Parrott-Wood Memorial Library Receives a Founding Era Public Programming Grant

We are pleased to announce that Parrott-Wood Memorial Library has been awarded a Revisiting the Founding Era Grant to implement public programming and community conversations that explore America’s founding and its enduring themes.

As part of the grant, the library has received 10 copies of a reader containing scholarly essays on selected historical documents from the lauded Gilder Lehrman Collection, $1,000 to help implement programs, and additional digital resources, training, and support from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the American Library Association.

These resources will allow Parrott-Wood Memorial Library to launch a program series on the Founding Era. This includes lectures, as well as field trips to the Revolutionary Cemetery, Dandridge, to visit the graves and hear the stories of those buried there, and a special visit to the Museum of East Tennessee History, Knoxville, for a guided tour the Cherokee and pioneer sections of the museum. All events, except the two field trips, will be held at the Parrott-Wood Memorial Library, 3133 West Old Andrew Johnson Highway, Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, 37871.

Schedule of Programs

July 22; 5-7 p.m. Noted historian Dr. George K. Schweitzer will speak and facilitate a discussion about events leading to the Revolutionary War and those who played important roles.

July 29; 5-7 p.m. Presentations and discussion on the role of East Tennesseans, including the Overmountain Men, the Battle of Kings Mountain, and the conflicts between European settlers and the Cherokee.

August 3; 10 a.m.-noon: Field Trip to the Revolutionary War Cemetery in Dandridge. Led by Ginger Spradlin with members of the Grainger County Historical Society and Jefferson County Historian Bob Jarnagin.

August 5; 5 -7 p.m. Finding Your Revolutionary War Ancestors: Dr. George K. Schweitzer will present an introductory class in finding Revolutionary War ancestors, following which he and other experienced genealogists will be available to assist attendees.

August 10; 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.: Field Trip to the Museum of East Tennessee History, Knoxville, to explore the museum, with a guided tour of the Cherokee and Frontier sections, pointing out artifacts such as Davy Crockett’s first gun, a turkey bone and silver ring that belonged to Cherokee “Beloved Woman” Nancy Ward, the key to the State of Franklin capitol in Greeneville, and much more.

Programs are free and open to the public. To make reservations, contact the Parrott-Wood Memorial Library at 865-933-1311/dphillips@jcpls.org.

Revisiting the Founding Era is a three-year national initiative of The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, presented in partnership with the American Library Association and the National Constitution Center, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant provides 100 public libraries across the country the opportunity to use historical documents to spark public conversations about the Founding Era’s enduring ideas and themes and how they continue to influence our lives today.

For more information about Revisiting the Founding Era and participating libraries, visit www.foundingera.org.