'Hallowed Ground' displayed in October
Exhibit shows documents, newly excavated
artifacts
An exhibit featuring pictures and documents from the early years of
Murfreesboro as well as newly excavated artifacts related to local
history, "Two Centuries of Hallowed Ground: The Story of Murfreesboro as
Told in the Old City Cemetery," is on display through Oct. 31 at the
Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center, 415 S. Academy St.
"The exhibit provides an intriguing story of the interrelated histories
of the First Presbyterian Church, the Old City Cemetery, Bradley Academy
and Murfreesboro, from their founding through the present, including an
emphasis on events when Murfreesboro was the capital of Tennessee, and
the church served as the capitol building of the state in 1822," Dr.
Kevin Smith, professor of anthropology and curator of the display, said.
The temporary exhibit—which comprises three display cases and five wall
panels—was designed and prepared by Smith and students from the
Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the Department of History.
Last summer, Smith and students enrolled in a university-sponsored
archaeological field school conducted a dig to find remnants of the
original First Presbyterian Church (1820-1864) in the Old City Cemetery
on Vine Street in Murfreesboro. The historically relevant results of
their efforts makeup the current exhibit.
"Our primary goal was to physically locate the remains of the First
Presbyterian Church building, to document as much of it as possible
within our five-week course, and to gather sufficient evidence to
nominate the remains of the building and the surrounding cemetery to the
National Register of Historic Places," Smith said.
"Secondary goals were to provide Murfreesboro citizens with an
opportunity to visit an archaeological ‘dig’—and learn that archaeology
is not only about desert pyramids or lost jungle cities, but also that
there are things to be learned about our own communities and histories
through careful research ‘just down the road.’"
In addition to pictures and documents from the early years of
Murfreesboro’s history, the exhibit showcases artifacts from the
excavations, including bricks, glass, plaster and nails from the
original church, objects related to Civil War uses of the church and
more, Smith said.
"Two Centuries of Hallowed Ground" currently may be seen as part of the
regular tour at the Bradley Academy Museum. The museum is open 10 a.m.-4
p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 2-4 p.m. Sundays. Museum admission is $3 for
adults, $2 for seniors and $1 for children ages 5-12. Children under age
5 are free.
For more information, contact John Lodi, museum director, at , or
contact Smith via e-mail at
kesmith@mtsu.edu.
Source: The Record, October 13, 2003, V12.07
http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/Record/Rec_v12/rec1207/rec1207.html