The Front Porch

10/16/2024

Wilson County will be celebrating its 225th anniversary at Fiddlers Grove on Saturday, October 26th. The entire Grove will be open to the public for this free event! There will be two stages of music, food trucks, and an entire village of demonstrations - including a water powered grist mill. Come be a part of the history of Wilson County!

Wilson County will celebrate it’s 225th anniversary on October 26th at Fiddlers Grove. The event is free and open to the public.One of the amazing things to ...

08/07/2024

Next week!

Get Ready for the Biggest & Best Fair in Tennessee! The 2024 Wilson County TN State Fair is just around the corner. Don't miss out—buy your MEGA or Season t...

05/01/2024

Come out to support Fiddlers Grove's SPRING FEST and Artisan Show 10am to 4pm. Plants, Artisans, Vendors, Food, Music. Free entry and free parking

04/18/2024

As volunteers working to engage the public with an appreciation of history, much of what we try to convey to visitors of Fiddlers Grove can be thought of as 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦. But what is folk knowledge? What is 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬 music, or 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬 remedies, or any other thing to which we attach the term 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬? There's no simple answer to that question, since text-book definitions are prone to comparing such things against the method of acquiring knowledge that we call 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. But is that really fair? Or even appropriate?

Those question marks in that last few sentences point to the reality that, when thinking about cultural attributes such as 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬-anything, both volunteer and professional educations alike have some interesting philosophical legwork to do if we are going to be successful in helping present history to the public.

If you haven't already noticed, Fiddlers Grove is getting BUSY! Pioneer Day school field trip tours, new buildings and programming, new artisan groups coming online, new volunteers joining us in our work, stronger relationships with local school and municipal administrators, and a few big events in the works. Which makes right now the perfect time to start sharing resources, thoughts, and conversations with each other about what goes into being a volunteer tasked with helping foster an appreciation of history in our communities. It's a matter of having the heart, the welcoming spirit, and the readiness to have deeper conversations our passion for history.

Which makes this a great article to read and think about. Leave a comment if you've got thoughts to share about folk music, volunteerism, or even just Fiddlers Grove in general. This page - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩 - is maintained by Scott Selliers as a function of the Fiddlers Grove Foundation's effort to foster volunteering and the public's awareness of what Fiddlers Grove is all about. We're always looking for new friends to welcome into volunteer opportunities. If that sounds like it might be you, send word or leave a comment below - and let's do this!

The roots musician is inspired by the evolving legacy of the black string band.

04/14/2024

I really like this feller! I've long been an admirer of Tecumseh (and his brother The Prophet), and I've been a lifelong student of the lore surrounding the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812. Somehow, I'm not quite sure that I'd ever heard of the connection between the prophecies surrounding Tecumseh, his brother, and the great quake! You'll have to excuse Mr. Peter Kelly's Canadian pronunciation of "Madrid" and his placing the epicenter in Southern Illinois - he's a good man and a great historian, so we'll let these slide LOL

Following the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, Peter tells the story of Tecumseh and the Prophet predicting the solar eclipse of 1806, in response to th...

12/19/2023

On this date in 1776, Thomas Paine published the first of thirteen numbered pamphlets known as 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴. It famously begins with these words:

"These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now , deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly : it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to tax) but 'to bind us in all cases whatsoever,' and if being bound in that manner , is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God."

https://archive.org/details/TheCompleteWritings/page/n113/mode/2up

11/09/2023

Announcing our 15th Annual Historic Places Tour, Saturday, Dec 2.
Tour tickets are $15 in advance and are available at the Historic Lebanon office,324 West Main Street, the Lebanon/Wilson County Chamber office,149 Public Square and online at https://www.historiclebanon.com/historic-places-tour

10/30/2023

I did some digging around in the internet, looking for some historical context for our use of New World pumpkins in the older European cultural tradition of the Jack O’ Lantern. After all, they used to turnips to make their carvings of ol’ Stingy Jack back in the United Kingdom. The oldest likeness I could find here in America was from a November issue of Harper’s Weekly from 1867. Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!

10/26/2023

Did you know the oldest town in Tennessee is even older than the state itself? The northeast town of Jonesborough was founded in 1779, seventeen years before Tennessee became a state in 1796. This painting from our collection, "A Full View of Deadrick's Hill," is the earliest known Tennessee landscape painting. It was done around 1810-1811 by Rebecca Chester, whose family lived in the Chester Inn (now the Chester Inn State Historic Site & Museum). Learn more about Historic Jonesborough in this week's Junior Curators blog, "Jonesborough – The Oldest Town in Tennessee": https://bit.ly/472LCNp

10/05/2023

It’s such a gift to see our friend Mr. Kent getting the praise he deserves. While he may serve as the Grove’s barber during the Fair, the loaves of his banana bread that he shares with the volunteers are always treasured as well - we’re lucky to have him as a friend!

Some stories are best told by pictures, but if I just show you the Banana Bread man and a few of his loaves, you won’t realize what an absolute blessing he is to so many. His is a story of numbers: Al Kent has lived in Lebanon for 44 years and was married to his wife, Nancy, for 63. They

06/10/2023

Any radio theater listeners out there?

📻✨ Dive into a world of captivating stories & timeless entertainment with our Old Time Radio collection! 🎙️🔊 Immerse yourself in the golden age of radio with classic dramas, comedies, mysteries & more. Tune in now & let nostalgia fill the air! https://archive.org/details/oldtimeradio