FRANKLIN COUNTY


The Sewanee Natural Bridge
County Seat: Winchester
What's the oldest bridge in Tennessee? Well, it's not man-made. In Franklin County you will find the Sewanee Natural Bridge, a place along the edge of the Cumberland Plateau where erosion has carved out an unusual formation that you can walk across and walk under.

The 1899 Sewanee football team
PHOTO: University of the South
Also in Franklin County you will find the University of the South, sometimes known simply as "Sewanee" University. Today college football is dominated by huge public colleges. But when the sport was new some of the better teams were tiny private schools, and the University of the South at Sewanee was one of the best. In 1899 Sewanee’s football team beat five teams in six days --- those teams being Texas, Texas A&M, Tulane, Louisiana State and Mississippi. On the seventh day the team rested.
Franklin County is also home to a very cool (but much overlooked) train museum in a small town called Cowan. Click here to be taken on a virtual tour of it.

And here's a picture of the Franklin County Courthouse.