Lotz House adds two key items to collection

As the Lotz House enters its eighth year of being open to the public, Executive Director J.T. Thompson has announced two significant additions to the Lotz House Collection.

The first is a postwar roll book Company H 29th Tennessee Infantry that belonged to Capt. Thomas Carothers of Franklin. Capt. Carothers, wounded in the Battle of Franklin, would later own and live in the Lotz House. According to Thompson, Capt. Carothers owned the house from 1889-1905 and actually passed away in the home in June of that year.

Currently, the roll book is the property of longtime Franklin resident and physician Dr. Jeff Bethurum. Bethurum is the great-great grandson of Carothers and has graciously allowed the Lotz House to display the roll book through early 2016.

“It’s a great honor to have this local piece of history on display in the house, especially given the fact that Carothers fought in Franklin, owned the Lotz House and later died in the house,” said Lotz House historian Thomas Y. Cartwright. “It adds another layer to the compelling story of the history of the house.”

Cartwright has studied the book in detail and asserts it is the roll of all members of Company H and accounts for what happened to them during the war. Notables mentioned in the book include Capt. Todd Carter and his brother Moscow Carter, as well as Col. William Shy, who died on the second day of the Battle of Nashville.

In addition to the roll book, other mementos which will be displayed include Carothers’ Post War Southern Cross of Honor Medal, a UCV hat pin and his gold tie clip.

Thompson has announced another permanent addition to the Lotz House that comes from a Lotz House Foundation member and donor who wishes to remain anonymous. This collectible is the stamped and dated envelope and invitation to Confederate Brig. Gen. William R. Boggs from the Daughters of Confederacy, inviting him to attend the unveiling of the Confederate Monument in Franklin on Nov. 30, 1899. According to Thompson, the envelope and invitation are in incredible condition.

“Anytime we can bring back something of this historical significance to Franklin, it’s always so important to do so,” Thompson said. “Considering this invitation related directly to one of the most visible parts of Franklin, ‘Chip,’ the confederate soldier on the roundabout, we could not be happier to include in our collection at the Lotz House.”

The Lotz House, located at 1111 Columbia Ave., is open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1-4 p.m. For more information about this historic home, call 615-790-7190 or visit the website at www.lotzhouse.com.

Photo – Thomas Cartwright, Lotz House historian, holds a roll book that belonged to Capt. Thomas Carothers during the Battle of Franklin. With Cartwright is Dr. Jeff Bethurum, who now owns the roll book and has it on loan at the Lotz House.