As an archivist walked behind glass to place the original Tennessee State Constitutions on display Saturday morning, a small crowd approached the Tennessee State Library and Archives display case, cameras at the ready, to take a look. glance.
Three of the state’s most treasured documents, the original copies of the Tennessee Constitutions, are only displayed once a year: on June 1, the anniversary of the founding of Tennessee.
Tennessee was founded in 1796, after 55 delegates met in Knoxville and adopted the original state Constitution. The document was sent to Congress in Washington, DC, where President George Washington signed it into law on June 1, 1796. New constitutions were subsequently adopted in 1834 and 1870.
Saturday marked Tennessee’s 228th birthday and many festivities took place throughout Bicentennial Mall State Park to commemorate the occasion.
Angela Park, who attended the celebration with her husband, Duane, said seeing the original documents in person was a highlight.
“I love that Tennessee respects the state Constitution,” Park said.
Cupcakes, coneflowers and the Constitution
Park was one of dozens of people who visited the Tennessee State Library and Archives despite the morning drizzle, as historical interpreters shared moments of history from the time of Daniel Boone to the era of the War of 1812 and the women’s suffrage movement.
“We strive to bring history to life,” state librarian and archivist Jamie Ritter told the crowd. “When we bring history to life, it is through events like this, it is through all of you who are curious about our history and the desire to interact with the materials we have.”
Outside, guests planted coneflowers (a state flower) in small pots, while children enjoyed fresh popcorn, face painting and coloring pages themed to state symbols, and the Old Time Serenaders from East Tennessee State University They played happy tunes on banjo, guitar and fiddle.
Inside, the children wrote letters to Gov. Bill Lee, letters that the archives will deliver to Lee’s office as correspondence and, at the end of his term, return to the state museum to be preserved.
Inside the museum, Miss Tennessee Brandee Mills hosted a story hour for children and then recited the state poem, “Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee,” before the crowd enjoyed cupcakes topped with small Tennessee flags.
‘Dear Governor’ exhibition inaugurated
“Dear Governor,” a new exhibit showcasing letters and correspondence sent and received by Tennessee governors throughout the state’s history, officially opened at the Library and Archives on Saturday during the holidays.
Included in the exhibit are letters from celebrities and presidents, including one from President Ulysses S. Grant to Governor John Brown in 1871, and letters to Tennessee governors, young and old, over the years, from Tennessee’s first governor , John Sevier. through the Haslam administration.
The idea for the exhibit came about when archivists began digitizing letters from Tennessee’s early governors, said Aimee Saunders, director of preservation and digital services, whose department oversaw the compilation and design of the exhibit.
“This really barely scratches the surface of even the governor’s correspondence,” Saunders said. “We’re really just trying to get people’s toes wet with the possibilities of what they can find.”
One letter from 1972 is correspondence from 8-year-old Joey Park of Alamo, Tennessee, to then-Gov. Winfield Dunn.
“I was the little boy who at the Humboldt Strawberry Festival walked out onto the street and said, ‘Hello, Governor Dunn,’” Park’s older brother wrote. “I’m going to run for governor when I grow up… I hope you keep these photographs and see me in about 25 years. Then I will need your vote so I can be governor like you.”
Last month, former governors. Phil Bredesen, Lamar Alexander and Bill Haslam visited the archives together for a special preview of the project.
“I’m a bit of a history nerd, but any Tennessean will be as impressed as I am with the collection here, with the history that can be seen,” Haslam said, in a video promoting the exhibit posted. for the files.
“It’s something that someone who has an interest in Tennessee and its history would really enjoy,” Bredesen said in another video.
Archivists brought out selected correspondence, including letters that Alexander and Haslam wrote to each other while they were governors, and a letter from Governor Haslam’s father to Governor Bredesen that Haslam had never seen.
“His reaction was really interesting and cool to experience,” Ritter said. “They put it in perspective, reflecting upon seeing his correspondence, as well as that of other previous governors, about how important it is to preserve it.”
The Tennessee Library and Archives is open to the public for research Tuesday through Saturday.
“Unlike a museum, you can come and ask to see records and do research, and we have archivists and librarians on staff who can help people figure out how to locate those records and how to use them,” said Deputy State Archivist Jami Awalt. . “So even though it’s not in the display case, there’s still a lot that people can find and look at.”
Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Contact her atvjones@tennessean.com.
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