APSU Professors’ Dream for Civil War Fort Comes True Three Decades Later
March 31, 2011
Clarksville, TN – In 1982, two young Austin Peay State University history professors – Dr. Howard Winn and Dr. Richard Gildrie – ventured up to the top of a forgotten hill overlooking the Cumberland River. What they found was a wild tangle of bushes and sapling trees, 10 to 12 feet tall, that blocked out the sun and made it nearly impossible to hike through without machetes and axes.
Judge Sam Boaz, who owned the land, had asked the two men to come take a look and see if it was historically important. Rumor had it an old Civil War fort was hidden somewhere in those weeds. The professors hacked their way into that dense mess until they found the old earthen walls and communication trenches of what was known in the early 1860s as Fort Defiance.
Austin Peay State University professors Richard Gildrie (retired), Phil Kemmerly, Howard Winn (retired) and David Snyder stand next to a monument with their names engraved on it at the city’s new Fort Defiance Interpretive Center. (Photo By Charles Booth/APSU Public Relations and Marketing)
Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center to Open April 9th
March 30, 2011
Clarksville, TN – The City of Clarksville is excited to unveil its newest addition, the Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center. The park and related facilities, located at 120 Duncan Street, will open to the public on April 9th with activities planned the entire weekend in celebration of the Grand Opening.
Fort Defiance Interpretive Center, Clarksville TN.
Historian and author to talk about memory in regards to Civil War
March 12, 2011
Clarksville, TN – The sesquicentennial of the Civil War begins this year, and while there’s no shortage of books or movies about that subject, the question remains, “what do we really know of that bloody time in our nation’s history?”
Sure, there are first-hand accounts from the battles and newspaper articles printed at the time, but what about the stories told by survivors years after they returned home from the war.
The Israeli therapist Ori Sivan remarked in the movie “Waltz with Bashir” that “Memory is dynamic, it’s alive,” and that’s part of the problem when it comes to looking at the information passed down from one generation to the next. [Read more]
Clarksville Parks & Recreation announces new Historical Interpreter
March 12, 2011
Clarksville, TN – The Clarksville Parks and Recreation Department is pleased to announce the newest member of our staff and Historical Interpreter, William Parker. Parker graduated from Austin Peay State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History and Political Science.
He was selected by the History Department to study at Oxford University in Oxford, England where he completed two semesters. Parker earned his Master of Arts Degree in Military History at Austin Peay where he graduated with honors.
Historical Interpreter, William Parker
Silents Please! Public Library presents a Classic Silent Film Series beginning in March
February 19, 2011
Clarksville, TN – The Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library will be presenting The General, starring Buster Keaton, as the first in a series of three classic silent films to be screened in March, April and May.
Can an unlucky Civil War era train engineer help defeat the Union Army; win back his stolen train and his beloved girlfriend at the same time?!
See Buster Keaton's Classic Silent Film: The General.
Maryville College Students Visit APSU to Learn About the Civil War
January 24, 2011
Clarksville, TN – On a cold afternoon earlier this month, a van drove through the melting snow in Clarksville and stopped at Austin Peay State University. A group of Maryville College students, bundled in jackets, quickly got out and went into the Morgan University Center. They’d spent much of the morning outside at Fort Donelson, and they were looking forward to a few hours in the warm indoors, learning about one of this city’s famous historical figures – Nannie Haskins Williams.
“Nannie is an important figure because she started keeping a diary when she was 16 years old in Clarksville, a year after Fort Donelson fell,” Dr. Minoa Uffelman, associate professor of history at APSU, said. “She kept it through the Civil War and after.” [Read more]
Just What Goes on at a Civil War Ball?
November 16, 2010
The Second Annual Friends of Fort Defiance Civil War Ball and Dinner was held at Smith-Trahern Mansion, on Saturday, November 13th.
Having never attended a civil war ball before, both my husband Bill and I had little idea of what to expect. Of course, we knew that everyone had to wear period dress and that dinner would precede dancing. Other than that, we were clueless.
We arrived just before the beginning hour of 5:30pm in a soggy rainstorm that was not conducive to wearing a full-length formal gown. My search for the gown had covered three cities and about 75 hours of web searching before I finally settled on a floor-length deep brown strapless gown with a pick-up skirt from Bridal Warehouse in Rivergate. I covered my aging shoulders with a gold sequined wrap centered with a sunray-pointed gold pin with a brown gem at its center. My shoes were strappy copper heels—and I forgot to wear my elbow-length gloves!
Author Sue Culverhouse and her husband Bill at the Civil War Ball
The Clarksville-Montgomery County Historical Society meeting in Palmyra, TN
October 31, 2010
Clarksville, TN – The Montgomery County Historical Society held a panel discussion on the “History of the Hill, Civil War and Otherwise” held at Charlie Foust’s Historic river view home in Palmyra, TN.
State Archivists to visit Montgomery County June 25th in search of Civil War Memorabilia
June 19, 2010
Representatives from the Tennessee State Library and Archives will be visiting Montgomery County on June 25th, 2010, to record and digitize Civil War memorabilia owned by local residents for a new exhibit.
Civil War
Archivists will be at the Montgomery County Archives, 350 Pageant Lane in Clarksville, Suite 101D, from 10:00am until 2:30pm that day. During that time, they invite area residents to bring in photographs, documents and other artifacts related to the Civil War.
Individuals may call (615) 253-3470 or e-mail civilwar.tsla@tn.gov to schedule a reservation with the archivists. Reservation forms and available times may be found on the State Library and Archives’ section of the Department of State web site at http://tn.gov/tsla/cwtn/events.htm.
The archivists will scan or take digital photographs of the materials, some of which will be featured in an upcoming exhibit titled, “Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee.” The archivists will not actually take possession of the items from their owners. [Read more]
New Military Exhibit at the Customs House Museum
May 26, 2010
The Customs House Museum presents Call to Arms, a new exhibit honoring the military men and women of Montgomery County. Focusing on the Civil War through Vietnam, the installation features weapons, badges, and uniforms respective to these eras.
The museum partnered with the Kiwanis Club’s Service and Sacrifice committee to produce the display of portraits representing service men and women of Montgomery County. These black and white images framing the uniforms were taken from Faces of Valor: Veterans of Montgomery County. A project of the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville, the original display of portraits was unveiled on November 13th, 2004. The panels can be seen in the restored Montgomery County Court House. A few faces on view in Call to Arms will be featured in an upcoming new edition. [Read more]
