Two upcoming events are scheduled over the next week at your Tennessee State Museum. Saturday is a special tour highlighting Veterans. Thursday is a virtual and in-person look at a role Tennessee played in the Trail of Tears.
Saturday, November 11, the Veterans Day Highlight Tour started at 11:00 a.m. with free admission. Tennesseans have served on land, by sea, and in the air. In honor of Veterans Day, this special tour will take visitors through the military history of the state, from the longhunters on the Tennessee frontier to the modern day.
Chief Curator Richard White will highlight related stories and artifacts throughout the Museum galleries as he offers insight into the various displays. Join us to honor these men and women while gaining a deeper understanding of Tennessee military history. Space is limited and is on a first come, first served basis, with priority given to those who RSVP through Eventbrite through the museum website.
Thursday, November 16 from 12 Noon – 1pm CST brings a special Lunch and Learn entitled “Preserving the Landscape: Fort Cass and the Trail of Tears.” The Tennessee landscape is integrally connected to the Cherokee Trail of Tears.
Southeast Tennessee was not only part of the Cherokee Nation before removal, but it was also the location of the headquarters for the entire removal operation. In addition, two of the three emigrating depots where Cherokee were held prior to their departure on the Trail of Tears were located in Tennessee.
Once the Cherokee departed from the emigrating depots, they followed a number of routes across the state on their way to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Sensing a need to identify, preserve, and interpret the Trail of Tears, Congress designated the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail in 1987.
Since then, countless agencies and organizations, including the Center for Historic Preservation, have worked to protect trail resources and share this history with the public. This presentation will examine the roundup process of the removal through the lens of the Fort Cass emigrating depot in Tennessee and efforts to preserve and interpret the Trail of Tears in recent years.
Amy M. Kostine is the Programs Manager for the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University. For over ten years, she has administered the Center’s National Historic Trails Program, managing a variety of projects aimed at the preservation and interpretation of the nation’s national historic trails. The majority of those projects have focused on the Trail of Tears and its numerous resources across nine states. She received her AS in photography from Onondaga Community College, BA in history from Le Moyne College, and MA in history with an emphasis in public history and historic preservation from Middle Tennessee State University.
This Lunch and Learn event is in-person in the Museum’s Digital Learning Center at 12:00. No RSVPs are required to attend this free event. It will also be livestreamed on the Museum’s website at TNMuseum.org/Videos. If you have any questions please email Public.Programs@tn.gov.
