WTHS November Meeting on the Road
WTHS will join the Jackson Purchase Historical Society for our November monthly meeting.
Dr. Brian K. Clardy Assistant Professor of History at Murray State University will present "The Career of Tennessee Congressman John Tanner" Dr. Clardy is a native of South Fulton, TN, graduate of UT- Martin, he holds a masters of Public Administration from Murray State and doctorate in Historical Studies from the University of Southern Illinois- Carbondale.
November 5, 2016 10:30 am Weldon Public Library, 100 Main Street, Martin, Tennessee. This is a free event open to the public
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Notice of statement
The following statement was approved at the WTHS Executive Board Meeting on October 2, 2016, for presentation to the Tennessee Historical Commission in Gatlinburg on October 21. While it specifically addresses the City of Memphis's request for waiver of the rules governing historical markers and monuments in regard to the statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest (originally to be considered at the THC's previous meeting but withdrawn at the last minute), we believe that the City's narrow request touches on much broader issues of historical preservation and interpretation, issues on which all interested voices should be heard.
The WTHS Board encourages all members to share their thoughts and opinions on this matter with legislative and oversight bodies such as the Memphis City Council and the Tennessee Historical Commission. We believe that with time, patience, and respect for differing viewpoints, our Society and our region can help lead the way to a richer appreciation of our unique history and heritage.
- WTHS Board
The WTHS Board urges the THC to deny the City of Memphis' March 7, 2016 Request for Waiver because it does not provide for relocation of the monument to a suitable site in the city. The WTHS Board recognizes that the present location of the Forrest statue and graves may not be ideal, due to changing attitudes and the growth and anticipated future growth of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, whose campus now virtually surrounds the park formerly known as Forrest Park. UTHSC faculty and students, as well as others who have business on the campus may strongly object to having the Forrest statue and graves as a constant reminder of the Civil War and slavery. Those feelings should be respected. However, at the same time, the Forrest statue is an important historical monument to a significant nineteenth century military figure. It is also a well-executed artistic expression by a notable sculptor, Charles Henry Niehaus. The Forrest statue is part of Memphis' history, and it should remain on public display in an appropriate location in Memphis where it is visible to residents and visitors who are interested in the Civil War and want to see it. Ideally, it should not be in a location, such as its current one, where it is unwelcome by many who are required to pass by or who work in its shadow. A good solution would be to move the Forrest statue to a site in the city where, through interpretive plaques or other means, the statue is part of a fact-based, balanced account of the Civil War and its aftermath. Such interpretation has occurred on numerous college campuses with vestiges of the Civil War or reminders of historical figures who are offensive to some. The statue belongs in Memphis in view of the fact that Forrest lived, worked, and died here, he conducted numerous military operations in and around the city, the donors who paid for the statue wanted it here, and, most of all, the statue is a means by which to teach many important lessons. Unless and until city officials designate and commit to a suitable new location in the city for the statue, it should stay where it is. For that reason, the WTHS Board urges the THC to deny the pending Request for Waiver. At the same time, the WTHS Board urges city leaders to work together on the divisive issues of the Forrest statue and the graves of General and Mrs. Forrest and find a solution that recognizes history and accommodates competing interests.
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WTHS December Meeting
Dr. Tim Huebner, professor of history at Rhodes College, will present his new book Liberty and Union: The Civil War Era and American Constitutionalism.
This offering
shows how the Civil War transformed America. From the start, African Americans pushed the issue of freedom. For decades, beginning in the late-eighteenth century, free blacks in the North had asserted their rights as men and as Americans. Decades later, free blacks began assembling regularly in conventions and issuing resolutions claiming all of the rights of other Americans under the Constitution. Enslaved African Americans in the South also pushed the limits-many escaped to federal military outposts even before the Union government had taken its first antislavery action. So African Americans continually advocated an agenda of freedom-not just emancipation but their full panoply of rights under the Declaration of Independence. When emancipation came, it came largely because of their persistent efforts in pushing this agenda, and, in wartime, in walking off plantations and enlisting in the U.S. military.
Monday, Dec. 5, 2016 7 pm
Wunderlich Auditorium
Memphis University School 6191 Park Ave, Memphis
Enter from Park Ave and follow the WTHS signs
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Unveiling of Shelby County Historical Commission's Historical Marker Honoring
Dr. Greene Fort Pinkston
November 12, 2016 at 1:00pm
1738 Lenow Road, Cordova, TN
Shuttle service will be provided to the Dedication.
Parking available at TVA facility
 Dr. Green Fort Pinkston was born in 1875 in Forest, Mississippi. He began medical school at 24 and graduated from Meharry Medical School in 1904. He was the only African American doctor to practice in the Cordova area. In 1913 after practicing medicine in Memphis for eight years, he moved to Cordova and purchased 257-acre farm on Lenow Road and combined farming with his medical practice. Through eminent domain the Tennessee Valley Authority purchased 188.66 acres of his property in 1963.
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Board Members
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| Edwin G. Frank, President Linda J. Higgins, Vice-President for West Tennessee Dr. Larry Gunderson, Vice-President at Large Jimmy Ogle, Vice President Shelby County Dr. John E. Harkins, Immediate Past President Michael Freeman, Treasurer Dr. E. C. Fields, Assistant Treasurer Bryan Massey, Recording Secretary Sarah Frierson, Webmaster Troy A. Hallsell, Papers Editor John Shepherd, Board Member David Gwinn, Board Member Paul Matthews, Board Member Vincent L. Clark, Board Member Carol Perel, Executive Director |
The Society is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) and any gift you make is tax deductible. As we continue to expand our goals to continue our mission, your support is important to us.
Make checks payable to WTHS and mail to PO Box 111046, Memphis, TN 38111. Please contact Carol at 901.276.7154 for any questions you may have regarding your gift.
We thank you for your support.
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| Individual - $25 Institution - $25 Family/Couple - $35 Sustaining - $50 Patron - $100 Benefactor - $250 Life - $500 Crockett/Forrest - $1000 To find out more regarding benefits, and download a form http://wths-tn.org/membership/ |
The 20th annual quilt show will be held the first full weekend of November, on the 4th, 5th, and 6th. If you have quilts that you would like to exhibit, please contact Davies Plantation at
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Saturday November 5, 2016 9am-7:45pm
Sunday November 6, 2016 10am - 4pm
$5 at the gate children 5 and younger free.
A Special Event of the City of Bartlett's 2016 Sesquicentennial Celebration at W.J. Freeman Park 2629 Bartlett Blvd. Soldiers' encampment and demonstrations all day each day
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About Us:
The WTHS is the umbrella heritage organization for the Western Grand Division of Tennessee. Within its twenty-one counties, it supports historical programs, archives, publications, preservation, markers, museums, and other historical collections.
West Tennessee Historical Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) entity chartered under the laws of the state of Tennessee. WTHS activities are free and open to the public. The WTHS does not discriminate in any aspect of membership or participation on the basis of race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or national origin.
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