Last spring, the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA) provided major support for “Memories of a Massacre: Memphis in 1866, a Symposium Exploring Slavery, Emancipation, and Reconstruction.” The free event took place at the University of Memphis and was organized by Dr. Beverly Bond and Dr. Susan O’Donovan.

The symposium was the highlight of the first-ever public recognition of the effects of the racially motivated violence that engulfed Memphis 150 years ago. Symposium speakers included Timothy S. Huebner and Charles McKinney of Rhodes College, Stephen V. Ash of the University of Tennessee, and Julie Saville of the University of Chicago. CHP assistant director Antoinette G. van Zelm moderated the “Radicalization of Reconstruction” panel.

The symposium encouraged significant public engagement and featured lively Q&A sessions. Related activities included a teacher workshop led by Teaching with Primary Sources—MTSU and an exhibition at the Orange Mound Gallery that combined the TCWNHA’s traveling exhibition on Emancipation and Reconstruction with an artistic interpretation by Paul Thomas. The Memphis Massacre blog features video footage from the symposium, and the @MemphisMassacre Twitter account remains active.--Antoinette van Zelm, assistant director.

Partners

The Northeast Nashville History project, a partnership between the Center for Historic Preservation, First Baptist Church East Nashville (FBCEN), and the Nashville Public Library's Special Collections Division, was awarded a $2500 grant by the National Humanities Alliance (NHA) in early July. Grant funding will extend the Spring 2016 community history digitizing project carried out by CHP staff and graduate students to include public programs during the Fall of 2016 that will focus on the neighborhood’s historic housing patterns, continuing gentrification, and past history of civil rights activism. Featured speakers will include MTSU history professors Dr. Louis Woods and Dr. Louis Kyriakoudes.

In late 2015, CHP director Dr. Carroll Van West was invited to assist the Metropolitan Nashville Historical Commission in assessing historic properties north of East Nashville’s fast-developing Main Street corridor. Dr. West and CHP graduate assistant Denise Gallagher Fisher, who has been researching the African American history of this section of the city for her M.A. thesis, created a driving tour brochure, Places, Spaces, and Voices, to capture important community landmarks. (Download the brochure here: Side A and Side B.) Community members Sam McCullough and Leslie Boone worked with Gallagher Fisher to organize several history days with community elders. Digital humanities fellow Susan Knowles, graduate assistant Sherry Teal, and a team of MTSU graduate student volunteers welcomed participants to share historic materials in digital form with the Special Collections Division of the Nashville Public Library. The NHA grant funding will support the creation of promotional resources, such as reprints of the brochure, production of historical graphics, and social media tools. --Susan Knowles, digital humanities fellow.

Leaders

Every year, the Juneteenth celebration grows in scope and attendance as organizers strive to share Franklin’s rich African American heritage with residents and visitors. To learn more, visit the McLemore House Museum located at 446 11^th Avenue North. --Laura Holder, TCWNHA federal liaison.