By Buffie Baril and Shelly Robertson Birdsong
Mary Pearce is one of Williamson County’s greatest heroes. She has invested four decades in preservation leadership and has worked tirelessly to ensure Williamson County is a place that honors its past and protects its historic resources. While Williamson County continues to be one of the fastest growing communities in America, it’s many national awards have been thanks to historic preservation successes; many of them a product of the feisty blonde, red lipstick wearing, gladiator of preservation – Mary Pearce.
“If I were a puppy dog with muddy feet, there would be a lot of paw prints everywhere,” says Mary. “My disclaimer is that I never did anything by myself. I always had a whole lot of other people helping. We have always had an incredible sales team for preserving Williamson County: Robert Hicks, Julian Bibb, Rudy Jordan, Calvin and Marilyn LeHew, Judy Hayes, Mary Mills and all the amazing board members and staff I have worked with over the years, to name a very few. We stand on the shoulders of people who started the historic preservation movement in Franklin. My personal mentors were Sue Berry, Bo Stewart, and Ruth Kinnard.”
And the Story Begins…
Back in 1967, Franklin was a sleepy rural town of about 7,000 people. Not much had changed since the 1864 Battle of Franklin. In 1967, the Corn House, one of Franklin’s most architecturally significant antebellum homes was torn down to make way for a gas station on the corner of 5th Avenue North and Bridge Street. Unbelievably, many citizens were outraged when the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County was formed to preserve the county’s historic resources.
For thirty-one years, from 1986-2017, Mary was the Executive Director of the Heritage Foundation. She began that journey, following in the footsteps of those early preservationists who knew Williamson County had something special and it needed to be saved. Mary eventually was entrusted with continuing the work and in her tenure, truly did save many of our priceless historic resources and sites.
“Many of these resources have brought millions of dollars along with awards for Franklin, all centering around historic preservation,” says Mary. “We need to run as fast as we can at saving historic resources and protecting community character, so we don’t become Anywhere, USA,” has been her mantra.
A Great Love Affair with Preservation
Originally from Somerset, Kentucky, as a young girl, Mary became interested in historic preservation. She watched her grandmother work on an old farmhouse with her beloved stepfather, Mr. Harry. Then her mother and stepfather bought and restored a historic home on Somerset’s Main Street.
“I loved everything about it—design, rehabilitation, cleaning wavy glass, identifying wood, and hanging out on the front porch. I made frequent trips to visit my grandparents and country relatives in Cabin Holler and Pisgah. I loved the barns, fields planted with crops, chicken coops, exploring for arrowheads, and the sleeping porch. My town and country churches were all historic buildings, as well as the icehouse, farm supply store, and downtown shopping stores.” The love affair had begun.
Mary had the great fortune to live in the incredible historic city of Charleston, South Carolina during her early years. “I was lucky to live right downtown at 20 State Street and volunteered with the Historic Charleston Foundation. This organization focused on preserving Charleston’s heritage through preservation initiatives, advocacy efforts, and house museums, was Mary’s first official foray into the world of preservation.
“Charleston’s Mayor at the time, Joe Riley, was a voice for historic preservation deeming nothing historic should be demolished and advocated for historic zoning. I witnessed first-hand what it meant to not be ‘Anywhere, USA’. I quickly realized the dollars and sense of historic preservation.”
When it came time to leave Charleston Mary was on the hunt for her next home. “I knew I wanted to be a short drive away from Somerset but also have a rich history like Charleston. I moved to 4th Avenue South in Franklin and my Williamson County historic preservation journey began. It was clear what Franklin had to offer. I immediately became involved in all thing’s preservation. When Rudy left the Heritage Foundation, it was suggested that I apply for the job, so I did. My background was non-profit work, but my passion was historic preservation.”
In 1986, Mary became the fourth Executive Director of the Heritage Foundation. The Downtown Franklin Association merged into the Foundation under her careful watch. Her small but mighty staff continued the Heritage Ball, the Town & Country Tour of Homes, and the downtown Franklin festivals, and throughout the year, many more amazing community events designed to raise awareness of historic preservation all while cultivating a culture of volunteerism and community pride from involvement. The Main Street Festival, Pumpkinfest, and Dickens of a Christmas continue to bring over 300,000 locals and visitors to downtown and add more than $10 million annually to the economy.
Former Alderman and longtime Franklin resident, Margaret Martin says, “Mary is my go-to person for just about everything! I once told a big developer who said he knew all about building in Franklin, but who asked me, ‘Who is Mary?’ I replied, ‘If you don’t know MARY, you know nothing about developing in Franklin!’.”
As Rudy says, “Mary has a wonderful, cheerful way of bringing people together to accomplish preservation projects. It has been the pleasure of my life to work with my best friend, Mary Pearce.” Rudy’s late husband Peter Jordan said of Mary, “Don’t ask Mary to do something unless you really mean it.”
The Dynamic Duo
Mary and Rudy were a dynamic duo for two decades helping make Franklin the Hallmark town it is today. They changed the face of historic Franklin through preservation projects, implementing historic zoning ordinances, and Streetscaping. They have been a voice for so many historic homes and buildings that might have been torn down or neglected.
When they both moved here in the 1970s, Franklin was not the charming city we all know and love. “I’m not sure you would have fallen in love with the Franklin I fell in love with,” explains Mary. Thankfully, historian Rick Warwick was documenting much of Franklin’s history, and men like Bill Powell and Michael Lee were working to restore dozens of old homes, buildings, and churches. In 1972, Franklin’s sixteen-block downtown area received recognition as a National Registered District. At the time, Franklin had the highest concentration of buildings possessing historic and architectural value in Tennessee. The original sixteen-block area of downtown was drawn up by Franklin’s founder Abram Maury.
The opening of I-65 brought an increase of new development to Franklin. A 30,000 sq. ft. shopping center on the southeast corner of Public Square was announced. The development demolished even more important buildings. The shopping center never became a huge success, and it closed in the early 1980s to be repurposed as Franklin’s City Hall.
Franklin’s Streetscape Program
After Mary became Director of the Heritage Foundation, she and Rudy worked hand-in-hand with supporters like Ed Silva, Bo Stewart and long-time downtown merchants to get Streetscape over the top. This was an effort to completely redesign the downtown streets and lower the crown of the streets to avoid future flooding of the downtown buildings. The project began in 1990 and included installing new sidewalks, streetlights, and trees from First to Fifth Avenue on Main Street. To help pay for the sidewalks, each property owner was assessed an amount by linear footage in front of their buildings through a 10-year special assessment tax.
Many downtown businesses were unamused by this effort and were definitely not supportive but when beloved local businessman John M. Green was willing to put an electric pole in front of his insurance/real estate office on 4th Avenue South (now Triple Crown Bakery), the merchant support began to change. Because of Mr. Green’s support, the Heritage Foundation was able to create a “model of streetscape” which helped in gaining support for the proposed improvements including streetlights, trees, underground wiring, and street benches.
Historic Zoning Overlays
In 1988, the Franklin board of Mayor and Aldermen tasked Rudy and Mary with determining the level of support among local residential and commercial property owners for the historic overlay zoning they were proposing. Historic zoning overlays are crucial to protecting historic resources like Franklin’s Main Street, along with historic buildings, homes, and neighborhoods.
They went door-to-door to canvas interest in protecting the historic properties in the sixteen blocks of the original town with local, enforceable legislation. They received huge support and got enough signatures for HZO passed by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
“Franklin did not happen by accident. We needed to create a vision to save historic places to make them part of our future,” explains Mary.
Saving the Places that Matter
As previously noted, Mary’s footprints are all over our community. Here are just a few of the major preservation projects she was a part of and in some cases, spearheaded.
The Factory at Franklin
The Factory at Franklin was going to be imploded for a movie and when Mary found out she went to local businessman, Calvin LeHew to help save it. Calvin could see the potential of The Factory and purchased it, thus saving it from implosion! Two decades later, The Factory at Franklin is bigger and better than ever as a destination for shopping, dining, theater, and events.
The McLemore House
Mary was a founding member of the African American Heritage Society and continues to be a member and steadfast volunteer to this day. Her efforts helped save the McLemore House, and now she is working with them to save the Merrill-Williams House at 264 Natchez Street.
Alma McLemore, director at the organization says, “The Heritage Foundation was doing great work, but the African American story was not being told. Mary got them to change that and got the board to approve buying the McLemore House. The Heritage Foundation purchased the house and deeded it to the African American Society for one dollar. Mary is the energizer bunny and gets things done. Her fingerprints are on everything in this community.” She even donated her grandmother’s antique furniture to the McLemore House Museum.”
Battlefield Reclamation
During the work to save the core downtown and especially, our now nationally recognized, Main Street, there were a handful of people like Roberts Hicks, Eric Jacobson, and Julian Bibb who were concerned about saving Civil War battlefield sites, along with Carnton, Carter House and other important historic homes and buildings. Mary joined forces and she was one of many who advocated for battlefield reclamation on Columbia Avenue where a Pizza Hut and Domino’s once sat near the Carter House. “We wanted the money to buy the Domino’s to reclaim the core of Franklin’s Civil War Battlefield,” she says. As part of that campaign, Mary sold pizzas for $1,000 to fundraise for the battlefield property.
Westhaven
When the Westhaven development was being discussed. Mary knew there was support to develop this farmland. She needed a visionary to protect that beautiful farmland and make it special. She encouraged Southern Land Company Founder and CEO Tim Downey to meet with architects Andres Duany and his wife Elizabeth who designed Seaside, Florida. Tim says, “I don’t think Westhaven would be what you see today if it hadn’t been for Mary coordinating a meeting with me to meet Andres Duany.”
“The main reason you want historic preservation is for the livability of the citizens,” says Mary. “It’s great to have tourists. They are saving us tax dollars. We want them, but there are lots of people in Franklin and Williamson County who can’t afford to travel everywhere. Those people need to have a great time right here every day.”
The Franklin Theatre
The community’s most beloved project was saving the Franklin Theatre. Built in 1937, the iconic Art Deco designed building was losing money and in disrepair. In 2007, the two gentlemen who owned it were willing to sell it to the Heritage Foundation. They were able to purchase the theater and the pool hall next door. Damon Rogers, a native and Heritage Foundation employee at the time, coined the theater “The Home of First Kisses.”
Guardian angel, Emily Magid, secretly loaned the Heritage Foundation $2 million to purchase it and get it into friendly hands. She later forgave the loan. Businessman and philanthropist, Cal Turner Jr., donated a $1 million lead gift to the project. Shannon and Charlie Martin issued a challenge grant to complete the funding.
As more expenses were incurred, Preston and Beth Ingram gave an additional $1 million. With the help of many more donors, the Franklin Theatre underwent an $8.6 million renovation that took four years to complete. The project was blessed to have full engagement and support of the Heritage Foundation Board and incredible volunteers like Aubrey Preston.
Cyril Stewart, former Heritage Foundation Board President says, “Mary has this amazing ability to get people on board with her enthusiasm, her logic, and the way she approaches people. She reaches into their hearts, and ultimately their pocketbook.”
“Magic began happening on Main Street with the opening of the Franklin Theatre. Young people were being employed, and businesses were finally staying open later at night. It especially helped the restaurants,” Mary says.
The Old Old Jail
In 2013, Mary was worried the Heritage Foundation had no permanent home. Mary and her staff encouraged the Heritage Foundation Board to approach the City of Franklin to buy the Old Old Jail on Bridge Street as a permanent location. They had been located at the Five Points Post Office but could not secure a long-term lease. The Old Old Jail had mold, peeling lead paint, asbestos, and was boarded up for over a decade with a leaking roof. The Heritage Foundation was eventually able to gain donor support although it took some convincing! The Old Old Jail was viewed as a blighted building. Mary was told, “This is the most outrageous thing we have ever heard of. The building was an environmental disaster,” explains Mary. “It took three years to restore, and how blessed we were to have a permanent home of the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County. Look at it now!”
It Takes a Village
Mary credits all her volunteers, board members, donors and city and county supporters, as her angels and how she was able to accomplish all she has. But her love for her staff, throughout all thirty plus years at the Heritage Foundation was integral to making sure the work got done on a daily basis. And luckily, she was always armed with a small but mighty team, all dedicated to preservation work in our community.
“My best day was offering Rick Warwick an office in the Five Points Post Office, which served as The Heritage Foundation offices at the time,” says Mary. Since Williamson County Historian Rick Warwick was at the Williamson County Archives every day, Mary invited Rick to have an office inside their Heritage Foundation offices. “Rick Warwick is our magic sauce,” says Mary. I never approached City Hall or a preservation project without Rick’s help. He would always know the history and a photo to help champion a property.”
Rick Warwick says, “Mary Pearce has had a monumental impact on Franklin and Williamson County. Her leadership in preservation is unparalleled. Thank God for Mary Pearce.”
Shelly Robertson Birdsong, former Heritage Foundation Director of Events and Fundraising says, “We had so much fun and success during my time at the Heritage Foundation. While working with Mary Pearce, I learned everything I know about community engagement and collaboration with other organizations, volunteerism, along with having a small team doing big things.”
There were so many amazing people who worked with Mary at the Foundation including Nancy Williams and later Kristy Williams who both served as Main Street Directors under the Heritage Foundation.
A Legacy for Generations
So how would Mary like to be remembered? “I would like to be remembered as someone who cared a lot and made a difference in saving places that matter.
Mary humbly says, “I have gotten to do my passion. Historic Preservation takes everyone, so I want to be clear, I never did anything alone. I had the help of other organizations and amazing visionaries and philanthropists. I hope newcomers can understand that nothing that is preserved happened by accident. We can lose the very things that attract people and businesses to this place we call HOME one seemingly reasonable decision at a time.”
When asked about the future of Franklin, Mary says, “We always need a bit of magic and today it would be to create a Franklin and Williamson County planning committee that honors and protects our community’s historic resources. This includes the architectural treasures, historic roadways, cemeteries, hillsides and century farms as we continue to grow. We are a place people want to live because of our community character. The historic resources most at risk are all the structures throughout Williamson County that have no historic zoning protection and/or a conservation easement. One current example is Beechwood Hall. The Masonic Hall is another because it’s a National Historic Landmark, the only other property in Williamson County to receive such a designation is the Franklin Battlefield.”
Franklin owes Mary such a debt of gratitude. Because of her dedication, we get to live in the best city in America. We are the community we are today because of Mary Pearce. Where would we be without Mary? Take a moment to imagine what our town, our battlefield, our Main Street, our countryside, our history would look like without the gift of historic preservation and the tireless efforts of Mary and so many. Thank you, Mary Pearce, we are so grateful you chose our home to leave your extraordinary legacy.
