Reverend Franklin G. Smith (1797-1866) founded the Columbia Athenaeum in Columbia, Tennessee in 1852. It was devoted to the cause of Female Education, on Christian Principles and taught young women all of the subjects that a contemporary young man would learn. The school boasted a substantial collection of natural history specimens, modern scientific equipment, a library of over 10,000 volumes, and a collection of fine art. Rev. Smith operated the school until his death and was succeeded by his wife, Sarah Ann (Davis) Smith (1811-1871), and later his son, Robert Davis Smith (1841-1912). In 1904, the school was closed and the property sold. The existing campus served as a high school until 1914, when everything except the rectory building was demolished to make way for the Columbia Central High School. The Smith family retained the rectory as a private residence until 1973, when Fannie Louise (Smith) Davis (1877-1984) donated it to the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities for the use of the people of Maury County.