The rich heritage of Macon County is reflected in three distinctly different museums

The Macon County Gem and Mineral Museum is located in the old jailhouse and displays minerals prevalent in the area, Native American artifacts, and gem and mineral collections from around the world. The collections attest to the age of the mountains — some of the oldest in the world — and also highlight the area’s connection to places as nationally important as the Washington Monument.

One of the most significant milestones in the Franklin area was the discovery of corundum — believed to have occurred in 1865 — whose gem varieties are ruby and sapphire, earning Franklin the title “Gem Capital of the World.” Corundum is an aluminum oxide that can be used to create aluminum. The mineral ties Macon County to one of the nation’s most famous landmarks. “The cap on the Washington Monument is made from aluminum refined from Macon County corundum,” said Fred Plesner, publicity coordinator for the museum.

Another early discovery was a white clay called kaolin, the many uses of which include the manufacture of china and porcelain. “Kaolin was discovered in 1767, and the first piece of Wedgwood Pottery ever made came from Macon County clay,” said Plesner.

At the Macon County Historical Museum, visitors can view exhibits covering pre-European contact to recent history. “We basically cover about 10,000 years of history,” said Steven Rice, Executive Director of the museum. The museum is run by the Macon County Historical and Genealogical Society, which was founded in 1946 to protect the Nikwasi Mound. The mound marks what used to be the Cherokee village of Nikwasi, an important cultural center. The oldest pieces in the museum are found in the ancient artifacts exhibit, which displays tools and ceremonial pieces used by ancestors of the Cherokee. Other exhibits include a display of early medical equipment, period dress attire, Civil War clothing and artifacts, and much more. The museum also regularly hosts historical reenactments, especially related to the Civil War era.  

While viewing pieces of history in the exhibits, you also walk through an important part of Franklin history. The museum’s building was originally the Pendergrass store, built in 1904 as a general store and a main gathering place for the community through the early 20th century. Another major need the museum serves is to provide a clearinghouse for historical and genealogical information. According to Rice, approximately 20 percent of visitors to the museum come for research purposes, either for personal family information or for historical projects. Serving in such a capacity allows the museum to help individuals connect to their history on a personal level.

Franklin’s third museum, the Scottish Tartans Museum, serves both as a general Scottish cultural center and specifically to preserve and educate about Scottish tartans. It is appropriate that a museum focused on Scottish history and culture be located here. Macon County saw a major influx of Scottish, specifically Scots-Irish, immigrants in the post-Revolutionary War era. Scots-Irish refers to people who emigrated from Scotland through Ireland to the U.S., often over several generations, according to Matt Newsome, Director of the museum. Many families in the area are of Scottish ancestry.

“This area was settled by the Scots-Irish, and that still carries over in certain ways like the music, place names and some of the dialect,” said Rice of the Historical Museum.

So what is a tartan? According to Newsome, “a tartan is a pattern of interlocking horizontal and vertical stripes.” These days, that type of pattern is commonly (mistakenly it turns out) called a plaid. Over time, certain tartans became associated with specific Scottish clans and places. Given the area’s strong Scottish roots, the Scottish Tartans Society chose Macon County as the location for a U.S. museum. Visitors to the museum can learn about Scottish history and the Scots-Irish immigration to the area and if they are of Scottish decent, can view their clan tartan. The tartans displayed at the museum are, in a sense, a living history that can help individuals connect to their ancestry or help educate visitors about an important cultural influence in the region.

The museums of Franklin reflect some of the key cultural threads still prevalent today: they show a place where Native and European cultures met and intertwined; a place at once far removed from important metropolises and surprisingly connected; a place still strongly rooted in its past and ready to help individuals connect to theirs.

Museums in Franklin

• Macon County Gem & Mineral Museum — 828.369.7831 or www.fgmm.org
• Macon County Historical Museum — 828.524.9758 or www.maconnchistorical.org
• Scottish Tartans Museum — 828.524.7472 or www.scottishtartans.org