In April 1943, Japan’s top military commander was killed in an attack by American forces, Jews in Warsaw begin an unsuccessful uprising against their German captors, and the film, “Tennessee Johnson,” made its Greeneville premier.

Sixty-five years after the film of Andrew Johnson’s life was first shown in his hometown, the Museums of Tusculum College are bringing the movie back to the screen of the Capitol Theatre as part of the community’s celebration of the bicentennial of the 17th president’s birth. The screening will be 7 p.m. on Friday, May 16, at the historic Capitol Theatre.

Admission to the movie is free. In 1943, when it was originally screened, admission was 11 cents for the matinee and 30 cents for the evening show.

The MGM production, which was interestingly called “Andrew Johnson, The Man on America’s Conscience” in England, has been provided for the screening through the generosity of Turner Classic Movies. Support for this program has been provided in-part by the Andrew Johnson Bicentennial Committee, which is coordinating the Greeneville community’s celebration of the 200th anniversary of its most famous son’s birth through a variety of events.

The film, directed by William Dieterle, starred Van Heflin as Johnson, Lionel Barrymore as his nemesis, Thaddeus Stevens, and Ruth Hussey as Eliza McCardle Johnson. The screenplay was written by Milton Ginzburg, Alvin Meyes, John Balderston, and Wells Root.

World War II movie news clips will be shown with the film to give viewers the flavor of the times in which “Tennessee Johnson” originally premiered in Greeneville.

Also illustrating the nationalistic flavor of 1943 will be a display, created by Tusculum College Museum Studies students, which will be in the lobby of the Capitol for the screening. The display features the movie poster and stills, information about the film, and war effort-related advertising from the era in which the film was produced and shown.

Historian Dr. Robert Orr, an expert on Johnson’s life, will provide commentary prior to the showing of the move, noting the historical inaccuracies found in the film. Those familiar with Johnson’s life will quickly spot these inaccuracies, possibly the result of “Hollywoodization” of some of the events to make them more dramatic for the big screen.

“Tennessee Johnson” depicts the events building up to the impeachment of Johnson. The film traces Johnson’s humble arrival in Greeneville as a runaway tailor’s apprentice and his first foray into politics on the local level.

The film then follows Johnson’s experience on the national level as a U.S. Senator, who refuses to join his Southern colleagues in their exodus from the Senate chambers once the secession began, as Lincoln’s vice president, and as president.

After Lincoln’s assassination, Johnson begins to bump heads with the Radical Republicans who want to punish the South, which differs from Johnson’s policy of reconciliation with the South. The film climaxes with the events surrounding Johnson’s impeachment and subsequent trial.

Volunteers from the Nathanael Greene Museum will be providing support during the screening and offer refreshments during the evening intermission.

Commemoration of the Andrew Johnson Bicentennial is a focal point this year for the Museums of Tusculum College. The museums have developed a new educational program for school groups that focuses on the Constitution and Johnson’s life and a special exhibit featuring artifacts from the life of Johnson is on display at the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library. On September 17, the Museums are organizing a special commemoration of the Bicentennial and National Constitution Day with a performance by the 113rd U.S. Army Band from Fort Knox. On September 18, the Museums will host a Symposium exploring Johnson’s life, his impact on his era, the presidency and the Constitution and featuring experts Dr. Paul Bergeron of the University of Tennessee, Dr. Michael Kent Curtis of Wake Forest University School of Law, Dr. Eric Foner of Columbia University and Dr. Orr.

Patty Sarden and Kathy Sehler of Greene County were recognized for their service to the community Thursday during as recipients of 2008 Civic Responsibility and Outstanding Character awards.

Sarden and Sehler were among the 20 community volunteers from seven counties in Northeast Tennessee recognized for exemplary citizenship and outstanding character with the awards during “Celebrating the Past and Future of Our Civic Heritage” program, hosted by Tusculum College, the First Tennessee Human Resource Agency, and Foundation for Life Principles.

Nominations for the awards came from each of the communities involved, and the award recipients are people who often work behind the scenes and may not have gotten much public recognition for their efforts, said Dale Fair, executive director of the First Tennessee Human Resource Agency.

“This recognition came from the people in your community,” he told the award recipients. “Someone has been watching what you do. It has nothing to do with titles or halls of fame, but with the little things that people notice. In reading through the nominations, almost every one said that the nominee loves their community.”

In announcing the award for Patty Sarden, Fair noted her varied community service using her creative talents to assist others. An amateur artist, she has been involved in Black History Month by displaying her artwork in the Nathanael Greene Museum. She writes and recites poetry in the community, has been involved in a writing
correspondence course with children, and writes children’s stories and Christmas skits.

A self-taught pianist, Sarden is minister of music at Jones Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church and volunteers to play at weddings, funerals, and social events. Sarden was the first president of the George Clem Scholarship Foundation, and was involved with the foundation in the 1980s and helped reorganize it in the 1990s. Sarden helped in the fundraising for scholarships and in selecting the scholarship recipients. She was also part of the reunion committee for the George Clem community.

Announcing the award for Kathy Sehler, Fair said she was described as the “epitome of ‘super mom’” in her nomination. Sehler has taken a number of foreign exchange students into her home over the years and provided them a warm, caring place to call home during their time in the United States. “She has cared for the foreign exchange students as she cares for her own children,” he added.

From the individual award recipients, a person is chosen to receive the overall Balch-Doak Award for the region. This year’s recipient is Kathi Baty of Washington County, who shares her personal battle with breast cancer in efforts advocating regular screenings for the disease.

The Balch-Doak Award is named for Rev. Hezekiah Balch, the founder of Greeneville College, and the Rev. Samuel Doak, a co-founder of Tusculum Academy, the two educational institutions that evolved into the Tusculum College of today. George Collins, director of the college’s Museum Program and Studies, said that as both Rev. Balch and Rev. Doak believed in an education that included the development of good character, they would be pleased with the event that recognizes those who exemplify the type of citizens they were trying to develop through their teaching.

Carrie Marchant, vice president of development for the Foundation of Life Principles, recalled discussing with Collins in 2003 a way to recognize adults who serve others and are role models of character in their communities and from that discussion, the awards program was established. Marchant has worked with the CHARACTER COUNTS! and Moral Kombat programs in the region for several years, and CHARACTER COUNTS! is part of the “Quill Mark and Ink Spot” educational program for school children at the Doak House Museum on the Tusculum campus.

“In a world filled with so many other things, it is refreshing to be in a room filled with so much goodness,” she said. In her work with young people, Marchant said she unfortunately finds that many young people are not able to see their values, which is not the case with the award recipients. “The people in this room have stood up and said ‘I am going to do the right thing whatever it costs’,” she added.

The award recipients were welcomed to the college by Dr. Russell Nichols, interim president of Tusculum, who discussed the college’s continuing efforts to provide students an education that includes development of strong citizenship and good character, a mission that dates back to its founders.

“At this historic institution, we celebrate what you are doing and thank you for the work you are doing,” he said. “May God bless you for your efforts.”

State Rep. Eddie Yokley (D-11) also addressed the recipients, thanking them for their efforts to serve others in their communities.

Kathy Sehler, left, and Patty Sarden were the Greene County recipients of 2008 Civic Responsibility and Outstanding Character awards presented Thursday evening by Tusculum College, the First Tennessee Human Resource Agency, and Foundation for Life Principles.

From his humble beginning as a tailor’s apprentice to his rise as the nation’s top leader, the life of the 17th president of the United States is told through the newest exhibit at the President Andrew Johnson Museum & Library at Tusculum College.

“Andrew Johnson: Heritage, Legacy & Our Constitution,” tells the story of Johnson’s life through a varied collection of artifacts and documents from the different periods of his life.

Artifacts, such as White House silver, son Robert’s sewing kit used during the Civil War, and the President’s collar box, which have been rarely displayed publicly, are part of this special exhibit, which is one of the many community events in Johnson’s hometown of Greeneville honoring him in commemoration of the bicentennial in 2008 of the 17th president’s birth.

A number of the items on display are from Johnson’s time in Washington including a rare invitation to the Lincoln and Johnson inaugural ball and an invitation from President and Mrs. Johnson to an event at the White House as well as papers signed by Johnson including a “Proclamation of Amnesty and Pardon” granted to former Confederates as part of his Reconstruction program.

A campaign poster from the election of 1864 shows that political associations and marketing image were as important in the 19th century as they are now as the poster features a portrait of George Washington nestled between those of Abraham Lincoln and Johnson as well as noted Union generals.

The tumultuous time of the Reconstruction and the political struggles in Washington are reflected in a display of editorial cartoons and illustrations from Johnson’s time in office including one called “Uncle Sam’s Circus,” which has Johnson leaping through a hoop labeled “The Tenure of Office Act”.

Several artifacts on display are items that were used by Johnson’s family members including a slipper eye glass case and a colorful fan belonging to his wife, Eliza Johnson, and dresses worn by his granddaughter, and Mrs. Johnson’s rocking chair. The exhibit also has portraits of all five of Johnson’s children and a silhouette of Johnson, Eliza and their two daughters done when they first went to Washington in 1843.

Also on display are a number of items from the funeral for Johnson including a uniform worn by member of the Andrew Johnson Guard in the funeral procession, black lace fingerless gloves and a black and white net handkerchief, and presentation book presented to the family from the Common Council of the City of New York, and the front-page covering article about Johnson’s death from the Greeneville Intelligencer newspaper. The soldier’s uniform is one of the items on loan to the museum for the special exhibit from the Tennessee State Museum.

The exhibit contains information on the U.S. Constitution as Johnson knew it and the issues that surrounded Reconstruction. Also, on exhibit is a book that belonged to President Johnson that includes the Constitution. The room on the Constitution also features a rare image of abolitionist John Brown that was given to Johnson as well as one of his archenemies, Senator Charles Sumner.

Also on exhibit is a display about the movie “Tennessee Johnson,” which was created by Tusculum students majoring in Museum Studies. The attractive display includes stills and other information about the 1943 movie, which is being shown on May 16 at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Greeneville as part of the bicentennial. Also part of the display is advertising from the World War II era, illustrating the nationalistic atmosphere in which the movie was produced and shown.

Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday.  The exhibit will be on display through the end of the year.

Supporters of the exhibit and the Museums’ educational programs for Johnson’s bicentennial celebration include the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, the Andrew Johnson Bicentennial Committee, the State of Tennessee and State Rep. David Hawk (R-5), the Bartlett-Patterson Corporation, the Niswonger Foundation, the Tennessee State Museum, the Andrew Johnson Heritage Association, Tusculum College, the National Park Service, Judith Plucker, the Frame Shop – Ed and Betty Davis, Copies Unlimited – Jancie Painter and Randall McAmis, Austin & Company – Betsy Austin, and Turner Class Movies.

Commemoration of the Andrew Johnson Bicentennial is a focal point this year for the two museums at the college. In addition to the special Johnson exhibit, the museums have developed a new educational program for school groups that focuses on the Constitution and Johnson’s life. On September 17, the Museums are organizing a special commemoration of the Bicentennial and National Constitution Day with a performance by the 103rd U.S. Army Band. On September 18, the Museums will host a Symposium exploring Johnson’s life, his impact on his era, the presidency and the Constitution and featuring experts Dr. Paul Bergeron of the University of Tennessee, Dr. Michael Kent Curtis of Wake Forest University School of Law, Dr. Eric Foner of Columbia University and Dr. Robert Orr of Walters State Community College and Washington College Academy.

In commemoration of the bicentennial of Andrew Johnson’s birth, a new exhibit at the President Andrew Johnson Museum & Library tells the story of the 17th president’s life through a varied collection of artifacts and documents. Among the items on display are the rocking chair of Johnson’s wife, Eliza (at left), white house silver and items from his funeral including a uniform worn by a member of the Andrew Johnson Guard (center), and several personal items (at right).

George Collins, at right, director of Tusculum College’s Museum Program and Studies, shares the early history of the state’s oldest institution of higher learning with Edwin Poots, minister of culture, arts, and leisure time of Northern Ireland. Poots visited the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library on Monday morning as part of a tour of Greene County that was part of his visit to the state. Collins shared some of Tusculum’s ties to Northern Ireland including its founding by Presbyterian ministers and its mission to bring education to a frontier region that was being settled by the Scots-Irish.

The President Andrew Johnson Museum & Library and the Doak House Museum on the Tusculum College campus have each received a Community Enhancement Grant from the State of Tennessee totaling $15,000, recently announced State Rep. David Hawk, R-5th, of Greeneville.

“The Museums of Tusculum College have consistently provided excellent curriculum-based programs for school children from throughout East Tennesee as well as preserving and exhibiting the history of our community, our region, and Tusculum College,” said Rep. Hawk.

“The museums provide a critical resource to our teachers and students in addition to being an important part of our tourism development efforts,” Hawk added.

“We deeply appreciate the support of Rep. Hawk in his willingness to support our public programs through these grants and his on-going interest in our various projects,” said George Collins, director of Museum Program and Studies at Tusculum College.

“The grants will be used to develop and introduce new interactive web-pages for the use of teachers and students, as well as make improvements to the exhibits in the President Andrew Johnson Museum and aid in the preservation of important artifacts,” Collins continued.

The grants were approved by legislation passed in the 2007 session of the Tennessee General Assembly. A total of $20 million has been appropriated for over 1,000 projects managed by non-profit organizations in the state.

The Museums of Tusculum College are part of the Department of Museum Program & Studies of Tusculum College. Each year the museums serve over 10,000 school children in curriculum-based hands-on programs and are coordinators of the Regional National History Day Program and Mosheim National History Day. In addition to other programs, the Museums offer one of the few undergraduate Museum Studies degree programs in the country and manage the archives of the oldest college in Tennessee and the Andrew Johnson Collection.

State Rep. David Hawk (R-5th) recently announced that the President Andrew Johnson Museum & Library and the Doak House Museum have each received a Community Enhancement Grant from the state. From left are George Collins, director of Museum Program and Studies at Tusculum; Rep. Hawk; and Cindy Lucas, associate director of the Museum Program department and director of the Doak House Museum.

August 23 will mark the beginning of a series of workshops at the Tusculum Academy designed to teach the fundamentals of the art of storytelling.

The Tusculum Academy is located adjacent to the Doak House Museum on the campus of Tusculum College, and its atmosphere will provide participants with an opportunity to learn the basics of the art of storytelling in a relaxed and supportive environment.

The techniques provided will help parents craft and tell stories to their children, grandchildren, or Sunday school class. Librarians, teachers, preachers and business professionals will also find these workshops to be very beneficial in learning skills that will enhance their professional development.

The workshops will be from 6 – 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Aug. 23, Sept. 20, and October 25. The fee is $15 for each session or $35 if registering for all three workshops.

The workshop on Aug. 23 is “Storytelling for Beginners,” in which participants will have fun learning the basic techniques for sharing favorite stories at home, in the workplace, or anywhere there is a listening ear.

“Story Development,” will be the workshop on Sept. 20, focusing on the fundamentals of a great story. Participants will learn how to develop a great beginning, what to add to keep an audience spell bound, and to develop an effective ending that will tie it all together. Personal stories will be used to illustrate the teaching.

On Oct. 25, the workshop will be “Crafting and Sharing Stories.” History is more than just names, dates, and places – it is an exciting story. Participants will discover the art of crafting and sharing historical stories.

The instructor for the series of workshop will be professional storyteller and workshop presenter Larry Kelley. He has been a storyteller and teacher of the art for more than thirteen years and is the museum educator at the Doak House Museum.

Following the series of workshops, a Tusculum Academy Storytellers Group will be formed to promote the effective use of storytelling in schools, museums, homes, churches, and businesses. Additional workshops by Kelley and other professional tellers will assist the Tusculum Academy Storytellers in continuously improving their storytelling skills.

Reservations are required for participation in the workshops.

For more information or to make a reservation, contact Larry Kelley at (423) 636-8554 or e-mail larrykelley@tusculum.edu.

On Thursday, Aug. 2, the Museums of Tusculum College hosted “Christmas in August,” the annual event to express appreciation to volunteers at the Doak House Museum and President Andrew Johnson Museum & Library.

Volunteers are vitally important to the operation and educational programs of both the Doak House and President Andrew Johnson Museum, said George Collins, director of the Department of Museum Program and Studies. While volunteers may consider their impact to be on those students or visitors to the museum with whom they interact, it goes beyond the time they spend at the museums, he said.
The reputation and awareness of the museums in the community have also been enhanced through what volunteers tell other about the programs and other events at the Doak House and President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library, Collins continued. He told of how a local businessman has provided assistance to the Doak House because of what good things he has heard about the museums in the community. Each volunteer is greatly valued for what they do to help the museums and how they represent them in the community, he said.

The staff of the museums prepared a delicious meal for the volunteers and festively decorated tables on the lawn of the Doak House for the event. Collins commended Cindy Lucas, associate director of the two museums, for being in the spirit of Mrs. Samuel Witherspoon Doak in preparing food for a large number of people (Mrs. Doak had 13 children and students at the Tusculum Academy were also fed at the Doak House). Unfortunately, a summer shower began just as everyone sat down to eat, but the rain didn’t dampen spirits as people continued to visit after a quick change of venue into the Doak House. As the volunteers left they received gifts of “goodie bags” and a copy of the poster being sent to teachers to promote the museums’ educational programs. The poster has an academic calendar for teachers to use, which will help remind them of the museums throughout the school year.

Local students participation in National History Day events have led to once-in-a-lifetime experiences for youngsters, increased academic achievement, and instilled a love for the subject in students.

These were among the facts about National History Day shared with the members of the Andrew Johnson Heritage Association on Monday during its annual meeting. The organization has provided considerable financial support for local and regional National History Day events as well as providing funds for trips by students who advanced to the state and national competitions.

Six years ago, the first local National History Day event was held at Mosheim School with guidance and assistance from the Museums of Tusculum College and funding from the Andrew Johnson Heritage Association. Students from Mosheim advanced to the national competition that year and in four of the five succeeding years.

Kristy Christopher, assistant principal at Mosheim School, told the members about the Mosheim students’ experiences who advanced to the national competition this year, which was held a few weeks ago at the University of Maryland.

Six students from the school had the opportunity to participate in the national event, and Christopher noted that it was each student’s first trip to the Washington, D.C. area. Chance Lamb, Jacklyn Hensley, Megan Tomblin, Michael Ball and Stephen Bently advanced to the national competition in the junior group performance category with the play they had written and performed, ‘Triumph and Tragedy of Greene County During the Civil War.” Peta Merzlak participated in the junior individual performance category with the play she had written and performed about “Triumph at the Little Big Horn and Tragedy at Wounded Knee Through Indian Eyes.”

In addition to the experience of participating in an event with students from across the nation, the Mosheim students had the opportunity to visit a number of historical sites while in the Washington, D.C., area, Christopher said.

“We appreciate the support from the Andrew Johnson Heritage Association and all the organizations that assisted us,” she said. “We would not have been able to go without that support.” She added that local schools are very fortunate to have the Tusculum Department of Museum Program and Studies as an academic resource.

Christopher also noted the difference National History Day has made in the lives of students by instilling and nurturing a love of history. In a state-required writing assessment, students were asked one year to write about the greatest gift that they have received.

One student, who received the top score on the assessment, wrote that the greatest gift he had received was the love of history that he had gotten from his history teacher Doug LaFollette and his participation in Moshiem’s annual History Fair. LaFollette was named “History Teacher of the Year” during the Tennessee History Day competition this year.

Another student, who it was noted was a frequent visitor to the principal’s office while he was in middle school, is now a Dean’s List student at East Tennessee State University, and attributes his academic success to his experience in the National History Day events.

While students have individually benefited from National History Day, Mosheim as a school has as well, Christopher said. Mosheim had the highest scores in history among schools in the Greene County School System on the state achievement tests this past year, she said.

For the past few years, a regional History Day event has been coordinated by the Tusculum Department of Museum Program and Studies in addition to its efforts with Mosheim. Middle and high school students from Greene and surrounding counties such as Hamblen, Hawkins, and Cocke counties have participated in the regional events, and some of those participants have advanced to the state competition as well.

One of those students, Cody Neas, told the members of the Andrew Johnson Heritage Association, that he appreciated their support of National History Day events that gave him an opportunity to learn more about one of his favorite subjects.

“This event lets high school and middle school students know how rich a heritage we have and learn what our country is all about,” he said.

In his project, Neas said he was able to learn so much about his subject through his research. “You don’t read all that in a normal textbook,” he noted.

George Collins, director of Tusculum’s Department of Museum Studies, said that the department will be discussing with the East Tennessee Historical Society plans to bring more schools into the regional competition. It is hoped that as more schools participate, the regional event can become a district event with its winners advancing directly to the state competition. The department will be conducting training sessions related to National History Day for teachers later this year, he added.

The association members also heard reports of plans to commemorate the bicentennial of Andrew Johnson’s birth next year, events that are also receiving the support of the Heritage Association.

Partnering with the National Park Service’s Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, the Department of Museum Studies has secured a grant from the Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area to fund early preparations of the program.

There will be an enhanced exhibit about the 17th president at the Andrew Johnson Museum and Library on campus during the year, and the Doak House Museum will offer student educational programs focusing on Andrew Johnson and the Constitution, Collins said.

Among the community events are a public education program on Sept. 17, 2008, focusing on the life of Johnson and the U.S. Constitution. That day is National Constitution Day, which is appropriate as Johnson was buried with a copy of the Constitution and the Constitution played a critical role during his presidential administration, Collins said.

On the following day, Sept. 18, a symposium will be held on the Tusculum campus featuring presentations by Greeneville historian Dr. Robert Orr; Dr. Michael Kent Curtis, professor of law at Wake Forest University; Dr. Paul Bergeron of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, who was editor of the Andrew Johnson Papers; and noted historian Dr. Eric Foner of Columbia University. The group will also participate in a panel discussion moderated by Oliver “Buzz” Thomas, executive director of the Niswonger Foundation.

Collins also noted that 2008 will be the 190th anniversary of the opening of Tusculum Academy, and events are being planned to commemorate the milestone.

In business items, the association elected officers for the 2007-08 year: President Joyce Doughty, Secretary Joy Seher, and Treasurer George Weaver.

The Andrew Johnson Heritage Association and Greene County Heritage Trust recently presented donations to Yhona Jones, principal of Mohseim School, to help students of the school travel to the University of Maryland for a national history competition.

Joyce Doughty, president of the Andrew Johnson Heritage Association, and Sam Miller, president of the Greene County Heritage Trust, presented the donations to Jones. Also at the presentation was George Collins, director of the Tusculum College Department of Museum Program and Studies, which has been an integral part of local and regional National History Day events for last several years. All a pictured above.

The donation from the two organizations will be used to help fund the trip of Mosheim students to participate in the National History Day competition in Maryland. Six students from Mosheim have advanced to the national level competition of National History Day, held at the University of Maryland.

The students advanced to the national competition by placing in the district and state level competitions. The Tusculum College Department of Museum Program and Studies has been involved in local History Day events for six years, helping coordinate events as well as providing judges for the events and training and resources for teachers so they can help students better prepare their entries for the fair.

The Andrew Johnson Heritage Association has also provided much support through those six years. Members have volunteered as judges and helped coordinate the events. The association has also provided financial support to hold the local and regional National History Day events and to help fund students’ trips to state and national competitions.

Andrew Johnson National Historic Site and the Museums of Tusculum College are pleased to announce the first phase of a program to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of President Andrew Johnson in 2008.

Acting Superintendent of the National Park Service Paul Carson and George Collins, director of the Department of Museum Program and Studies at Tusculum College, reported that an initial grant has been received from the Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area to fund the early preparations of the program.  An additional grant will be submitted in August.

Initial plans call for a public educational program on Sept. 17, 2008, focusing on the life of President Johnson, his connection to Greeneville and Greene County, and celebration of the 221st anniversary of the U.S. Constitution.  This public program, to be held at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center, will also include a presentation by a military band.

On the following day, a symposium will be held on the campus of Tusculum College featuring Greeneville historian Dr. Robert Orr; Dr. Michael Kent Curtis, professor of law at Wake Forest University; Dr. Paul Bergeron of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, who was editor of the Andrew Johnson Papers; and noted historian Dr. Eric Foner of Columbia University.  Joining this group will be Mr. Oliver Thomas, executive director of the Niswonger Foundation.

These dates in September were chosen as September 17th is National Constitution Day.  Since the President was buried with a copy of the Constitution and the Constitution played a critical role during Johnson’s administration, it is logical to center this bicentennial event on those dates. The President’s birthday is December 29th.

Both Collins and Carson noted that the planned activities are not to be seen as the only elements of the bicentennial celebration, but as a catalyst to jump-start additional suggestions and activities.

“We are honored to have been asked by the National Park Service to partner with them in developing the framework for a community-wide celebration” said Collins.

Carson said that the Park Service will be facilitating community meetings on April 27 to formulate additional activities and help in their organization.  “The bicentennial celebration should extend throughout 2008 involving diverse groups and organizations and be an opportunity to highlight Greene County and its rich history,” he noted.

In addition to the grant from the Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area, funding has been obtained from the Barlett-Patterson Foundation, Niswonger Foundation, Andrew Johnson Heritage Association, and Tusculum College.  Collins stated that additional support will be sought.

The Andrew Johnson National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park system and was established in 1935.  The site includes President Johnson’s two homes, a visitor center with his tailor shop, and the National Cemetery where Johnson and his family are buried.

The Museums of Tusculum College include the President Andrew Johnson Museum & Library and the Doak House Museum.  They are operated by the Department of Museum Program and Studies, which also offers one of the few undergraduate Museum Studies degrees in the country.

The President Andrew Johnson Museum & Library displays artifacts related to President Johnson and his family, as well as archives of Tusculum College.  The Museum is housed in “Old College”, built in 1841 as the college’s first academic building.  It was constructed through donations, one of which as a twenty dollar gift from then State Senator Andrew Johnson.  Last year the Museums of Tusculum College hosted over 10,000 school children from throughout east Tennessee who participated in a variety of curriculum-based programs including “CHARACTER COUNTS!”