Tennessee State Museum

09/04/2026

Meier Werthan immigrated from Germany to the United States in 1864. He settled in Nashville and during the late 1860s started a business trading in used fabrics. By the late 1880s, his business shifted to focus on marketing reconditioned cloth bags. The firm, known then as Werthan Bag and Burlap, established a factory in Nashville to manufacture bags in 1911. This photographic portrait of Werthan features custom tinting likely by an artist at the Thuss studio in Nashville. Visitors can see this portrait, along with a Werthan Bag Company wagon, on display in the "Tennessee Voices, American Stories" exhibition.

09/03/2026

Up next is Marion County as we make our way through the virtual "Tennessee Voices, American Stories 95 Counties Road Trip." 🚗✨ The Whitwell / Marion County Coal Miners Museum houses educational artifacts and exhibits that educate the public about the history of Marion County’s biggest industry. Visitors to the museum can learn more about the area’s local history from retired coal miners. In this image, coal is seen leaving the Reels Cove Coal Mine near Whitwell in September of 1952.

Image courtesy of Tennessee State Library & Archives. Every county in the state is full of unique stories and history. Explore them all with the "Tennessee Voices, American Stories 95 Counties Road Trip" interactive map 🗺️: https://tnmuseum.org/tennessee-voices-road-trip

09/02/2026

We are hiring! ✨ The Tennessee State Museum is expanding its professional team with new positions. There are currently four available roles for Museum Program Assistants, who lead engaging tours, educational programs, and public-facing experiences at the Museum, the Tennessee State Capitol, and statewide events. The Collections Photographer will help shape the Museum’s visual identity by producing clear, compelling imagery that supports exhibitions, collections, and daily operations.

Learn more and apply online ➡️: tnmuseum.org/jobs

09/01/2026

The Tennessee State Museum is pleased to announce that we are a recipient of the 2026 Southeastern Museums Conference-SEMC Silver Award for Media Production for our recent film, "A Grand Design: Captain Le Roy Reeves and the Tennessee State Flag." The SEMC Technology Competition recognizes excellence in the use of technology within southeastern museums and celebrates the accomplishments of innovative work. The Award will be presented at the SEMC in Salem-Winston, NC on September 30.

Watch the film on our Videos page ▶️: https://bit.ly/3SXLmxr

08/31/2026

The Battle of King’s Mountain, a small but consequential engagement fought in South Carolina in October 1780, was part of the larger Southern Campaign and involved almost exclusively American combatants—Patriot militia, many from what would become Tennessee, and led by Colonel Isaac Shelby, versus a Loyalist (Tory) force under British Major Patrick Ferguson. In our next free Lunch and Learn event on September 17, Dr. David Coffey will discuss the stunning Patriot victory that helped change the trajectory of the War for American Independence.

Learn more and RSVP 🎟️: https://tnmuseum.org/calendar-of-events/event/6243305

08/28/2026

August is ! During our virtual "Tennessee Voices, American Stories 95 Counties Road Trip," we're stopping by Unicoi County. 🚗✨ In this photograph, an unidentified man is getting hands-on with his fishing pole and net while trout fishing near Erwin, Tennessee, in 1941.

The Unicoi County Heritage Museum & Clinchfield Railroad Museum features themed rooms with artifacts that teach visitors about local military, cultural, and social history. Additionally, visitors can hike the museum’s nature trail to learn more about the area’s wildlife.

Image courtesy of Tennessee State Library & Archives. Every county in the state is full of unique stories and history. Explore them all with the "Tennessee Voices, American Stories 95 Counties Road Trip" interactive map 🗺️: https://tnmuseum.org/tennessee-voices-road-trip

08/26/2026

Join us at the Museum for the next installment of TN Writers | TN Stories on Saturday, September 12 at 10:30 a.m. Author Joe Pagetta will be joined in conversation with Katie Peterson to discuss his new book, "The Apostle of Tennessee: The Indefatigable Life and Ministry of Father Aloysius Orengo" (Vanderbilt University Press).

When Nashville became a Catholic diocese in 1837, it was mostly an aspirational exercise. The few Catholics scattered throughout the state were ministered to only occasionally by missionary priests who traveled by horseback from Kentucky. That all changed when the Italian-born Father Aloysius “Luigi” Orengo arrived in Nashville in 1848. He traveled all over the state, sleeping in the woods, using his saddle for a pillow, and eating cheese and crackers. He’s credited with building churches in Franklin, Columbia, Pulaski, East Nashville, Tracy City, Gallatin, Humboldt, Brownsville, Grand Junction, Covington, Jackson, and McEwen. But for as influential as he was, Father Orengo’s story remained untold, until now.

RSVP for this free event 🎟️: https://bit.ly/46qkQjE This free book discussion is part of our TN Writers | TN Stories series presented in partnership with Chapter 16, Humanities Tennessee, and Vanderbilt University Press.

08/25/2026

Together with our fellow Tennesseans, we are heartbroken at the passing of Dolly Parton. Dolly shows up in not one, or two, but three exhibitions in the Tennessee State Museum, not to mention the numerous places she appears in interactives, films, online exhibitions, blog posts, the Imagination Library books in our Children’s Gallery and more. She’s always seemed to transcend any time period or theme; as if her generosity of spirit and her presence could not be contained. Wherever we are in the Museum, she accompanies us. And always will. We love you, Dolly.

08/25/2026

We're stopping in Fayette County as we travel along the "Tennessee Voices, American Stories 95 Counties Road Trip" online interactive map! 🚗✨ The Somerville Art Gallery features temporary art exhibitions from Fayette County and national artists for local residents and visitors.

📸: A fence alongside a Fayette County highway south of Moscow and near the Tennessee-Mississippi state line, August 1952. Courtesy of Tennessee State Library & Archives.

Every county in the state is full of unique stories and history. Explore them all with the "Tennessee Voices, American Stories 95 Counties Road Trip" interactive map 🗺️: https://tnmuseum.org/tennessee-voices-road-trip

08/24/2026

A reminder that this year's application deadline for the Capital Maintenance and Improvements Grants 🗓️ is tomorrow! Applicants have until August 25, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CST to submit.

Learn more and apply online at TNMuseum.org/grants.

Grant applications are now open! 📢 For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, the Tennessee General Assembly included a direct appropriation in the amount of $5 million to the Tennessee State Museum “for the sole purpose of providing grants to museums with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or affiliated with a governmental entity for capital maintenance and improvements” (Section 61, Item 21 of the 2026-2027 Appropriations Act).

We are happy to once again facilitate this program and help museums and historic sites throughout Tennessee. If your organization would like to apply for this year’s round of funding, the application is now open and available on our website.

Learn more and apply online at TNMuseum.org/grants. This year's application deadline 🗓️ is August 25, 2026.