The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County hosted the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the Gettysburg Address on November 19th, 2013.  Performer Dennis Boggs, introduced by Mayor Tommy Bragg, gave a brief history of Lincoln's life, and ended his speech with a reenactment of the Gettysburg Address.  This event was held in conjunction with  the traveling exhibition currently on display at the Heritage Center entitled Long Remembered: The Associated Press with Lincoln at the First Inaugural and Gettysburg, a 14- panel exhibit created by the Associated Press Corporate Archives.  For an exclusive look at videos and pictures of the event visit the Heritage Center's Facebook Page or the Center for Historic Preservation's Facebook Page.

 

 

The fall 2013 edition of Common Bond, the Center for Historic Preservation’s newsletter, is now available, and it includes updates from each of our programs.

 

Over the last year, there have been many changes here at the Center for Historic Preservation. Students have graduated and secured jobs in the field. Long-time staff members have retired or moved on to new opportunities. A dear friend and colleague lost his battle against a lengthy illness.

 

But now all the new staff are in place, and we are excited about moving forward into this new phase of the Center's work.

 

On October 15,we held our 1st planning retreat as the new team, and we began the process of creating a new vision for the center that reflects the legacy we have inherited as well as the future we envision. We would like to share it with you, our friends, partners and colleagues. Read the newsletter for more information about our new direction. Also, did you realize the 2014-2015 academic year is our 30th anniversary? Be watching for chances to celebrate with us! The staff are making plans ...

 

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The Center for Historic Preservation proudly announces the release of its own special Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial publication, Plowshares and Swords: Tennessee Farm Families Tell Civil War Stories by Caneta S. Hankins and the late Michael Gavin.  This hard-bound limited edition (900 copies) book covers the entire state and brings out stories of war, homefront, occupation, and emancipation in ways unlike any other book on the Civil War in Tennessee.  These stories come from families who remain on the land, standing where their ancestors stood and experienced the trials and tribulations of the Civil War era.  The book also includes over a hundred images of the farms and the families, including scores of historic images never before published.  Caneta S. Hankins directed the Tennessee Century Farms project from 2002-2013 and has recently retired from the Center after a 30+ year career.  Michael T. Gavin, who passed away in 2013, was the Preservation Specialist of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area from 2002-2012.  Hankins and Gavin earlier collaborated on the award-winning book, Barns of Tennessee (2008).  Plowshares & Swords costs $55, shipping included, and can be ordered with a check or money order to Center for Historic Preservation, Attn: Civil War Book, P.O. Bo 80 MTSU, Murfreesboro, TN  37132. To access an order form please click here.

The CHP's very own Aleia Brown has an article in the October / November issue of Timeline, a publication of the Ohio Historical Society. The article is titled Visions of African American Identity "Black Family Moth II." It's her second publication. Congratulations, Aleia!

Front row, from left to right: Jessica French, Amber Clawson, Savannah Grandy, and Jenna Stout.  Back row, from left to right: Jonathan Lauthern, Aleia Brown, Cassie Bennett, Abby Gautreau, Lydia Simpson,  Ashley Armstrong, and Ginna Foster Cannon.

We welcome all our new and returning research assistants.