A Celebration of Black Tennesseans: Stagecoach Mary, Mary Fields
Mary Fields was born in Hickman County, Tennessee to enslaved parents, she was emancipated after the Civil War.
top of page
Conference Center
Conference Center
Ryan P. French
2 min
The Matt Gardner Homestead in Elkton, Tennessee
Former slave Gardner rose to prominence after the war as a minister, farmer and philanthropist.
Tomeka Allgood
2 min
Uncle Nearest Distillery – A Legacy 160 Years in the Making
Nathan ‘Nearest’ Green was born in 1820, approximately 45 years before the end of the Civil War. He was an enslaved man who was known...
Ryan P. French
2 min
The story of Jack Daniel and Nearest Green
After the American Civil War, Jack bought Call's still and hired Nearest, now a free man, to become Jack Daniel's first Master Distiller.
Ryan P. French
1 min
James Thomas Bridgeforth's amazing impact on education in Tennessee
James Thomas Bridgeforth was educated in Giles County, Tennessee and at A&I State College. In the early 1900's he became interested in secur
African American business leader in cosmetology and civil rights activist Eva Lowery Bowman
African American business leader in cosmetology and civil rights activist Eva Lowery Bowman was born to William and Alice Lowery in Nashvill
Shelbyville's Historic Gilliland House
Shelbyville's historic Gilliland House is a unique vernacular stone building completed by James S. "Jim" Gilliland.
Ryan P. French
3 min
William Edmondson, first African American artist to have an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art
Few folk artists can claim the widespread recognition by the world of fine art that William Edmondson achieved during his lifetime.
Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Caldonia Fackler "Cal" Johnson
Entrepreneur and philanthropist Cal Johnson was born to Cupid and Harriet Johnson in Knoxville on October 14, 1844. The Johnson family, slav
Blues icon, Leroy Carr
One of the most influential blues artists of the twentieth century, Leroy Carr was born in Nashville around 1905.
bottom of page