Battle of Franklin Trust

What Battle of Franklin Trust does

The Battle of Franklin Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that preserves, interprets, and provides public access to three Civil War historic sites in middle Tennessee: Carter House (built 1830, Federal command post during the Battle of Franklin), Carnton (built 1826, the largest Confederate field hospital following the battle, with a Confederate cemetery), and Rippa Villa (built early 1850s, site of the Battle of Spring Hill). The Trust serves general public visitors, descendants of Civil War participants, K-12 student groups, and organized group tours, offering a layered product portfolio that includes Classic House Tours at each site, specialty tours (Battlefield, Extended, Behind the Scenes, and Slavery and the Enslaved), educational programming for schools, The Dispatch membership magazine (three issues per year), and The Dispatch podcast. The organization employs 40+ staff and is governed by a 14-member Board of Directors under CEO Eric A. Jacobson, with a Director of African & African American History leading interpretation of slavery and the enslaved experience across all three sites.

The Trust's core technology is minimal and inherently analog: guided in-person tours, a Squarespace-hosted website (boft.org), an online merchandise store (store.boft.org), and content distribution via a YouTube channel (BOFT Films), Facebook pages for each site, and Instagram accounts (@boft1864, @rippavilla). There is no proprietary software, no mobile app, and no disclosed API or AI capability. The technical stack is conventional nonprofit web infrastructure supporting ticket booking, membership enrollment, group tour reservations, donations, and archival access to The Dispatch magazine and podcast.

Revenue is generated from four primary streams: admissions to guided tours (transaction-based), gift shop and online store sales (transaction fees), recurring annual memberships tied to The Dispatch magazine and podcast (subscription), and charitable donations. A newer transaction-fee stream is professional photography sessions at $75 per hour. The Trust also pursues episodic capital campaigns for preservation, exemplified by the multi-year partnership with the Civil War Trust and Franklin's Charge that raised more than $3.2 million to acquire and preserve the Carter Cotton Gin battlefield property, opened to the public in November 2014. The Trust maintains Charity Navigator Four-Star and Candid Platinum Seal ratings, signaling strong nonprofit transparency and accountability.

Name

Battle of Franklin Trust

Legal name

The Battle of Franklin Trust

Website

https://boft.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Battle of Franklin Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates three Civil War historic sites in middle Tennessee (Carter House, Carnton, and Rippa Villa), offering guided tours, specialty historical tours, educational programs for schools, a membership magazine, and a podcast to visitors, students, and descendants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Site Management and Museum Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Historical Sites (712120)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Historic site preservation
• Civil war museums
• Guided historical tours
• Museum education programs
• Nonprofit cultural heritage

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Admissions: Revenue from ticket sales for guided tours at Carter House, Carnton, and Rippa Villa.
2. Gift Shop Sales: Revenue from merchandise sold at the organization's store.
3. Membership: Annual membership program providing The Dispatch magazine (3 times per year), podcast support, and other membership benefits.
4. Donations: Donations from supporters; the organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
5. Professional Photography Sessions: Revenue from scheduling professional photography sessions at the sites, costing $75 per hour.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Battle of Franklin Trust operates and preserves three antebellum historic sites in middle Tennessee — Carter House, Carnton, and Rippa Villa — providing daily guided tours and specialty tours (Battlefield, Extended, Behind the Scenes, and Slavery and the Enslaved Tours). The Trust also runs student group educational programs, publishes The Dispatch magazine, produces The Dispatch podcast, operates an online gift shop, and sustains operations through membership and donation programs.

Product overview

The Battle of Franklin Trust operates a unified offering of historical site management and educational programs centered on three antebellum properties in middle Tennessee: Carter House, Carnton, and Rippa Villa. The core experience consists of guided house tours at each site, supplemented by specialty tour products (Battlefield Tours, Extended Tours, Behind the Scenes Tours, and Slavery and the Enslaved Tours) that provide deeper historical interpretation. The organization extends its reach through The Dispatch magazine (published three times yearly) and The Dispatch podcast, which serve as content products telling Civil War stories. Student group tours and a membership program round out the educational offerings. The portfolio is held together by a mission to preserve, understand, and interpret the impact of the American Civil War on the American people.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Carter House Guided Tours

Quantifiable outcome

• By 2014, visitation to Carnton exceeded 50,000 visitors annually for the first time.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Civil War Trust (CWT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012The Civil War Trust partnered with Franklin's Charge to preserve seven acres of battlefield at the Carter Cotton Gin property. The CWT provided federally funded enhancement grants administered through TDOT, along with funds raised by the CWT, totaling more than $3.2 million in campaign fundraising. The CWT closed on the Domino's strip center property (site of the Carter family cotton gin) in December 2012 at a cost of $1.85 million for this piece of the battlefield puzzle.
• Franklin's ChargecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Franklin's Charge is a battlefield preservation collaborative that worked alongside the Civil War Trust and the Battle of Franklin Trust to save critical portions of the Franklin battlefield. Franklin's Charge President Paul Gaddis served on the team of historians planning the Carter Cotton Gin Park. Franklin's Charge was considered one of the most successful battlefield preservation collaboratives in the nation. It received the 2006 and 2011 Chairman's Awards from the Civil War Trust. $60,000 in pledges to Franklin's Charge remained for the property to be owned free and clear.
• Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)minorOthers · 1 January 2012TDOT administered a federally funded enhancement grant that partially funded the purchase of the Domino's strip center property (Carter family cotton gin site) as part of the battlefield preservation effort. The TDOT Commissioner John Schroer noted the city's nationally recognized work to preserve the Battle of Franklin battlefield.
• The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Heritage Foundation owned one of three houses to be relocated from properties adjacent to the Carter Cotton Gin Park preservation site. They partnered with Franklin's Charge and the Trust in the coordinated preservation effort.
• Tennessee Historical CommissionminorOthersThe Carter House is designated as a Tennessee Historical Commission State Owned-Historic Site. The Commission oversees and supports the site's preservation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Tennessee State Museum: Tennessee's state-operated history museum interpreting state history including Civil War. Regional peer sharing the Tennessee heritage tourism market and educational programming audience.

Others

• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit focused on historic preservation advocacy, grants, and member support. Adjacent player providing grant funding, policy support, and member services to local historic site operators like the Battle of Franklin Trust.

Direct peers

• Vicksburg National Military Park / Vicksburg Foundation: Mississippi Civil War battlefield site. Comparable as a preserved Civil War battlefield with interpretation, education programming, and visitor services focused on a pivotal 1863 engagement.
• Franklin's Charge: Battlefield preservation collaborative that has worked directly with the Battle of Franklin Trust. Closely related preservation partner/peer focused on Franklin-area battlefield land acquisition and protection.
• American Battlefield Trust: National nonprofit that preserves Civil War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 battlefields through land acquisition. Directly comparable preservation mission, partnership ecosystem (they have partnered with Battle of Franklin Trust), and fundraising/grant model.
• Antietam National Battlefield / Antietam Institute: Maryland Civil War battlefield with affiliated preservation organization. Comparable mission of battlefield preservation, interpretation, and educational programming tied to a single significant 1862-1864 engagement.
• Shiloh National Military Park (Shiloh battlefield preservation orgs): Tennessee-based Civil War battlefield site with adjacent preservation nonprofits. Comparable as a Tennessee Civil War battlefield experience with on-site interpretation, education, and visitor services.
• Gettysburg Foundation: Nonprofit partner of Gettysburg National Military Park that preserves, restores, and interprets the Gettysburg Battlefield. Directly comparable as a Civil War battlefield preservation nonprofit operating multiple historic structures and offering tours, educational programs, and membership.

Broad incumbents

• Mount Vernon Ladies' Association: Nonprofit that preserves and operates George Washington's historic estate. Comparable nonprofit historic site operator with multi-stream revenue (admissions, membership, retail), preservation mission, and educational programming — but at significantly larger scale and broader brand recognition.
• Colonial Williamsburg Foundation: Large-scale historic site operator running an entire restored colonial town. Comparable multi-site historic interpretation business with admissions, membership, retail, and educational programming — though much larger and operating a different era.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCpXQDxSTRdrS7udRu1GMrw
• Facebookfacebook.com/BOFT1864
• Instagraminstagram.com/boft1864
• Xx.com/battlefranklin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/battle-of-franklin-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Battle of Franklin Trust