Whether you're a Civil War enthusiast, architecture lover, genealogy buff, or simply someone who appreciates preserving America's past, Elm Springs offers a fascinating glimpse into 19th-century Tennessee. The guides are passionate, knowledgeable, and bring the house to life with stories that make you feel like you've stepped back in time.
Elm Springs was built around 1837 by James and Nathaniel Dick, wealthy cotton merchants from New Orleans, as a gift to their sister, Sarah Todd. The property later passed to Sarah's daughter, Susan Kelso Todd, who had married Abraham Looney in 1844.
Looney was a Maury County attorney and Tennessee state senator. When the Civil War began, he became captain of Company H of the 1st Tennessee Infantry, better known as the Maury Grays, and later rose to lieutenant colonel. His regiment included Sam Watkins, who would later write the famous memoir Company Aytch, one of the best-known firsthand accounts written by a Confederate enlisted soldier. (Such a GOOD book!!)
In November 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee was advancing north during the Franklin-Nashville Campaign. Union forces under General John Schofield had occupied the Columbia area and established a defensive line stretching between the Mooresville and Mount Pleasant roads. As the Union army hurriedly withdrew from Columbia, buildings that might provide shelter or military advantage were burned--and some accounts state that Looney's home was deliberately selected in retaliation for his politics and military service.
Local citizens pleaded for help! Confederate Brigadier General Frank C. Armstrong sent soldiers who extinguished the flames, allowing the house to survive when many others did not. read more