TSLAFriends

05/09/2026

A Mothers’ Day Remembrance
Description
Sarah Frances M. Ring sent three sons off to World War I. The youngest of the three, Frank, served as a private in Co. A, 114th MG Battn., 30th Div. Frank was killed in action in October, 1918 and was buried in France. In the 1930s, the US government paid the travel expenses for "Gold Star Mothers" to visit the American cemeteries in France. Sarah Frances Ring made the trip to Frank's grave in August, 1933. Learn more at Tennessee State Library & Archives

https://teva.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/iiif/p15138coll29/2390/full/full/0/default.jpg

05/06/2026

Tennessee State Museum—Join us for the next installment of TN Writers | TN Stories on Saturday, May 9 at 10:30 a.m. Author Scott Williams will discuss his book Townmania: Marcus Wi******er and the Making of Memphis, which tells the forgotten story of the man who transformed a frontier settlement on a Mississippi River bluff into the thriving city of Memphis.

Sent there at Andrew Jackson’s request while still barely out of his teens, Marcus Wi******er (1796–1856) went on to become the city’s first real estate agent, mayor, store owner, banker, postmaster, and one-man chamber of commerce. This first full-length biography of Memphis’s founding father explores ambition, race, politics, and identity in early Tennessee, uncovering a chapter of Southern history that shaped the nation.

Williams will be joined in conversation by Charles A. Sherrill, retired Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist, current vice president of the Tennessee Historical Society, and author of approximately 20 books on Tennessee history and genealogy.

RSVP for this free event 🎟️: https://bit.ly/4cN0RhW

05/06/2026

Congratulations Dr Carroll Van West. The Battle of Franklin Trust presented him with its Legacy Award on the 1st.

05/06/2026

Congratulations to Dr Carroll Van West in receiving the Ramsey Lifetime Achievement Award. - Note from Dr West..
Many thanks tonight to the East Tennessee Historical Society for its Ramsey Lifetime Achievement Award. So happy that one of my early MA students, Lisa Oakley, who is the ETHS vice president and curator of education, shared the ceremony with me. Quite a humbling night in Knoxville, one shared by many friends, making it a special event indeed.

05/05/2026

Tennessee Folks are creative and talented. Janet Palmore created the poster for AASLH joint conference!! Congrats-Janet!!

We’re proud to share that our Director and Curator, Janet Palmore, has had her poster selected for the 2026 joint conference of the American Association for State and Local History and the National Council on Public History in Providence, Rhode Island, taking place September 16-19!

Her poster, “History in a Box: Bringing the 250th to Life Through Traveling Trunks,” will be featured in the conference poster session.

This national conference brings together historians, museum professionals, educators, and public history practitioners to explore how history connects to the present and shapes the future, especially in the lead-up to the United States’ 250th anniversary.

We’re honored to see Janet’s work representing the Robertson County History Museum on this stage. Congratulations! 🎉

04/16/2026

Revisiting a great workshop from the past- The Evolution of Tennessee’s Border in Maps- by Murray Hudson.

7 likes. "Library and Archives Workshop: The Evolution of Tennessee's Borders in Maps"

04/16/2026

Come learn about Wi******er from Scott Williams- he is the President of the Friends of TSLA in this conversation with Chuck Sherrill.

Marcus Wi******er (1796–1856) devoted his life to transforming the small settlement on the fourth Chickasaw bluff into a thriving center of transportation, commerce, and industry that became Memphis. Sent there at Andrew Jackson’s re...

04/16/2026

Happy 5th Anniversary!

11/01/2025

We are glad to share the Presentation made by Sarah Campbell Drury to the Friends of the Tenn State Library & Archives at our Annual Meeting.

09/26/2025

Annual Virtual Meeting to Feature Case Auctions’ Sarah Campbell Drury

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 26, 2025) — The Friends of the Tennessee State Library & Archives will host their annual virtual meeting featuring a presentation by Sarah Campbell Drury, vice president of fine and decorative arts at Case Auctions. The meeting and presentation will take place on Oct. 30, 2025, at 7 p.m. CT.

Drury’s talk, titled “The Paper Chase: 20 Years of Book and Manuscript Discoveries,” will highlight remarkable items the Tennessee-based auction house has uncovered, including rare books, manuscripts and historic documents with Southern significance.

“From books encrusted with jewels and signed by George Washington to an archive from the ship that fired the last shot of the Civil War, Case Auctions has unearthed extraordinary volumes and manuscripts in the most unexpected corners of Tennessee,” Drury said. “Each has a story as fascinating as the collectors who pursued them, and I look forward to sharing some of them with members of the Friends.”

A graduate of David Lipscomb University and the International Society of Appraisers appraisal studies program, Drury has been an accredited member of the ISA for nearly 20 years. She has worked with museum, corporate and private clients nationwide and with PBS’s “Antiques Roadshow.” She has also written for The Magazine Antiques, Maine Antiques Digest, Silver Magazine and Antique Week.

The Friends of the Tennessee State Library & Archives is a nonprofit organization dedicated to charitable and educational purposes in support of the Library & Archives. The Friends work with the State Librarian and Archivist to promote programs, increase public awareness, recruit volunteers, and raise funds for projects and collections not covered by the state budget. They also sponsor cultural and educational programs that highlight the Library & Archives and encourage broad use of its facilities, materials, and services.

Friends may register for the annual meeting featuring Sarah Campbell Drury at friendsoftsla.org/events

For more information about membership or donations, visit friendsoftsla.org

08/21/2025

We are thrilled to share that the Friends of the Tennessee State Library and Archives has received a generous anonymous gift of $5,000. This contribution will support programs that complement TSLA’s mission, help fund the purchase of Tennessee-related artifacts and memorabilia and improve access to Tennessee’s rich history. “Every gift to the Friends of TSLA, large or small, strengthens our ability to preserve, share, and celebrate Tennessee’s story,” said Jamie Ritter, Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist. To learn more about how you can join us in supporting TSLA, visit: http://www.friendsoftsla.org/membership--donate.html