281 EXHIBIT CHRONICLES AFRICAN AMERICANS’ EARLY FREEDOM IN TENNESSEE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 22, 2007
CONTACT: Laura Holder, 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu

NEW EXHIBIT CHRONICLES AFRICAN AMERICANS’ EARLY FREEDOM IN TENNESSEE
Lebanon, Smyrna, Granville, Franklin & Murfreesboro Among Planned Stops

(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—“Free at Last! Emancipation and Reconstruction in Tennessee,” an exhibit created by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA), will travel throughout middle Tennessee this spring and summer.
The two-panel exhibit, which is on display now through March 30 at the
Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon, emphasizes the significance of emancipation as a result of the Civil War, said Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA.
“Freedom for former slaves was a key outcome of the Civil War, and it was the slaves themselves who made it happen,” van Zelm said. “They took advantage of the presence of the occupying Union army to break down the bonds of slavery.”
In addition to raising awareness about the agency of former slaves in bringing about their freedom, the “Free at Last!” exhibit provides an introduction to the joys and challenges shared by African Americans in Tennessee during the aftermath of slavery, van Zelm observed.
The exhibit—which made its debut Feb. 14 at the 26th Annual Conference on African-American History and Culture held at Tennessee State University—will travel throughout the state over the next few years.
Regarding the exhibit’s inspiration, van Zelm said, “The Reconstruction years were crucial to the development of African-American communities throughout Tennessee. Former slaves founded scores of schools and churches … (and the exhibit) highlights some of the emancipation communities that are wonderfully preserved in our state.”
Mary Harris, president of the Wilson County Black History Committee, said “Free at Last!” opened at the Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon on Feb. 15.
“We’re pleased to have the exhibit during Black History Month and into March,” Harris said. “It will enhance the presentations that we have at the museum … (and) I hope it will create more interest in preserving history.”
Following its stopover in Lebanon, the exhibit will be displayed April 2 through May 18 at the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna, Tenn.; at the Granville Museum in
Granville, Tenn., on May 23 through June 15; at the McLemore House Museum in Franklin, Tenn., on June 16 through Aug. 10; and at the Oaklands Historic House Museum in Murfreesboro on Aug. 13 through Sept. 21.
The Heritage Area has provided the exhibit to these museums free of charge, reported Laura Holder, manager of the TCNHA, which receives funding from the National Park Service and is administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU.
“Our goal is to tell the whole story of the Civil War and Reconstruction in Tennessee,” she said. “These venues are terrific places to tell the emancipation story.”
In addition to the aforementioned exhibit stops, “Free At Last!” also will be on display at the Legacy of Stones River Symposium in Murfreesboro on March 31 and for teachers attending the Civil War Preservation Trust Summer Teacher Institute in Chattanooga on July 22.
• For more information about the “Free at Last!” exhibit, please contact Holder with the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.


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ATTENTION, MEDIA—Contact phone numbers for the venues that will feature the “Free At Last!” exhibit are listed below for your convenience.

Feb. 15-March 30: Roy Bailey African-American History Center, Lebanon, 615-449-2911.

April 2-May 18: Sam Davis Home, Smyrna, 615-459-2341.

May 23-June 15: Granville Museum, Granville, 931-268-4411.

June 16-Aug. 10: McLemore House Museum, Franklin, 615-794-2270.

Aug. 13-Sept. 21: Oaklands Historic House Museum, Murfreesboro, (615-893-0022)