Montgomery County Archives Department to hold Open Houses in October
October 3, 2019
Montgomery County, TN – In recognition of Archives Month this October, Montgomery County Archives Department has open house dates to tour and learn more about their unique services.
Three open house tours of the stacks and a behind the scenes look at what goes into caring for the history of Clarksville and Montgomery County will be available on Friday, October 11th, 9:00am to 3:00pm, Saturday, October 19th, 9:00am to 4:00pm, and Tuesday, October 29th, from 9:00am to 3:00pm.
Clarksville Historic Urban Trails Brought to Life
February 13, 2018
Montgomery County, TN – Local historian Carolyn Ferrell and Montgomery County IT ArcGIS Specialist Bryce Hester teamed up to bring three historic urban trails to life in Clarksville.
An urban trail is not a built path through natural scenery but a virtual trail that uses existing sidewalks and crosswalks to lead walkers through a route of interesting urban sights.
The trails Ferrell laid out entices walkers with open-air history lessons packed with interesting historical tidbits about Clarksville’s past.
The History of Renfroe Station on the Red River, 1780 – Part 1
January 9, 2017
Clarksville, TN – Have you heard the story of the first frontier settlement on the Red River?
Many times the history beneath our feet here in Montgomery County is not in the forefront of our minds. It can be easily forgotten that the many places we live, shop, or work every day contain stories from multiple historical periods of Tennessee. In this case, it is the history of westward expansion and the Indian Wars of the 18th century.
People may wonder why these stories matter. Many of us were at one time young students who felt history class was incredibly boring and even called it our least favorite subject. Yet, in truth, it is those who devote some time to the subject in depth who are a very fortunate group of people. They gain insights and knowledge; they increase their wisdom.
The Freed Slaves of Montgomery County
December 14, 2015
Clarksville, TN – Every human being has worth and deserves dignity. “Everyone matters” is an incredibly powerful humanitarian ideal, and one upon which the United States seems to continually both build and define. We hear the whispers of this ideal within the words of the Declaration of Independence.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The generation of Americans which fought to free us from the tyranny of Europe in the late 18th Century probably could not have grasped how these words, and the spirit of the ideal they reflect would be used by subsequent generations to form the nation we live within today.
Historical book signing to take place this weekend at Fort Defiance
March 27, 2015
Clarksville, TN – Are you an avid bookworm or just interested in learning about some of Clarksville’s history? There’s still time left to read the latest books that can be signed by local writers!
“The Diary of Nannie Haskins” by Minoa D. Uffelman, Ellen Kanervo, Eleanor Williams and Phyllis Smith; and “Franklin House” by Carolyn Ferrell with both be available for purchase at the Fort Defiance Interpretive Center for those who do not already own a copy.
Clarksville Beginnings – Part 4: Is Sevier Station Really Sevier Station?
November 24, 2014
Clarksville, TN – If you look hard enough, it is not difficult to find a rather cynical analysis of recorded history. For example, “The past actually happened. History is what someone took the time to write down,” says writer and comedian, Whitney A. Brown.
Or there is American writer and Civil War veteran, Ambrose Bierce, who chimed in with, “God alone knows the future, but only a historian can alter the past.”
Yet, despite these opinions and the imperfections they reveal concerning the whole endeavor of unearthing information about the past, it is a still considered a noble one.
Clarksville Beginnings – Part 2: Revisiting the Massacre at Sevier Station; In Their Own Words
October 27, 2014
Clarksville, TN – I love history and find it fascinating – and you must enjoy it as well or you would not be reading this article! Yet, I could listen and listen to someone who is alive and well with me today go on ad nauseum about the dry facts from the past and get absolutely nothing from it.
But, to hear the very words of those who lived before us – those priceless journals, letters, and testimonies – that is gold to me! It is amazing to be able to peak into their minds and hearts for just a moment and experience with them the joys, the struggles, the hopes, and the pain of the experience of life.
That is what we have with the story of the lives of Valentine Sevier, his family, and community – their own words.
Clarksville Beginnings: The Early History of Sevier Station – Part 1
October 20, 2014
Clarksville, TN – Have you seen the old stone building on Walker Street in the New Providence area? If not, come by and take a look at it some time. This primitive looking building, labeled “Sevier Station”, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is touted as the oldest building in Montgomery County, Tennessee.
As you walk around and gaze at the roughhewn limestone quarried from the nearby bluffs, and ponder the old chimney placed oddly in the center of the building, and consider the apparent gun port built into the east side, may you contemplate the ground upon which you are standing.