From 1928 through 2007, East Tennessee State University hosted an exhibition that represented a folkloristic approach to documentation and historical interpretation of a mythological place called the Tennessee Frontier. The exhibit began as a classroom project that grew into public displays hosted in Gilbreath Hall (1928-1932), Sherrod Library (1933-1964), and the Reece Museum (1965-2007). As part of the ETSU America 250 events happening across our campus this year, many of the artifacts from this nostalgic exhibition have been brought out of the collections room to be shared with the public once again.

The Tennessee Frontier Room: 1928-2007 revisits institutional and regional history, with a focus on pieces of family and collective lore that contribute to greater regional mythohistories about the pioneers, explorers, and Indigenous inhabitants of East Tennessee between 1750 and 1840. From lithic tools created by ancient civilizations to a silk evening gown, the exhibit and accompanying publication showcase the cultural artifacts left behind by a people in flux. Building on work begun during the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations, this Semiquencentennial exploration of our shared history revisits the golden age of folklore, when the First Congressional District was branded “Tennessee’s First Frontier.”