September 99 News Archives Welcome to Tennessee Online's News Archives Just Click the Headline of interest to go to the story. Cherokee drama celebrates 50 years Tennessee Trails get much needed cleaning Nation’s largest reenactment to be held at Chickamauga TCWPA gets license plate bill passed House Committee accused of playing politics with history Nation’s first Fourth of July Parade expects good crowds Tourism numbers expected to exceed last year’s 
Collierville-A group of preservationist
in West Tennessee are fighting to preserve an antebellum home that
has been part of the community for 159 years. The historic Josiah
DeLoach house, which was built in 1840 is what many preservationists
say an excellent example of antebellum design and architecture. In
fact, it is mentioned in Gen U.S. Grant's diary as he traveled from
LaGrange, TN to Memphis in the summer of 1862. The property the house sits on was purchased by Baptist Hospital in 1996 for development of a new healthcare facility. When the company first purchased the property, their plans included the preservation of the house. Since that time, the plans have been revised and now reportedly the company has no use for the house, which could be destroyed in the development. Some preservationists have been trying to get Baptist to deed the property to the town of Collierville, for restoration using Collierville's Historic Preservation Tax, which is paid by companies who locate in Collierville. According to reports, however, executives at Baptist Hospital have not been cooperative in transferring the deed to the city, and preservationists fear they do not have enough votes on the Board of Mayor and Alderman to obtain their approval to restore the historic structure. There are repairs and other work needed to historically preserve the building and bring it back to its period design, but officials say the structure is sound. The group needs support and, if anyone would like to help, please contact them at: sthumser@earthlink.net 50 years 
Cherokee-The Cherokee Drama “Unto
These Hills” is celebrating their golden anniversary. The nationally
recognized outdoor drama, which was written by Kermit Hunter and opened
on July 1, 1950, is rated as the oldest and highest attended such
feature in the United States. Since its opening play, the drama has
been performed 2,942 times and seen by more than 6 million people.
The two and a half hour show covers more than 300 years of Cherokee
history. It starts with the arrival of Hernando De Soto to the infamous
“Trail of Tears” and the founding of the Eastern Band of The Cherokee
Indians. Many actors and actresses have got their start in “Unto These
Hills”. Among them is former Congressman Ben Jones, who played “Cooter”
on the Dukes of Hazard, Polly Holliday, known for her role as “Flo”
on the television sitcom Mel’s Diner”, renowned film director Larry
Peerce, Pulitzer Prize winning author Robert Schenkkban, and Academy
Award winner Louise Fletcher, who starred in the film “One Flew over
the Cuckoo’s Nest”. “This is one of the most cultural things you can do in the Smoky Mountains,” said Cherokee Boys and Girls Club Director Ray Kinsland. “It is a quality production and offers a good educational overview of the Cherokee’s past in the region. Everyone who visits the region needs to see it at least once. the cast is always one of the best put together teams in America.” The 1999 special performances will be played nightly, except Sunday, from June 11 to Aug. 21. For more information on attending, you can contact them at 1-800-438-1601 or at their web site www.cherokee-nc.com much needed cleaning Statewide-National Park Service personnel, hikers, and other volunteers descended on the Smoky Mountains to clean up sections of the Appalachian Trial on June 5. It was one of numerous historic trails across the state that were cleared of litter and debris as part of National Trails Day. “Many of these trails are more about history as are the buildings alongside of them,” said hiker Randy Smith. “Tennessee especially has a lot of trails that were used by the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Shawnee, as well as the region’s early settlers. With the creation of new trails that were used by the armies of the War Between the States, Tennessee is one of the best places in America to literally walk through history. Hiking isn’t just about climbing mountains and seeing the country, it is an opportunity to walk on the same path used by armies and other historic figures and really get a sense of what they had to endure.” The Tennessee Department of Environment, the Tennessee Trails Association, and The Cumberland Trails Association celebrated National Trails Day by hosting a series of guided hikes from Chattanooga to the Cumberland Gap to put focus on the importance of the historic sites. Last summer, Governor Sundquist named the Cumberland Trail as the Tennessee’s first linear state park. When the trail is finally completed, it will stretch 280 miles from Cumberland Gap to southeastern Marion County outside of Chattanooga. 
Chattanooga-The nation’s largest reenactment
of the War Between the States is being held this year at Chickamauga
National Military Park. The actual reenactment will take place in
North Georgia’s Catoosa County 20 minutes away from downtown Chattanooga.
The reenactment is expected to draw spectators from around the world
as War Between the State’s enthusiasts will reenact the 1863 battle,
which was the Confederacy’s last great victory of the war. The event is sponsored by the Civil War Trust and the North/South Alliance. The organizations are being hailed for their decision to donate 100 percent of all monies raised at the reenactment towards historical preservation projects in Georgia and Tennessee. For more information on it or if you would like to participate you can contact them at the web site: http://www.Chickamauga.org/ bill passed 
Lebanon-The Tennessee Civil War Preservation
Association has won approval from the state senate to offer a vanity
license plate to all those interested in joining the organization
or who just want to help preserve the state’s Civil war battlefields.
The organization must sell 1,000 plates before they start seeing any
money from it. The monies raised will be held in a separate account
and will not revert back to the general fund as is usually required.
The funds raised will go towards the future acquisition of historic structures and battlefields in Tennessee. The Tennessee Civil War license plate should be available soon and they are already taking order for it. The cost is $50 and forms can be obtained from the Tennessee Historical Commission. Capitol-The Tennessee Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans had their vanity license plate killed in a Tennessee House committee after winning approval for it from the Senate. The committee members voting in favor of the plate were: Reps. Boyer, Kent, McDaniel, Phillips, Rhinehart, and Robinson. Those opposed were: Reps. Armstrong, Chumney, Davidson, Fitzhugh, Givens, Hargrove, Jones, Kernell, Kisber, Miller, Pruitt, West and DeBerry. Those not present were: Reps. Buck, Garrett, Ridgeway, Rinks and Naifeh, who is also the house speaker. Historians, preservationists and members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans say they were appalled by some of the speeches given by officials in the committee hearing. “You really had to be there to hear the speeches that completely illustrated how uninformed and just outright ignorant of American history they are,” said an SCV spokesman. “Rogersville Representative Givens attributed the Columbine High School shootings on the Confederate Flag, and a member of the black caucus claimed to have a copy of some SCV “Confederate Creed” that supposedly was anti-black, which, when asked by another member of the committee, could never produce and later said told everyone was “misplaced”. I couldn’t believe after hearing a descendant of a black Confederate soldier speaking in favor of it and documented evidence of black members in the organization that they would just revert back to childishly playing the race card. This really shows me how out-of-touch many legislators are with their constituents. They seem to take the public opinion of media pundits rather than poll their own people.” Some members of the Senate were not pleased with the Committee vote either and say it sets a dangerous precedent that could come back to haunt them. Tennessee SCV members say they are looking at their options right now and will pursue the plate now as a question of fairness. Both North Carolina and Maryland found themselves in similar battles a few years ago and successfully sued the states to obtain their vanity plates. There has been no official word as to if the Tennessee SCV will follow suit. “What is truly ethically disgusting, said a preservationist, “is the fact that three such plates bearing symbols of black heritage and culture were passed as were many other organizations. You can’t approve one if you’re not going to approve them all.” Those who want to express their comments to their representatives can be reached from the Tennessee Online government e-mail. 
Gatlinburg-The Gatlinburg Fourth of
July Parade, which is recognized as the first in the nation, is expected
to get underway early this year and officials are requesting people
to start arriving early if they want a good seat. Transportaion by
the city’s trolleys will be provided to and from all parking points
in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and is the best way to travel to the
parade site. They will be operating extra hours that night and fare
is relatively cheap, not to mention the lack of traffic headaches
that will be common to drivers entering Gatlinburg that day. Last year’s event was carried on television stations throughout America. CNN, CBS, and other major networks covered it as part of the National holiday. The parade will begin promptly at 12:01 a.m. July 4, but organizers say there will be a score of activities to participate in prior to the event. Last year celebrities in music and television were in the parade and it is a tradition to always have a few “surprise” celebrities show up at the last moment. The annual patriotic salute is regarded as one of the best night parades in the nation. for more information, please contact the Gatlinburg web site. 
Nashville-- Tennessee Department of
Tourism Commissioner John Wade says the state can expect 2 million
more visitors this year as the summer tourism season kicks off. Many
museums, historic sites, and other destination points are bracing
for the crowds and already numbers are way up over last year in all
three divisions of the state. Tourism officials say a lot of it has to do with the state’s marketing program and independent marketing being done nationwide by cities and counties. Their development of Internet web sites are also getting a good share of the credit as the cities now showcase their yearly festivals and events to people planning vacations and holidays. According to the latest reports, heritage tourism is also starting to become a vibrant part of the state’s numerous attractions. Many cities are preserving historic sites and developing activities around them that draw families who want an educational as well as a relaxing holiday. the numbers for the coming year are also looking good say state officials. Knoxville-The East Tennessee Historical Society is planning a series of upcoming programs aimed at teaching kids how to preserve their family’s history. A special camp will be held Jul 5-8 at the East Tennessee History Center on Market Street in Knoxville and will teach them how to use state archives and modern tools in tracing their family tree. “One of the most important things they will learn to do in the camp,” said ETHS Director Kent Whitworth, “is record an oral history of a parent, grandparent, or some other relative. This simple exercise can energize a whole family to explore and preserve their own history, traditions, and favorite family stories for future generations.” Pre-registration for the camp is required and the cost is $25 per camper. To register, you must contact the East Tennessee Historical Society before June 25 at (423)544-5732. Chattanooga-The National Medal of Honor Museum is in a fund-raising drive to raise money for the museum’s ongoing projects. the museum is still working to raise funds to renovate the St. Elmo location in Chattanooga, but is also needing to raise money to help with current expenses. Each year, the museum furnishes Medal of Honor Citations on all 3,462 recipients to military installations, schools, and other such organizations throughout America, in addition to continuing research and collection of artifacts related to the Medal of Honor and military history. The museum is the only one of its kind in America and regarded by historians as one of the best resources on military history. “Just doing the basic work that we are here for costs money,” said one trustee. “Donations, no matter how small, allows us to commemorate the recipients of America’s highest military award in schools and historic sites across the nation. We are always needing museum volunteers and donors and rely on them to help us accomplish our goals and directives. We do more than just display artifacts. Over the years, we have placed markers on highways, decorated unmarked graves, ran educational programs for schools, and helped document the lives of the recipients after they left the service.” The museum is open daily. For more information on hours of operation, you can contact them at (423) 267-1737 or on their web site at www.smoky.com/medalofhonor. Gatlinburg-Tennessee Online has added some other new sites for you to explore. One is the Society of Tennessee Archivists, which can be located at http://www.arkay.net/tnarchivist/, the Tennessee Sons of the American Revolution, which can be found on our reenactment page, and a link that gives all the vital data on Tennessee. You can locate the site at the address: http://www.optonline.com/comptons/ceo/04727_A.html#019. Tennessee Online will not be posting news in July as we will be doing some major work on the site’s other areas and taking a much needed rest. If something important does happen. however, we will post a bulletin on it and tell you whom to contact concerning it. The response of Tennessee Online users has been tremendous and we do want to take time to thank you for all of the support. Tennessee Online’s Ed Hooper picked up a couple more awards for his work on the site and with the “Looking Back” column he writes on Tennessee history. He won the top award from the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists for his story “Classified Above Top Secret: The untold story of Vietnam”, which detailed the career of Spec. 4 James Thomas Davis’ showing him to be the first combat casualty of the Vietnam War. Hooper also picked up the top award in general News reporting for his “Much ‘kaboom’ about nothing”, which detailed the plight of a Civil war era cannonball from the Battle of Mobile Bay that was seized by police from a historical museum and with the assistance of a bomb squad from Fort Campbell, KY detonated because it supposedly posed a “hazard” to the community. The incident drew criticism from across Tennessee and the South as hundreds of museums have the cannon balls in their collections and have been proven safe be the nation’s top experts. The individual who had put the artifact on loan to the museum was never compensated for the loss. Many of you have been requesting information regarding reenactments and we are posting those that we receive. We do ask that anyone with information on a reenactment, living history exhibit, or other historical function please contact us on our e-mail or by U.S. mail at Tennessee Online, 920 Yarbrough Lane, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Have a happy Fourth of July !! News Archives |