November 2016 marks the 20 ^th anniversary of Congress creating the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area!  This year is also the 50 ^th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act and the 100 ^th year of the National Park Service.  To celebrate these three special birthdays, we invite all of our many heritage partners and supporters to attend one, if not all six, special celebrations held in communities across Tennessee.

Sponsored by the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University, the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development the celebrations take place at:

November 9 ^th                Franklin                       Franklin Theatre                                         12:30 – 2 p.m.

November 9 ^th                Murfreesboro               Heritage Center of Murfreesboro           5:30 – 7 p.m.

November 10 ^th              Nashville                     Glen Leven Farm                                         12:30 – 2 p.m.

November 11 ^th              Charleston                   Hiwassee River Heritage Center               12:30 – 2 p.m.

November 14 ^th              Knoxville                     East Tennessee Historical Society             12:30 – 2 p.m.

November 18 ^th              Parker’s Crossroads      Parker’s Crossroads Visitor Center       12:30 – 2 p.m.

Glen Leven Farm (Image courtesy of the Land Trust for Tennessee).

All events are open to the public and light refreshments will be served.  Formal programs will be brief—our goal is to meet and personally thank as many Tennesseans as possible because it is their commitment, energy, and excitement that have allowed our National Heritage Area to flourish and to serve all 95 counties of the state.  Mark your calendars and plan to join events that will be attended by Heritage Area director Dr. Carroll Van West, as well as the staffs from the Heritage Area, the Center for Historic Preservation, and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, including Tennessee Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett, who will attend the celebration at the Heritage Center in Murfreesboro on November 9th.

Congress created the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area in 1996 as a partnership unit of the National Park Service. The Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University administers the Heritage Area, working in partnership with state government and Tennessee communities to tell the whole story of the Civil War era through exhibitions, publications, public programs, historical markers, and historic property studies.

In 1966 Congress approved the National Historic Preservation Act, which has taken the values of American preservation to communities large and small, through programs like the National Register of Historic Places, administered by the National Park Service. For Tennessee since 1984 the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation has worked with the Tennessee Historical Commission to bring benefits from the federal preservation program to Tennessee property owners and communities.

Please plan to attend and let us know by contacting Alexandria McMahan at Alexandria.mcmahan@mtsu.edu.

For more information about the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, please visit our Web site at www.tncivilwar.org/ , join our Facebook page, or call us at 615-898-2947.