Humanities Tennessee

A young girl and her family migrate from Florida to New Jersey, 1940 Library of Congress, LC-USF34-040841

Humanities Tennessee presents Journey Stories, a Museum on Main Street exhibit tour project in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The Journey Stories exhibition uses engaging images, audio recordings, and artifacts to tell the individual stories that illustrate the critical roles travel and movement have played in building American society across regions and over time. From the peopling of the continent to the family vacation, events throughout history have determined where people have been and where they are now, creating communities that trace their origins and experiences across maps—and the globe.

Think of the impact on our nation of the Trail of Tears, westward expansion and the transcontinental railroad, the Great Migration, and the advent of the automobile. Think of the historical changes wrought by contact between Native Americans and colonists, by the enslavement and importation of Africans, by the mobilization of people to serve the world wars, by four centuries of immigration. Now think of the stories that make up these events—the motives, the encounters, the consequences, the achievements. The letters saved, the postcards sent, the goodbyes, the welcome returns, the long walks home—the memories and artifacts we share to conquer distance.

Tennessee and its people are central and enduring to these stories and their meaning in American society. Thus, Journey Stories offers multiple opportunities for host museums to link their own collections and local history to launch a variety of programs such as community research projects, companion exhibits, or book/film discussions.

Humanities Tennessee invites you to visit Journey Stories at the following locations:

Polish and Russian immigrants gather on the deck of a ship during their journey to America, 1905. Minnesota Historical Society

June 26–August 8, 2010

Nathanael Greene Museum, Greenville

August 14–September 26, 2010

Ocoee Region Multicultural Services, Cleveland Bradley Co. Public Library, Cleveland

October 2–November 14, 2010

Granville Museum, Granville

November 20, 2010–January 2, 2011

Tom & O.E. Stigall Ethnic Library Museum, Humboldt, 731-225-3269

January 8–February 20, 2011

Cumberland Homesteads Tower Museum, Crossville

February 26–April 3, 2011

Big Black Creek Historical Society, Ebenezer Building, Mercer

Family and friends say goodbye to troops, June 1944. Courtesy of the Herald & Review, Decatur, IL

From the Underground Railroad to steamboat transport to 21st century immigration, the project offers a profound opportunity for Tennesseans to gain insight into their communities and their role in the national story.