This year’s best gift book is about America’s favorite small town.

Proceeds benefit the Friends of Franklin Parks Fund for the Preservation of Open Spaces

In HISTORIC FRANKLIN: ALONG THE HARPETH, local author Jay Sheridan reaches back centuries to explore America’s westward expansion, the Cumberland Settlements, the establishment of Franklin and Williamson County, and the decades that followed—from the antebellum years through the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the challenges, achievements and new traditions that followed. Rarely seen artifacts and stories add color and context to an incredible tale of innovation and progress that nurtured a tiny agrarian town into a city that balances its past, present and future, best represented by what has become known as America’s Favorite Main Street. And through it all, it’s the people who have made Franklin special. A gallery of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Robin Hood’s contemporary photos of life through the seasons in Franklin, Tennessee, captures the spirit of the place in stunning images.

“Its success is rooted in its people, its principles and its pride, honoring history and preserving the places that matter.”

A.J. Isaac's blacksmith shop, where City Hall sits today, ca. 1895

A.J. Isaac's blacksmith shop, where City Hall sits today, ca. 1895

Horses and buggies parked along Main Street before it was paved, ca. 1900

Horses and buggies parked along Main Street before it was paved, ca. 1900

Professor J.K. Hughes' class at the Franklin Training School on Natchez Street

Professor J.K. Hughes' class at the Franklin Training School on Natchez Street

A beautiful Victorian on the west side of Five Points, demolished in 1935

A beautiful Victorian on the west side of Five Points, demolished in 1935

Waiting for the picture show at the Franklin Theatre on Main Street, 1949

Waiting for the picture show at the Franklin Theatre on Main Street, 1949

Longhorn steers paraded down Main Street for the Franklin Rodeo, 1960s

Longhorn steers paraded down Main Street for the Franklin Rodeo, 1960s

Main Street facing west from the Public Square, 1970s

Main Street facing west from the Public Square, 1970s

Harlinsdale Farm before it became a city park, early 2000s

Harlinsdale Farm before it became a city park, early 2000s

Luminaries represent casualties of the 1864 Battle of Franklin

Luminaries represent casualties of the 1864 Battle of Franklin

Pumpkins have filled the fields for decades each fall at Gentry's Farm

Pumpkins have filled the fields for decades each fall at Gentry's Farm

The Flood of 2010, looking south down Fifth Avenue

The Flood of 2010, looking south down Fifth Avenue

Robin Hood's stunning shot of a winter wonderland, just after Christmas 2021

Robin Hood's stunning shot of a winter wonderland, just after Christmas 2021

 HISTORIC FRANKLIN: ALONG THE HARPETH is also available for purchase at Parnassus Books in Green Hills, Landmark Booksellers, the Franklin Visitors Center, Tin Cottage, The Harpeth Hotel, Battle of Franklin Trust historic sites, Times Past and Present in the Factory at Franklin.