The Tennessee State Museum Reopens in Its Very Own Building

After spending more than 30 years tucked away in the basement of the James K. Polk Center, the Tennessee State Museum will reopen in a new $160 million space near the Nashville Farmers’ Market and the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park on Oct. 4.

The museum’s inner workings haven’t been without controversy over the past few years — from the Douglas Henry State Museum Commission’s lack of transparency to accusations of staff nepotism. But despite those hiccups, for the first time in the museum’s history, the museum will soon have its own building, complete with dedicated parking between it and the Nashville Farmers’ Market.

“It’s going to make a tremendous statement about the value we put on history, and should help public history statewide,” says director of collections Dan Pomeroy, who’s been with the Tennessee State Museum for decades. “Having this dedicated space is gratifying beyond my ability to state.”

The previous exhibit space had very few artifacts representing anything more recent than 1920, and so the team at the museum has worked to add an assortment of historical items from the past century. Pomeroy says it was something of a challenge to bring the museum up to the current day.

“Trying to create a space for more contemporary history was very difficult,” Pomeroy says. “We’re all used to dealing with things a little older.”

Another concern — one that existed long before the new museum — is putting together a collection that represents the entire state.

“I’m aware of the challenge of representing every part of Tennessee, from Mountain City to Memphis,” he says. “We’ve made a huge effort to not only represent geographic diversity, but also ethnic and racial diversity as well.”

Access to the new space is free to the public, and the museum will now include a new children’s gallery. The children’s gallery will be geared toward bringing exhibits to a younger audience and growing their enthusiasm for history. Executive director Ashley Howell says the museum is also presenting a story time with the Governor’s Books From Birth Foundation, which partners with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to provide free books for children in Tennessee. At the first story time on Oct. 18, Tennessee’s first lady, Crissy Haslam, will read to children ages 3 to 6. Howell says the addition of the children’s gallery is all part of “a reintroduction of the museum to the public.”

“We’ve got a long history for the state museum, and this is a time to explore and engage and to see it with new eyes,” says Howell.

Starting on Oct. 4, the museum will have an exhibit on legendary Nashvillian artist Red Grooms, who’s known for — among other things — his hectic, colorful scenes depicting city life. They’ll have a new natural history section, as well as a Tennessee Time Tunnel, an interactive exhibit that will span the state’s history. Pomeroy is also excited about a 13-star United States flag from the 1700s — one of possibly as few as 10 that exist, he says — that the museum has never shown to the public before. The flag, says Pomeroy, took a tremendous conservation effort to prepare for viewing.

There will also be an exhibit on Native American history, which Pomeroy calls the most significant exhibit he’s ever seen in Tennessee. 

“For that, we’ve been in touch with Native American stakeholders, we’ve consulted a retired state archaeologist, used a committee of scholars,” Pomeroy says. “All of it was put together meticulously.” 

Overall, the museum holds more than 150,000 state artifacts. Pomeroy also says the museum is planning for a quilt exhibit in 2019 and an exhibit to mark the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in 2020. 

Though he admits he’s a bit biased, Pomeroy says Tennessee has a story unparalleled by almost any other state. 

“We’re going to be telling the stories Tennesseans can be proud of, that people can be impressed with, but we’re not hiding some of the darker stories,” Pomeroy says. “Like any history, it’s an uneven record, but for us to finally have a space that will be a mecca to study history in this area is a wonderful step forward.”