The Lotz House in Franklin is offering 90-minute Ghost Tours every Saturday night through October. The Travel Channel named the Civil War-era home "The Second Most Terrifying Place in America."

The guided tours begin at 6 p.m. with check-in at 5:45 p.m. at 1111 Columbia Ave. Reservations are required.

Executive Director Thomas Y. Cartwright told FranklinIs that what started as an October-only offering grew into a year-round program. "We started off offering Ghost Tours only in October, but the demand was so high we offer the tours throughout the year," Cartwright said.

The tours focus on unexplained occurrences staff and visitors have reported inside the 1858 house. The home still bears structural damage from cannonball fire during the Nov. 30, 1864, Battle of Franklin. After the fighting, it served as a hospital for soldiers on both sides.

Visitors have reported a woman crying out for a loved one, a little girl staring out a window and objects that won't stay in place. The house has appeared on the Travel Channel's "Haunted Live" and "The Most Terrifying Places in America."

Johann Albert Lotz, a master woodworker who immigrated from Germany, built the house and used it as a showroom for his woodworking business. On the eve of the battle, he moved his family across the street to the brick Carter House for safety. His daughter, Matilda Lotz, became a talented artist. More than a dozen of her original paintings still hang inside.

Beyond the Ghost Tours, the Lotz House offers two specialty tours by reservation. Kelly Kautzman leads a Women's History Tour exploring civilian life for women in the 1860s and the experiences that shaped young Matilda Lotz. That tour starts at 6:30 p.m. with check-in at 6:15 p.m.

Cartwright leads a Walking Battlefield Tour that retraces the steps soldiers took during the Battle of Franklin. To reserve any specialty tour, call 615-790-7190.

The Williamson County Public Library's Franklin branch will also host a free program, "Behind the Walls of the Lotz House," on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 10 to 11 a.m. in the meeting room at 1314 Columbia Ave. The program is open to adults 18 and older.

The Lotz House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976, offers regular house tours at the top of every hour without a reservation.

Upcoming at the Lotz House

  • Every Saturday through October — Ghost Tours, 6 p.m., 1111 Columbia Ave. Reservations required: 615-790-7190.
  • Thursday, Oct. 29 — "Behind the Walls of the Lotz House," free library program, 10–11 a.m., 1314 Columbia Ave.