Clarksville’s Civil War Story Video Wins Award from Tennessee Association of Museums

Clarksville, TN – “Crossroads of Change, Clarksville, Tennessee 1861-1865,” a locally-produced video providing a perspective of the impact of the Civil War upon Clarksville and its inhabitants during the years 1861 to 1865, was honored with a 2012 Certificate of Commendation from the Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM) at its annual convention held recently in Memphis Tennessee.

The video was entered into the competition on behalf of the City of Clarksville by Customs House Museum and Cultural Center, which provided research support for the project. Developed as a component of the permanent exhibit at Clarksville’s Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center that opened in April 2011, the 18-minute program is shown daily at the Interpretive Center.

Based largely on content from local Civil War period diaries and journals, the story features a cast of local historical re-enactors and actors, including Customs House Museum curator Amy Llewellen.

The purpose of the annual TAM awards program is to recognize, encourage, and promote excellence within the activities of the Tennessee museum community and organizations in related fields of interest. “Crossroads of Change” was recognized for “superlative achievement” in the Audio-Visual/Films category.

Alan Robison, Executive Director of the Customs House Museum commented, “Clarksville can be proud that Tennessee’s museum professionals recognized this great film by honoring it with the highest award for an educational video.”

The narrative script for “Crossroads of Change” was written by Frank Lott and Tammy Dohner of BLF Marketing along with noted Civil War historian Greg Biggs. Video production and editing were done by Rick Goodwin, Goodwin Productions. All filming for the program took place in Montgomery County.

This is the fourth collaborative project for BLF Marketing and Customs House Museum to win an award from TAM. Previously, the partnership took top honors for exhibit catalogues for Time Made Real: The Carvings of Tim Lewis (2009); Olen Bryant: A Retrospective (2008) and Reelfoot Lake: Tradition, Mystery & Lore (2006).

[320left]“Crossroads of Change” tells the personal stories of Clarksville’s unique Civil War heritage. Although no battles were fought locally, the city’s location on the Cumberland River made it strategically important to both the Confederate and Union forces. The surrender of Clarksville to Union Naval forces shortly after the battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862 spared the town much of the property damage inflicted upon other Southern cities later in the war.

However, the three years of occupation that followed were a period of extreme physical hardship, deprivation and emotional duress for the occupants of the area like none they would face again.

Customs House Museum is an anchor of Clarksville’s historic downtown district and is in its 29th year of operation. It is the second largest general museum in the state and continues to be recognized for its outstanding collections and exhibits.

About BLF Marketing

Jeff Bibb and Frank Lott established BLF Marketing in 1978. Besides Clarksville, the firm operates a Murfreesboro office under the management of partner David Hoke. The company has clients throughout the southeast and as far away as Los Angeles. BLF specializes in marketing services in the industries of museums and tourism, banking, business-to-business, real estate and home building, and community economic development.

About the Customs House Museum

Located in the heart of historic downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is the State’s second largest general museum. With over 35,000 square feet of the region’s best hands-on activities and special events…people of all ages agree – the Customs House Museum is well worth the stop!

The Explorer’s Gallery is packed with fun, learning and fantasy in Aunt Alice’s Attic, McGregor’s Market and kitchen, and of course – the Bubble Cave! Finally, get “all aboard” to see our fantastic model trains. Our volunteer engineers “ride the rails” every Sunday afternoon from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.

The Customs House Museum is located at 200 South Second Street. For more information, call 931.648.5780 or visit their website at www.customshousemuseum.org