Thursday, September 17, 4-6 pm Central:
First Hour: DAVID HATFIELD, park ranger at Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Stewart County, does a presentation about the Battle of Fort Donelson. Because of the fall of Fort Donelson in February 1862,, Nashville fell to the U.S. Army the next week and would never fly the Confederate flag again. Confederate forces prevailed on the first day of a multi-day battle and lost on either the second or third days — a pattern that would repeat several times during the following three years. The battle elevated Ulysses Grant to the rank of major general; made him nationally famous; and gave him the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant. Finally, the fact that Confederate General Nathan Forrest was able to escape with hundreds of his cavalrymen would haunt the U.S. Army for the rest of the war.
Memphis Public Ledger; March 21, 1867
Second Hour: It might shock you to read stories about the Civil War published in Tennessee newspapers of that era. Abraham Lincoln was referred to as a “Big Gorilla;” the Southern Methodist Church was publishing editorials claiming God was on the side of the Confederacy; Nashville’s most famous unionist was giving everyone the middle finger; Tennessee newspapers reported a “glorious victory” at Shiloh; after January 1, 1863, everyone was confused whether slavery existed or not; and, after the war, there were stories all over the place about wild animals digging up dead bodies.
Click here to register for the September 17 event “The Battle of Fort Donelson AND Newspaper Articles ABOUT the Civil War Written DURING the Civil War.”
Thursday, September 24, 4-6 pm Central:
A scene from the Scopes Trial (Library of Congress photo)
The Scopes Trial AND Race Relations in Tennessee in the early 1900s
First Hour: 2025 was the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Trial between the state of Tennessee and a Dayton substitute teacher that made international news. TOM DAVIS is an expert on the Scopes Trial who has helped put on Dayton’s Scopes Trial Festival since the early 1990s. On September 24, Davis will tell teachers the inside story of the trial; how it bore no resemblance to the movie “Inherit the Wind;” how it led to the creation of Bryan College; and why the Scopes Trial is just as important today as it was a century ago.
Some of the men who burned down the Bedford County Courthouse on Dec. 19, 1934 (Nashville Banner image)
Second Hour: Many teachers are required to cover the Civil Rights Movement. The problem is that students have no idea why the movement occurred in the first place. In this presentation, “History Bill” will go over 3 nationally publicized — but NOT in the history books – Tennessee events that said a lot of why the Civil Rights Movement had to take place. The first was the resurgence of the KKK between 1915 and 1925. The second was the Lem Motlow murder trial in December 1924. The third was the burning down of the Bedford County Courthouse by a lynch mob in December 1934.
Click here to register for the September 24 event “The Scopes Trial AND Race Relations in the early 1900s.”
Tuesday October 20, 4-6 pm Central:
Ashley Burns (far right) at the July 2025 Tennessee History for Kids Summer Road Show in Greeneville.
Andrew Johnson AND How Tennessee Dealt with Abolitionists
First Hour: When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the presidency passed to a former tailor from Greeneville, Tennessee named Andrew Johnson. ASHLEY BURNS, ranger at Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, will give a fascinating power point presentation about President Johnson’ background as small business owner, then local political leader, then statewide political leader, then national political leader, then president, then ex-president.
As the Nashville Banner reported on July 2, 1850, Dillingham died in prison while being punished for trying to help slaves escape.
Second Hour: Tennessee likes to think of itself as a state that bred abolitionists and a state that didn’t have harsh slave laws like the rest of the South. But the truth of the matter is that, after 1830, Tennessee did not tolerate people who were opposed to slavery and dealt harshly with people who violated Tennessee’s anti-abolitionist laws. “History Bill” will tell the story of the bookseller who was arrested and tried in Maury County for the simple act of selling a sketch, and the story of Richard Dillingham, who was thrown in prison for trying to help slaves escape, where he died of cholera.
Tuesday October 27, 4-6 pm Central:
The Cumberland Gap AND the Fascinating World of Tennessee Geography
You can see the actual Cumberland Gap behind the post office in the town of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee.
First Hour: LUCAS WILDER, ranger at Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, presents on the history of the Cumberland Gap. There are reasons the Cumberland Gap comes up in the social studies standards so many times. Cumberland Gap was a key passage from east to west—the one location through which first bison, then Native Americans and then American migrants had to pass. Today the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park remains legendary. Teachers and students can immerse themselves in this legendary land through an incredible array of educational programs. Hiking into the Cumberland Gap with a ranger dressed in period clothing, exploring Gap Cave, understanding the importance of bear and other wildlife species living in distinct ecosystems are all on the program menu.
Bee Rock, in Putnam County, is one of many places in Tennessee where you can look down on the Highland Rim.
Second Hour: K through 12 teachers in grades 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 11 are all tasked with teaching things about Tennessee geography. However, do you know why the northern border of Tennessee is NOT a straight line? Do you know that Tennessee has more caves than any other state? Do you know that parts of South Carolina are west of parts of Tennessee? Do you know that the western boundary of Tennessee is NOT the Mississippi River? And do you know why it was, in the era before air conditioning, that well-to-do people in Nashville vacationed in places like Grundy, White and Putnam Counties? “History Bill” does the presentation.
Click here to register for the October 27 inservice on “the Cumberland Gap AND the Fascinating World of Tennessee Geography.”
Wednesday November 4, 4-6 pm Central:
Nat Taylor
Tennessee’s Reconstruction Era AND the History of Tennessee’s Governors
First Hour: NAT TAYLOR, former director of Franklin’s Moore-Morris History and Culture Center, knows a LOT about Tennessee’s Reconstruction Era. Taylor will tell us about why President Andrew Johnson vetoed the bill that created Freedmen’s Bureau, and how Congress passed it anyway, and how much good the Freedmen’s Bureau eventually did. He will tell us how Tennessee dealt with the three post-Civil War constitutional amendments. He will tell us about how Tennessee Governor William “Parson” Brownlow extended to right to vote to former slaves, and how that led to the creation of a terrorist organization called the Ku Klux Klan, and how Brownlow tried, but failed, to deal with it.
It’s safe to say that Aaron Brown (top right) was Tennessee’s handsomest governor of all time.
Second Hour: On the day after Tennessee elects a new governor, “History Bill” runs through an interesting power point about the governors of Tennessee. He will tell you why Tennessee’s first governor, John Sevier, HATED Tennessee’s second governor, Archibald Roane. He’ll tell you about the governor who has a county named for him, but could not get the General Assembly to pass a bill authorizing his divorce. He’ll tell you about how “Lean Jimmy” Jones defeated a man who later became the 11th president of the United States. He’ll tell you about the governor, who in 1921, said that if all able-bodied men volunteered for a day of work, Tennessee wouldn’t have to raise taxes to make roads!
Click here to register for the Wednesday, November 11, inservice on “Tennessee’s Reconstruction Era AND the History of Tennessee Governors.”
Wednesday, November 11, 4-6 pm Central:
The Kings Mountain Campaign AND the Greatest Teaching Maps in Tennessee History
William Caldwell
First Hour: WILLIAM CALDWELL, Ranger for the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, will tell us about the long, memorable journey of the Overmountain Men to the Battle of Kings Mountain, and why and how we still honor what they did. He will also give a short rundown of what happened at the battle, and why some historians call it the turning point of the Revolutionary War.
You can see on the 1888 Rand McNally map of Tennessee why Warren County was known as the “Round County.”
Second Hour: “History Bill” explains the 6 most fascinating maps in Tennessee history and shows teachers how to download them and use them in class. The list includes, among others, Daniel Smith’s 1796 map; Matthew Rhea 1832 map; Rand McNally’s 1888 map; and railroad maps that tell a lot about how Tennessee and its people have changed!
Click here to register for the Wednesday, November 11, inservice about “The Kings Mountain Campaign and the Greatest Teaching Maps in Tennessee History.”
Workers at Norris Dam in 1933 (National Archives photo)
Wednesday, November 18, 4-6 pm Central:
The Tennessee Valley Authority AND the history of the Tennessee River before TVA
First Hour: JENNIFER THELEN, TVA’s official historian, will share TVA history and historic photography. She’ll answer the following questions, among others: Why was TVA started in the first place? What were its original goals (HINT: most people get these wrong!) Who was the Republican Senator from Nebraska who may have had more to do with TVA’s creation than anyone else? Besides Tennessee, what other states are part of TVA’s footprint? Why did TVA build coal plants in the 1950s and nuclear plants beginning in the 1960s? There will be time for discussion and questions.
The most famous navigational barrier on the Tennessee River in Tennessee was called “The Suck” and it was forever buried by Hales Bar Dam in October 1913
Second Hour: “History Bill” will talk about the history of the Tennessee River before the 1930s. He will explain what the Tennessee River and its tributaries meant to the Cherokee nation. The Dragging Canoe and Chickamaugan era, when human blood ran rampant on the river. Why, from a commercial point of view, the Tennessee River’s value was limited in early Tennessee history. The Tennessee River during the Civil War. Early dams and hydroelectic plants in the Tennessee River system
Finally, he will tell us about the country music star who intended to commit suicide in a place along the Tennessee River in which he would never be found, but became a born-again Christian deep in the darkness of a cave.
Click here to register for the Wednesday, November 18, inservice on The Tennessee Valley Authority AND the history of the Tennessee River before TVA