Archive for year: 2014

The Heritage Alliance announces a new public initiative to collect and display old and historical photos of the region by superimposing old images into our modern landscapes. We encourage residents throughout Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia to share your family photos, vacation photos, and others that feature our region that are at least 20 years old. For examples, how to instructions, and submission guidelines, please visit our website at www.heritageall.org.

Every Thursday starting May 1, 2014, the Heritage Alliance will be posting our own historical photos to our Facebook page for Throwback Thursday. These old photos will be superimposed over the same location to show what the town looked like then versus now. The Now and Then: Throwback Thursday Photo Exchange will feature some of Jonesborough’s most popular images, as well as never before seen photos from the Jonesborough/Washington County Archives.

We want this project to showcase more than just Jonesborough, so please help us out by sharing your photos! Email them to us at info@heritageall.org, post them to online slots our Facebook wall with the hashtag #heritagetbt, orshare them on your Instagram account with the hashtag #heritagetbt! An exhibit of all the participating photos will be displayed in the Chester Inn Museum, a State owned Historic Site, this coming September. To view the photos online, like our Facebook page (Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia) or follow our Instagram account (Heritage Alliance).

The Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia is dedicated to the preservation of the architectural, historical, and cultural heritage of our region and to providing educational experiences related to history and heritage for a wide range of audiences. The Chester Inn Museum is a State Owned Historic Site Operated by the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.  The operation of the Chester Inn is partially funded under an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation – Tennessee Historical Commission. For more information, please call our office at 423.753.9580 or contact the organization via email at info@heritageall.org. Further information can also be found online at http://www.heritageall.org/.

The Heritage Alliance, in cooperation with the International Storytelling Center, will host a free evening of history and discussion surrounding the life and legacy of John Newton, writer of the popular Christian hymn “Amazing Grace”.  Amazing Grace on the Wilderness Road featuring Marylynn Rouse from the John Newton Project will take place at the International Storytelling Center on April 10 at 7 p.m.

Amazing Grace on the Wilderness Road  will focus on Newton’s life and conversion from a captain of English slave trading vessels in the 1770s, to a devote cleric and hymn composer who became a prominent supporter of the abolition of slavery.  Newton’s battle to put an end to England’s involvement with the Atlantic slave trade came to a head in 1807, the same year as his death. Leading thinkers in America were struggling with the issue of slavery during this same time period and Newton’s influence can be seen here as casino well. In Jonesborough, never the scene of a large enslaved population, his influence is most evident in Elihu Embree’s publication, “The Emancipator”.

Amazing Grace on the Wilderness Road will provide additional context for the larger world view surrounding the battle to abolish slavery and Jonesborough’s stance on the issue during that time.

Amazing Grace on the Wilderness Road is a free, ticketed event. Tickets are available at The International Storytelling Center. As seating is limited, advanced tickets are encouraged. For more information on this program, please contact the Heritage Alliance at 423.753.9580 or visit www.heritageall.org.

Amazing Grace on the Wilderness Road in Jonesborough on the 10th will coincide with the U.S. premiere of the musical event, “Handel’s Messiah: A Celebration of God’s Amazing Grace” taking place at Milligan College on April 12th and April 13th. This event will include multiple choirs from throughout the area. Tickets are available by contacting the Milligan College bookstore at 423.461.8733.

 

It’s 1856 and you’re stuck with your family on vacation in a small town called Jonesborough . . . what in the world are you going to do?  Annette Broadacre and her family are on a journey south for the winter.  When they reach Jonesborough, the women of the family elect to stay behind, while the men continue on to Roan Mountain.  But what can Jonesborough possibly have to offer a young woman who’s accustomed to much larger cities?  Will the town win her over and change her perceptions?  And what kind of gossip, legends, and stories will she pick up on the streets of Tennessee’s oldest town?  Find out on March 27^th at 7:00 PM with the premier of A Sojourn in Jonesborough.

  Photo by Peter Montanti of Mountain Photographics, Inc.

This one-woman play, written by Anne G’Fellers-Mason, will perform at the International Storytelling Center March 27^th at 7:00 PM, followed by refreshments, music, and a talk-back session with the playwright.  Tickets are $10.00 per person, and proceeds will help further the mission online casino of the Heritage Alliance.  Seating is limited in the storytelling theater. Advance tickets are recommended and are available by phone at 423.753.9580, by email at info@heritageall.org, and in person at the Heritage Alliance office at 212 East Sabin Drive in Jonesborough.

A Sojourn in Jonesborough is based on a serial story that ran in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine from 1857-1858.  An enjoyable mix of humor and fact, the piece received rave reviews from its past performances, but this will be the play’s premiere event for the larger public.  You won’t want to miss this spectacular evening of entertainment!

The Friends of the Washington County, Tennessee Archives (FoA) will host its second symposium on Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26, 2014. J. Mark Lowe, Certified Genealogist, will again be the speaker on both days of the event. Lowe is a full-time well known professional genealogist, author and lecturer. Lowe has also worked with the show, Who Do You Think You Are? on NBC and TLC and as a consultant for genealogy shows on PBS.

On Friday evening, April 25, Lowe will be speaking on Beginning Land Platting from 7:00 to 9:00 at the Central Christian Church Fellowship Hall, 106 Main Street, Jonesborough, Tennessee. There will be some hands on exercises. The cost for Friday night is $15.

On Saturday, April 26, Lowe will be speaking on Out on a Limb, Trapped by Bad Research and Finding Your Landless Ancestors from 9:30 to 11:45. Break for lunch on your own. From 1:00 to 4:30 his topics will be Spending the Afternoon with Perry Mason Matlock and Tennessee Court Records, a hands-on online casino exercise. He will finish with Peeking Behind the Scenes of the Tennessee State Library and Archives. All sessions will be at the Central Christian Church Fellowship Hall, 106 Main Street, Jonesborough, Tennessee. The cost for Saturday is $40. There will be something for the beginner as well as experienced researchers.

Those registering for both Friday night and Saturday before April 15, 2014, the cost is only $50, but the FoA has an even better deal for those Early Birds! Early Bird Special is $45 for both Friday night and all day Saturday if registered and paid in full by Friday, February 28, 2014.  Registration on the date of the events is subjected to space availability.

For more information, please visit the Friends of the Washington County Archives” website by clicking here.  The registration form is available by clicking here.

The Friends of the Washington County, Tennessee Archives is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization organized to support the development of an outstanding archives by working with the County Records Commission, to promote the Washington County (TN) Archives by working with the County Records Commission through public awareness, to instruct and train in the preservation and in the techniques of handling the historical documents of Washington County (TN), and to help the Washington County (TN) Archives with supplemental funds. All proceeds of this event will benefit the Washington County, TN Archives.