Franklin, Tenn. Celebrates Demise Of The Pizza Hut

By Gregory L. Wade

January 2006

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — On the 141st anniversary of the Battle of Franklin, the end of a different kind of battle was celebrated in this historic city.

For many years local and national historians expressed anger about a Pizza Hut restaurant standing near the spot where Confederate Gen. Pat Cleburne was killed. Last April the site was pictured in a National Geographic article about battlefield preservation. The article gave incentive for the corporation to sell the quarter-acre lot to the city after the restaurant moved to another location.

The city government immediately jumped at the chance to purchase the building and lot for $300,000. The restaurant’s demolition was celebrated on Nov. 30.

James Lighthizer, president of the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT), said, "Today, more than anything else, the power of the people getting involved in this effort has helped retake the soul of this important site."

National Park Service Historian Emeritus Ed Bearss stirred the crowd with his booming voice and remembrances of Franklin many years ago — and his feelings about a Pizza Hut on such hallowed ground. He likened it to placing a restaurant on the World War II beaches at Omaha.

"What if we placed a Pizza Hut on Mount Suribachi where our Marines flew the flag at Iwo Jima?" asked Bearss, himself a Marine severely wounded in the Southwest Pacific. “I stand here today more as a veteran than a historian.”

The current city government has been very proactive in new preservation initiatives in Franklin were much of the battlefield appeared lost to development. Mayor Tom Miller helped spearhead the Pizza Hut purchase as well as funding for other major preservation projects in Franklin.

Citing the historical as well as the economic impact of tourism Miller said that along with preserving the town's legacy, "it is a smart economic move." Franklin's rising reputation as a Civil War destination will bring more tax dollars to the city's coffers.

Immediately following the speakers Miller boarded a piece of heavy construction equipment. To the delight of the crowd, and with assistance from the machine’s operator, he knocked holes in the restaurant roof.

Past mayor Lillian Stewart commented, "This is a real landmark effort on the part of local government and grassroots movement by the citizens." Michael Johnson, a local history buff who made it to the celebration, added, "General Cleburne must feel better knowing this will become a place of honor and not a cold place of modern business."

Two weeks earlier Congress approved the Franklin National Battlefield Study Act, which President Bush was expected to sign. It authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including Battle of Franklin sites in the National Park System.

The battle resulted in 9,000 casualties, including the deaths of six Confederate generals, the largest number of generals ever lost in an American battle. Eleven Medals of Honor were awarded.