Elm Springs is a two-story, brick house built in 1837 in the

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

style. It is located just outside

Columbia, Tennessee Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. The population was 41,690 as of the 2020 United States census. Columbia is included in the Nashville metropolitan area. The self-proclaimed "mule capital of the world," Colu ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1986 and has served as the headquarters for the

Sons of Confederate Veterans The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers that commemorates these ancestors, funds and dedicates monuments to them, and promotes the pseudohisto ...

since 1992.

History

The house was built in 1837 by brothers James and Nathaniel Dick, wealthy

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

cotton merchants, as a gift for their sister, Sarah Todd. Sarah and her husband, Christopher Todd, lived in Elm Springs for the rest of their lives. After their deaths, the property went to their daughter, Susan Todd. She was the wife of Abraham M. Looney, a prominent attorney in Maury County and a Tennessee State Senator. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Looney was an outspoken southerner and served in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in command of Company H, 1st Tennessee Infantry which

Sam Watkins Samuel Rush Watkins (June 26, 1839 – July 20, 1901) was an American writer and humorist. He fought through the entire American Civil War and saw action in many battles. Today, he is best known for his memoir ''"Co. Aytch"'' (1882), which rec ...

of " Company Aytch" fame was a member. Looney was later promoted to lieutenant colonel. In November 1864 Confederate units of the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was a Field army, field army of the Confederate States Army in the Western theater of the American Civil War, Western Theater of the American Civil War. Named for the Confederate States of America, Confederate state of Tenn ...

began the march north for

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

in the ill-fated Franklin-Nashville Campaign. The Union Army, which had occupied Maury County for several months, was preparing defensive positions ahead of the oncoming Confederate troops under General John B. Hood in a line of defense extending from the Mooresville Pike to the Mount Pleasant Pike. As Union forces under the command of General

John M. Schofield John McAllister Schofield (; September 29, 1831 – March 4, 1906) was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He was appointed U.S. Secretary of War (1868–1869) under President Andrew Johnson and later serve ...

began their hasty withdrawal from Columbia, they began destroying important buildings along the line of withdrawal by fire as a defensive tactic, and many of Maury County's

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern US ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum architectu ...

homes were destroyed. Elm Springs anchored the eastern flank of their line and was slated for destruction as the last Union troops left Columbia. Responding to pleas from local citizens, Confederate Brigadier General Frank C. Armstrong dispatched a squad of mounted infantry to ensure the safety of Lieutenant Colonel Looney's home and property. The house likely would have burned down if it had not been for the arrival of Confederate troops who extinguished the fires they found. The Akin family acquired the property about 1910 and in 1985 the Gillham family purchased it and restored it to near original state. On March 4, 1946, Mr. Howard Blocker and his wife, Rebecca T. Blocker purchased the estate. Mr. Blocker owned Columbia Paving and was a prominent member of the city. Mr. Blocker passed away and Mrs. Blocker held the home until the 1970's.See Book 259, page 59/Book 241 page 309 of the Register's office of Maury County In 1992 it became the headquarters of the

and the

Military Order of the Stars and Bars A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

. Together, the two organizations co-published a magazine, ''Confederate Veteran''. In late 2005, the organizations separated over political differences and the Military Order of Stars and Bars moved from Elm Springs to Daphne, Alabama.

References

External links

Official website

Elm Springs Slideshow
{{National Register of Historic Places Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee Greek Revival houses in Tennessee Houses completed in 1837 Sons of Confederate Veterans Historic house museums in Tennessee Museums in Maury County, Tennessee Houses in Columbia, Tennessee Headquarters in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Maury County, Tennessee