003 HERITAGE GROUPS TEAM TO CREATE AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919

HERITAGE GROUPS TEAM TO CREATE AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION
American Association for State and Local History Honors Historical Collection Focusing on First Labor Contracts Signed by Former Slaves Transitioning to Freedmen

(MURFREESBORO)—The Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA) and the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County have been named as recipients of an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History’s Leadership in its History Awards program category.
Representatives from the Tennessee-based organizations partnered to create the award-winning publication, “Freedom and Work in the Reconstruction Era: The Freedmen’s Bureau Labor Contracts of Williamson County, Tennessee.”
Antoinette G. van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA, said, “’Freedom and Work in the Reconstruction Era’ is an invaluable collection of the very first labor contracts signed by former slaves as they made the transition to becoming free workers after the Civil War.
“The contracts bring to life the experiences of African Americans in the days following a war of unimaginable bloodshed and unparalleled social upheaval,” she observed. “The contracts contain rich information about agricultural practices, family life, material culture, race relations and new opportunities for education.”
Designed by the Office of Publications and Graphics at MTSU, “Freedom and Work in the Reconstruction Era” is one of several local cooperative efforts to collect and interpret Williamson County’s African-American history and also fulfills the Heritage Area’s mission to tell the whole story of the Civil War and Reconstruction, van Zelm said.
The publication is now available from the Heritage Foundation. It contains 476 labor contracts, two interpretive essays, photographs, a map, annotations, suggested readings and a comprehensive proper name index.
The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), a nonprofit professional organization headquartered in Nashville, has administered the Leadership in History Awards for 62 years. The awards are the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. According to event organizers, awards for 2007 represent 72 organizations and individuals from throughout United States.
The Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area is a partnership unit of the National Park Service and is administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU. The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County is a grassroots preservation organization committed to protecting the architectural, geographical and cultural heritage of Franklin and Williamson County.
For more information about “Freedom and Work in the Reconstruction Era: The Freedmen’s Bureau Labor Contracts of Williamson County, Tennessee,” please contact Laura Holder at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.


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***ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request a jpeg of the cover of “Freedom and Work in the Reconstruction Era: The Freedmen’s Bureau Labor Contracts of Williamson County, Tennessee” for editorial use, please direct your request to Lisa L. Rollins at lrollins@mtsu.edu.