“Robert Hicks — renowned historic preservationist, art collector, music publisher, world-class raconteur and author of three novels, two of them national best-sellers — died Friday at his home near Franklin.” With those words from his obituary, a life had come to an end, and a light went out in our corner of the world. But an indelible legacy lives on in the history of Franklin and Williamson County.

Upon hearing of Robert’s death, I was struck by the fact that I had just seen him. Out and about, doing Robert things, I assumed. I suppose we all have that moment of shock when we hear about someone who has died unexpectedly in our minds, especially when they are larger than life. I knew Robert Hicks but would never presume to label me as a friend, although after these last few weeks of reading and hearing the many tributes to him, perhaps I am wrong. I would be honored if so. I considered him an icon of our local community history and much more than local, as his reach and legacy went far beyond this county. As a history lover, I admired and respected him and his contributions to all I hold dear about our town. Also, as a writer, I saw him as someone to emulate. I could never do his tribute justice; however, I have pulled from those who knew him well and found that beyond the accolades and the many, many, many contributions – perhaps the things he would have found quiet joy from more than anything – would have more likely been the feel of his precious companion Grace and previously,  Jake, the world’s greatest dog (who went with him everywhere); the taste of delicious pimento cheese or even the exhilaration of an excellent seersucker suit. 

Photography by: Nelson Eddy

Robert came to Tennessee in his early twenties from what he referred to as a small southern town, otherwise known as Palm Beach, Florida. He eventually worked in music publishing and with country music artists such as George Ducas, John Hiatt, Amy Grant and Vince Gill. Later, he partnered with B.B. King on the musician’s nationwide chain of blues clubs — for which he earned the title “Curator of Vibe” from the legendary bluesman.

 

Whether he was a “curator of vibe,” a “whiskey preservationist,” or a “national treasure,” all of which appear on his business card, he was someone no one forgot upon meeting, and for whom life was a gift he treasured and measured by the beautiful life well lived. His was filled with exemplary moments, tremendous personal success and profoundly significant successes in the things he championed for this community. His was a life of merit few men see, but he was not one to boast, only pass on his seemingly unlimited knowledge, wit, wisdom and gift of storytelling to anyone lucky enough to be his audience. 

 

“He lived his life filled with gratitude…certainly over the last few years of his life,” Mindy Tate, a good friend, said upon his passing. “We’re just sad, and we’re going to miss him. But we want to live our lives in gratitude for his friendship and exemplify his life.”

 

Whether you knew Robert or not, his legacy can be seen all around us here in Williamson County. To enumerate a list of his contributions would be more pages than this piece would allow. But just to name a few:  

 

Carnton: This historic house changed his life. Robert became fascinated with the 1864 Battle of Franklin — a desperate Confederate last stand at which some two thousand men died in a single afternoon — and with a dilapidated mansion that had served as a field hospital near the center of the fighting. In the battle’s aftermath, Carnton’s front garden became a burial ground where the graves of 1,481 Confederate dead were tended for decades by the plantation’s mistress, Carrie McGavock. Hicks spearheaded the house’s restoration, and soon it was said of his service to this work that he was “the driving force in the restoration and preservation of Historic Carnton Plantation.”

 

Franklin’s Charge: “Our greatest legacy to this community will be that everyone will forget we did this and that what they will remember is what happened when those boys, men, came here on November 30, 1864. That’s hopefully what we are laying the foundation for. That someday there will be a seamless piece of land that tells that story,” said Robert as Co-founder and President of the battlefield reclamation effort known as Franklin’s Charge. He led the “charge” to secure and preserve both battlefields and other historic open space in Williamson County. Franklin’s Charge took on the massive mission of saving what remains of the eastern flank of the battlefield at Franklin – the largest remaining undeveloped fragment of the battlefield – and turning it into a public battlefield park. The American Battlefield Protection Program has called this endeavor “the largest battlefield reclamation in North American history.” By the end of 2005, Franklin’s Charge had already raised over 5 million dollars toward this goal, surpassing anything ever done within any other community in America to preserve battlefield open space. As Jim Lighthizer, President of the Civil War Preservation Trust, has said, “There is no ‘close second’ in any community in America to what Robert Hicks and Franklin’s Charge has done in Franklin.” 

 

Photography by: Nelson Eddy

The Books: National celebrity came when Robert turned to writing fiction. His first novel, set in Franklin at none other than his beloved Carnton, was the New York Times Bestseller, The Widow of the South. His success had similar repercussions for Franklin: The town boomed as a destination for heritage tourists and now draws more than 125,000 such visitors every year, more than 50,000 of whom visit Carnton. He followed with A Separate Country and The Orphan Mother. “The Battle of Franklin,” Robert often said, “was where the Old South died.” The phrase summed up both his romantic fascination with the region and his acknowledgment of its history’s darker shadows. Robert’s essays on regional history, southern material culture, furniture and music have appeared in numerous publications over the years. He wrote op-eds for The New York Times on contemporary politics in the South. He was also a regular contributor to Garden & Gun.

 

His friendships and his impact on individuals far and near were no more evident than as he was laid to rest in the shadow of his muse, Carnton. “Among his gifts, Robert was a great collector of people,” wrote one friend on Facebook shortly after his passing. Even as he battled cancer over the past four years, other friends said, Robert’s outstanding characteristic was his enduring sense of gratitude. “The glass of life is overflowing,” he wrote just a few days before death.

 

Those wishing to honor Robert’s commitment to Franklin and battlefield reclamation may designate memorials to Franklin’s Charge and visit for more information at franklinscharge.org or the Battle of Franklin Trust at boft.org.  

To commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Franklin, in 2014, Hicks released the first small batch of his bourbon whiskey, Battlefield Bourbon. Each of the 1,864 bottles is numbered and signed by Hicks. He said his decision to release Battlefield Bourbon, “My decision to only produce 1,864 bottles of Battlefield Bourbon this year makes it pretty much the smallest batch of small-batch bourbon anywhere. Yet, it only seemed right as I promised myself that whatever I produced would be really good and really rare. Besides, as I am signing and numbering every bottle, I figured that I needed to protect the old signing hand, and 1,864 bottles seemed like enough. Of course, 1864 is the year of the Battle of Franklin, which this sesquicentennial commemoration is all about. 

provided by friend, Susan Besser

Robert had posted this on his Facebook page, as it had been evidently requested by so many who had become acquainted with it. As enthusiastic as he was for history, he also was an aficionado of pimento cheese, Miss Daisy’s poppy seed chicken and chicken pot pie, so I am told, just to name a few. As with anything penned by Robert, the recipe is filled with anecdotal additional information to add to the “story” of the best pimento cheese!

 

• 1 lb. finely grated cheddar cheese (Don’t buy it already grated, grate it yourself)
• 1/3 cup of drained and finely chopped pimentos from a jar
• 2 Tbsp. of finely chopped Jalapeno peppers 
• 6 Tbsp. of Duke’s Mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. on Louisiana Hot Sauce
• 1 tsp. finely chopped garlic
• ½ tsp. of kosher salt 
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. of dill pickle brine
• 1 ½ tsp. Dijon mustard

 

In a mixing bowl, mix the Duke’s Mayonnaise, Louisiana Hot Sauce, chopped garlic, pickle brine, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir well. Then add the cheese, red pimentos, Jalapenos, and grated cheese. Mix and store in the refrigerator. 

 

Note: I like it hotter than some folks and use fresh Jalapenos. Whether you use fresh or picked and how much you use should be done to taste. Be forewarned. I also add 1/4 cup of chopped green onion, but again it is optional. My friend, Laura Stockett Roberts, adds 1/4 cup of chopped pecans, which I like, but as she is from Mississippi, she probably adds chopped pecans to her spaghetti sauce, too. They sure do love their pecans in Mississippi. 

 

Makes around 3 cups (Without the chopped onions and pecans). I usually double it all as it keeps. 

 

According to my friend, Patricia Munro, Palmetto Pimento Cheese is better than mine. She repeated that to me three times one day in a conversation. I like it, but no one else has ever said that. It sure is a lot easier. 

 

As for me, I’ll stick with mine. In fact, I am eating it right now. If someone over the age of eight claims to be a Southerner and doesn’t like Pimento Cheese, avoid them. They are not to be trusted.

 

I say amen to that~

SRB