Elm Springs, a historic Greek Revival mansion located just outside Columbia, Tennessee, was constructed in 1837 by wealthy New Orleans cotton merchants James and Nathaniel Dick as a wedding gift for their sister, Sarah Dick Todd, and her husband, Christopher Todd. The two-story brick home, built by master builder Nathan Vaught on a 500-acre property named for its abundant elm trees and natural springs, features classic elements such as a two-story portico with Doric columns, wide hallways, and spacious rooms, making it one of the finest surviving examples of antebellum architecture in Maury County. The Todds resided there for the remainder of their lives, establishing it as a prominent cotton plantation in the region.
Following the Todds' deaths, the property passed to their daughter, Susan Todd Looney, and her husband, Abraham M. Looney, a prominent attorney, Tennessee state senator, and Confederate officer who rose from captain to lieutenant colonel in the 1st Tennessee Infantry during the Civil War. In November 1864, amid the Franklin-Nashville Campaign, Union forces under General John M. Schofield, preparing to withdraw from Columbia, targeted Elm Springs for destruction as part of a "burn line" to clear fields of fire, setting fires inside the house. However, arriving Confederate cavalry under Brigadier General Frank C. Armstrong extinguished the flames and prevented its total loss, later using the mansion to shelter convalescing officers, including General John C. Brown, who would become Tennessee's governor. Post-war, the property changed hands to the Akin family around 1910, then to Howard and Rebecca T. Blocker in 1946, with Rebecca retaining ownership into the 1970s.
In 1985, the Gillham family acquired Elm Springs and undertook restorations to return it to near-original condition, leading to its addition to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The Sons of Confederate Veterans purchased the property in 1992, establishing it as their international headquarters and, until a 2005 split over political differences, sharing it with the Military Order of the Stars and Bars. Today, the seven-acre site includes the restored mansion open for tours and rentals, alongside a recently added multi-million-dollar National Confederate Museum housing artifacts and offices, preserving its role as a key link to Tennessee's antebellum and Civil War heritage while drawing visitors interested in Southern history.
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