Tennessee State Museum in Nashville

Back in June, my family took a trip to the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. This free museum has a little bit of everything history has to offer, with a focus on local history as you can tell by the name.

The Nashville skyline has much to offer of itself.

Beginning at the beginning of human history, the TN State Museum has a few fossils such as this mammoth jaw. 

Further along, they have a lovely collection of American Indian artifacts. Captured this one in particular because it is from Moundville, my favorite mounds in the Southeast.

 This impressively huge, and rare, dug-out canoe was being used as a pig trough before being housed by the museum.

Moving along, we pass full size models of covered wagons and handicrafts from the settlers.

A section, which can only be called the Andrew Jackson shrine consists of all kinds of things with Jackson face on them, from cameos to dishes to crockery. Both Alabamians and Tennesseans loved this man. I guess you have to be more of a redneck than I am to get the appeal.

Nearby are two cutouts dueling length apart from each other and life size to the period. Both the men are shorter than I am with child sized hands.

 Some beautiful dueling pistols that are actually too small for me to hold comfortably in my hands.

A wax doll from the mid 1800s. I often marvel at how times have changed with children. To keep a doll made from wax, the child would have to be very delicate and careful. The same goes for the metal wind-up toys that were popular much later on. I guess kids learned the value of objects early. Since purchased dolls were expensive, they wouldn't likely be receiving another one during their childhood. You were lucky enough if you got one at all. Most children had crudely hand-made dolls.

Wooden inlay of the inside of a trunk lid. Seems like adults also had to be more delicate with their toys. More time went into them, certainly.

This is a painting of a bride. Yep. 14 year old brides back then - not all change is for the bad...

A beautifully lit marble bust of Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale", adorns the wall further on. Touring the states, this much loved lady performed in Nashville and Memphis in 1851.

No collection is complete without a stolen mummy. This is one of the Egyptian treasures taken before they successfully closed their borders to outside treasure hunters. While I have mixed feelings about the Museum's decision not to return this guy to Egypt, it was amazing to see, especially since I don't expect to ever be in Egypt.

The Tennessee State Museum has a huge collection of weapons, and next door: quilts! 

I liked this crazy quilt in particular since you don't often see non-geometric designs in antique quilts.

  

 No Steampunk designs have ever competed with the real thing. An antique firetruck graces the hallway, complete with all the bells, whistles, and gears.

The State Museum has great walls full of lovely portraits. Many of the frames are works of art in themselves.



Although there's only a few characters here, the wax figure diorama melts my heart.

 

 

Wishing that I could have seen a show on this stage. Beautiful!

Tobacco crop was important to Tennessee and there's a few areas that mention tobacco growing. Loved smelling the curing tobacco hanging up. This beautiful Meerschaum pipe was also on display.

 

Those local to Huntsville ought to recognize these. These are two portraits by Maria Howard Weeden. Unfortunately they have been subject to much abuse and are faded and have mold on the paper. Those on display at the Weeden House are in much better shape. Still, proud to see these here.

While in Nashville, we stopped for a bite to eat at The Wild Cow. It was tasty enough, but I was hoping for more veggies...you know at a vegetarian restaurant. However, the vegan dessert was delish. I'm not used to having so many choices and that was the real treat.

Thanks for joining me on my Nashville journey! As always, you can click on any image for a larger view.