![]() ![]() It was also there that she witnessed the jobs allowed, or not allowed, to those who had previously been enslaved. The cooks and maids at the hotel were Black women, as was “Mammy Susan,” the woman who helped care for the Bringhurst children. It must’ve been evident to Lulu from a young age, that her world had rules and that true opportunity, freedom, and choices were given to certain people, but denied to others.īy all accounts, Lulu grew up to be a remarkable woman. She was intelligent, articulate, and a gracious host. It was there that Lulu must have begun to observe the different roles allowed to men and women in a bustling southern town. Their schedules were often determined by the arrival of steamboats and also the railroad schedule, as people came and went accomplishing their business in Middle Tennessee. How many dinners did she witness in that busy hotel dining room and what types of interesting conversations did she overhear? Her life and the life of her family orbited around the hotel and its visitors. Franklin House on Public Square in Clarksville, Tennessee It was at the hotel that Lulu spent her childhood, watching visitors from all walks of life pass through its doors: dignitaries, performers, steamboat men, traveling salesmen, minsters, and, of course, leisure travelers. Lulu was born in Clarksville in 1870 and was the oldest of Billy and Sallie Bringhurst’s 10 children. The Bringhurst family was well known in Clarksville during their time. They ran a prominent hotel for decades, called “The Franklin House,” which used to be located where the F&M Bank now stands on Public Square. ![]() She was heavily involved in two particular issues that continue to affect our lives today. I decided to delve further into her life and discovered that she was a very interesting woman. Not long after I noticed Lulu’s name in the cave, local historians began researching the women’s suffrage movement in Clarksville and Lulu Epperson’s name began to surface more and more. ![]() Dunbar Cave is more than a natural wonder it is also a well-preserved autograph book from Clarksville’s colorful past. There her name was, written with candle soot over 130 years ago, and so very well preserved in the cool air of the cave. One of the best parts of the cave tour is reading the names written on the walls and ceilings of the different cavernous rooms. I first noticed Lulu’s name while on a tour of Dunbar Cave. She was complicated, just as our country’s history is often complicated. They were inspiring and heroic people, confounding people, and sometimes very complicated people. Often the themes woven throughout their lives are straightforward, but sometimes, they are truly a dichotomy. They have left their marks and affected the conditions of the lives we live today. All types of people have lived and died here, but they are not just ashes to ashes, dust to dust. There are a lot of old stories embedded in the dirt of Tennessee. ![]()
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