alive to the children!
Even now, we can see the effects of the battle on important landmarks like the Masonic Lodge. We didn’t walk to the Carter House, but on a previous field trip we spent several hours learning about the Battle of Franklin and what happened on the Carter family property. The bullet holes and blood stains are something you’ll never forget seeing.
We loved seeing both the McEwen house (above) and the Courtney house (below) to compare how Lizzie and Jennie must have lived. Lizzie Courtney is the main character in the book (fictional) who lives a much more modest life than her best friend Jennie McEwen.
The tour took just over 2 hours with all the walking and stopping to listen and discuss! I highly recommend reading this book and then scheduling a tour with Margie! It is a perfect introduction into what happened during the Civil War and how families and communities were torn apart during these awful years. I’m thankful for people like Margie who actively share the importance of history and stories with our community so we won’t forget our past.
I’m also thankful for our State Representative Sam Whitson who illustrated the map, cover art, and illustrations within the book! He is doing a wonderful job representing our community in the Tennessee General Assembly and we are so lucky to have met him and fly the Tennessee flag that he gifted our family a few years ago!
If you would like to book a tour with Margie, reach out to Franklin on Foot! If you would like to take your own self-guided tour of downtown Franklin, pick up a map in the visitor’s office! Let me know if you want company and we would be happy to go with you!
KIND + CULTIVATED 