Bartlett Museum, Bartlett, TN

04/27/2026

Another interesting speaker for the Bartlett Historical Society, Bartlett, TN meeting.

- Bartlett Historical Society Meeting -

Monday, May 11, 2026, at 6:15pm

The meeting will be held at the Bartlett Senior Center (5727 Woodlawn St)

Our May 11, 2026, Bartlett Historical Society Speaker will be Ms. Emmi Dunn. Ms. Dunn is known as a regionally recognized expert on the history of the Chinese people in the Mid-South.

Ms. Dunn was born in the Mississippi Delta and has a long list of achievements including Co-founder of the Chinese Historical Society of Memphis and the Mid-South. Ms. Dunn's speech will be titled "How the Chinese arrived in the South."

Many students of history have heard of the Chinese being involved in the California Gold Rush, the transcontinental Railroad and other major events in early American History. Did you know that the Chinese have been in the Mid-South for almost 150 years? In the late 1800's, the railroad network across America was still being expanded throughout the South and Texas. Some of those Chinese eventually settled in the greater Memphis area.

Ms. Dunn will explain more of the personal stories involved and will share her joy of promoting local Chinese history.

Save the date- Monday, June 8, 2026, will be the next meeting

04/18/2026

Sunday, April 19, 2026 from 2pm-4pm

Stop by the Bartlett Museum (Gotten House) to discover more about our area’s Civil War history.

Living historians will be on-site in their Union and Confederate uniforms, sharing stories of what it was like to fight and survive during that war. You’ll also see period weapons and military gear up close.

This event is at the Gotten House at 2969 Court Street (near Bartlett High School). The event is free and open to the public, including the museum tour admission.

02/21/2026

Stop by and see the Rosenwald Schools exhibit. Sundays from 2pm-4pm during February and March. At the Gotten House (2969 Court St).

This is a traveling display from the Tennessee State Museum

In 1912, Tuskegee Institute President Booker T. Washington formed a partnership with Sears, Roebuck President Julius Rosenwald. This led to a matching grant program for constructing modern public schools for southern Black students. In addition Black communities contributed money, land and labor to meet the program requirements. By 1932 nearly 5,000 "Rosenwald Schools" were built throughout the rural South, including Tennessee.

https://tnmuseum.org/temporary-exhibits/temporaryexhibits/building-a-bright-future

11/19/2025

It's a great time of year to stop by and see the Bartlett Museum/Gotten House decorated for Christmas. Open Sunday, December 7, 2025 from 2pm-4pm. 2969 Court St, Bartlett TN - FREE Admission

06/03/2025

The Bartlett Historical Society, Bartlett, TN is excited to announce our special guest for our next meeting.

Join us at the Bartlett Senior Center on June 9, 2025, at 6:45pm.

Our speaker for Monday night will be author Keith Wood. Mr. Wood is a highly acclaimed author and will discuss his recent book "Memphis Red Sox." The Memphis Red Sox were a team in the so called "Negro Leagues" before being dissolved in 1959. Some of the former players went on to star in the Major Leagues. Mr. Wood holds a PhD in American History from the University of Memphis and has been a high school teacher for over 25 years.

05/26/2025

Bartlett Museum - Gotten House. Open for tours.
Sunday, June 1, 2025
2pm-4pm
FREE Admission

05/04/2025

Bartlett Museum - Gotten House. Open for tours.
Sunday, May 4, 2025
2pm-4pm
FREE Admission

04/20/2025

We were honored to have the opportunity to speak at Trezevant Manor in Memphis last week. We enjoyed our Q&A session with the residents!

Do you have a group you'd like us to come speak to? We love to share the story of the Sultana. Email us at [email protected] for more information.

03/03/2025

The Bartlett Historical Society, Bartlett, TN is excited to announce our special guest for our next meeting will be Franklin "Dutch" Schroer.

Join us at the Bartlett Senior Center on March 10, 2025, at 6:45pm.

Mr. Schroer is 101 years old and a decorated WW2 veteran. Mr. Schroer graduated from high school in 1941 and soon after joined the war effort. Mr. Schroer had a 20-year career with the United States Navy. His career took him all over the world including the hard-fought battle of Guadalcanal. The battle included almost 100,000 total Allied and Axis troops. Victory in taking the island was critical to the Allied advancement towards Japan. Mr. Schroer eventually retired in 1961 as a Master Chief Petty Officer.

Mr. Schroer returned back to the U.S. and earned a degree from Memphis State. He had a long career teaching in Memphis schools.

After retirement from teaching, Mr. Schroer has kept busy through volunteering as a tax advisor, an advocate for the military, as well as many other hobbies.

Mr. Schroer was married to his wife Elsie for 60 years up until her passing in 2011.

Mr. Schroer will add many of his own personal stories. Please invite all of your military and history friends to come to the meeting. This will be a can't miss meeting!

02/03/2025

Come join us at the Bartlett Senior Center (5727 Woodlawn St) for our next meeting at 6:45pm. Our February 10, 2025 meeting will feature Mary Solomon (pictured) and her nephew Jay Weily. Both guests will speak on their shared history as members of The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Ms. Solomon was appointed in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s to an Indian Advisory board by former Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter.

The history of the Choctaw Indians goes back over 1,000 years. Most of the settlements were in South Central Mississippi and into Alabama. This continued up through the 1800’s when a series of bills including the Indian Removal Act of 1834 was signed by President Andrew Jackson. Many Choctaws were forced to relocate and millions of acres of formerly Choctaw lands were signed over to the U.S. government. The Choctaw populations
dwindled down to barely over a thousand in the 1930’s. In the late 1930’s and through the 1940's, government and tribal efforts were made to help reorganize and revitalize the Choctaw Indians. Some land was given back to Choctaw and the conditions for the Choctaw improved somewhat.