April 30, 2021 – Just in: We have upgraded the West Tennessee PBS Globe in the Natural History Gallery with an interactive program that will educate and entertain guests and students who are curious about Earth. This new software includes NASA’s “Eyes on the Earth,” where guests can see a real-time display of Earth’s sea level, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, volcanic eruptions, forest fires and more.

The new program also has a comparison component that shows a school bus next to different satellites that are flying around the Earth today. Using programs listed under WorldViewer, education specialists and teachers who bring student groups on learning expeditions can have an in-person, real-time lesson on a variety of topics, such as climate connection; tropical storms; tetonic plates, volcanoes and earthquakes; water cycles; the Solar System; and watersheds.

“We are really excited to incorporate these new programs into our lessons that we offer school groups, homeschool groups and the public,” said Polly Brasher, education director for Discovery Park of America. “This tool will be extremely helpful in showing the amazing way our planet works.”

WorldViewer was designed by The Elumenati, an immersive projection design company that builds immersive VR technologies and other products. For guests and students, this program was made to create an immersive experience to share the immersive stories of planet Earth.

“Our mission is to inspire children and adults to see beyond, and incorporating the new, hands-on program that guests can interact with in real-time is exactly the teaching tool we strive to have here at Discovery Park,” said Jennifer Wildes, director of exhibit for the museum. “We are always looking for ways to freshen up the different galleries, and installing this new program is just one way to add a little sparkle to the Natural History Gallery.”

The program is now up and running on the West Tennessee PBS Globe for all guests, teachers and students to experience. If you are an Earth science teacher and want to schedule a field trip to come and see it, please reach out to our reservations department. Schools who are 50% free-reduced lunch can apply for a scholarship to plan a field trip at no cost. Visit our Education Tab to learn more.

Volunteer: a person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to undertake a service

Jan. 14, 2021 – Discovery Park is pleased to name Sue Ellen Morris as the 2020 Volunteer of the Year. Volunteers are important to Discovery Park. They enhance our ability to implement our mission by offering their knowledge and expertise in a variety of ways.

When Sue Ellen started volunteering in early 2020 at Discovery Park, she soon realized one of her favorite things was sharing information about the park with first-time guests. “I really enjoy meeting the people that visit from around the world,” said Sue Ellen. “I like hearing their stories and watching the children’s reactions when they walk through the doors and see the giant cave bear or the dinosaur skeletons. Some are frightened by the bear and others want to hurry to see if it’s real.”

“Of course, 2020 was a tough year for all of us,” said Scott Williams, Discovery Park president and CEO. “Rounding the corner and seeing Sue Ellen sitting there with her mask on, ready to welcome guests, always made me feel a little happier.”

Sue Ellen received an etched serving board handmade by Discovery Park volunteer John. R. Hall for her dedication to Discovery Park of America.

Get to Know the 2020 Volunteer of the Year

Born in Hickman County, Ky., to Raymond and Estelle Morris, Sue Ellen grew up on the family farm with her two sisters, Gina Lou and Ruth Ann. She was always helping out on the farm, driving tractors and planting soybean, corn and wheat. Growing up, she was also an avid reader and volunteered at the library in Clinton, Ky. She loved reading books about places around the world that she never dreamed a little girl from a small town in Kentucky would visit. Little did she know what was to come.

She attended Murray State University and received her undergraduate degree in English with a minor in history. Sue Ellen then decided to pursue law school and attended the University of Tulsa. After she graduated with her law degree, she realized that the big city life and the cold were not for her. She missed her family, the warmer weather and the greenery of her hometown. So, she packed everything up and headed back home to begin her career as a lawyer at Roberts, Bugg and Morris in Clinton, Ky.

Once her career took off as a partner in the law firm, she remembered the books she read as a little girl about all the exotic places around the world she wished she could visit. Sue Ellen convinced her sister, Ruth Ann, to be her travel partner and they started exploring the amazing places she had only read and dreamed about visiting. She and her sister visited places all around Europe, including Ireland, Great Britain and Italy. Their furthest adventure to date has been to New Zealand. They have also met friends that they now travel with on their adventures.

“She loved reading books on places around the world that she never dreamed a little girl from a small town in Kentucky would visit. Little did she know what was to come.”

“My favorite place that I have visited is Rome,” said Sue Ellen. “The city, the history, the food and the people make it one of the most interesting and culturally rich places to visit. We have found the best gelato place in Rome and have to visit it every time we are there.”

Sue Ellen and her sister had to put their next adventures on hold when COVID-19 hit. “We are big cruisers and had two cancelled, one in 2020 and one in 2021, but we have a Celebrity Cruise planned later this year that starts in Venice and ends in Rome. We are really hoping we get to experience this trip.”

Since international travel is paused for now, we asked Sue Ellen where her favorite place to visit is in the United States. “I really like to travel to the Smoky Mountains. We rent a cabin, take hikes and just relax.” She already has a condo booked in April to hunt for spring wildflowers in Sevierville with her travelling buddies.

“I like hearing their stories and seeing the children’s reactions when they walk through the doors and see the giant cave bear or the dinosaur skeletons. Some are frightened by the bear and others want to hurry and touch it to see if it’s real.”

She still practices law part-time, but within the next couple of years, she wants to have something more she can do to give back to the community once she completely retires. This volunteer program fits in well with her plans. Plus, Sue Ellen enjoys taking photos of the guests and giving them the information they need to enhance their experience at Discovery Park.

When asked if she recommends others to volunteer at the park, she said, “Yes! This is a great opportunity for retired educators or for anyone who is passionate about sharing knowledge with others.” She also shared her favorite part of the park. “I really enjoy the grounds, and I like to see the transformation of the outdoor foliage that occurs as the seasons change. The grounds staff does an awesome job. I also love the old cars and there are a couple I would love to take home.”

If you or someone you know is interested in joining the volunteer program at Discovery Park, please email Polly Brasher at pbrasher@discoveryparkofamerica.com for more information.

Nov. 20, 2020 – In May of 1886, the United States was in the midst of what is now known as the Gilded Age. This period was marked by a rapidly developing economy and the cultural reunification of the North and South. Over the course of 20 years, the average wage for an industrial worker in the U.S. nearly doubled, and the standard of living for American families skyrocketed above that of most European countries. The economic development that epitomized this era rode in on trains – innovative, perpetually evolving trains. A uniform and efficient railroad system became a pivotal asset to the nation, and the time had come to work out its antiquated quirks.

Over 60 years earlier, in 1827, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad had been commissioned with the purpose of transporting goods being shipped along the Ohio River in the West to the port at Baltimore in the East. As America’s first railroad, the company set the standard for railways in the North by copying British railways in formatting track. The rails were placed 56.5 inches apart – a measurement that had been decided on by George Stephenson, a British engineer known as “the Father of Railways.” A separate railroad, the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company, got its start only 9 months later in Charleston, South Carolina. To accommodate the movement of larger cotton bales, the founders of South Carolina C&R decided on a rail spacing, or “gauge,” of 60 inches – exactly 5 feet.

As the years went on, the 56.5 inch gauge became the standard for railroads hailing from the North, while Southern railways followed South Carolina’s suit in standardizing the 60-inch gauge. These were not the only gauges present in the U.S. railroad system. In fact, by 1871, there were at least 23 different gauges in use by American railroads. Since trains would have to be specially formatted and equipped to run on a certain width of track, this was a major issue by the Gilded Age reform. Trains would have to be unloaded and the freight moved to another train at the interchange in order to make its full transit. In fact, North Carolina adopted the Stephenson gauge (Northern system) in order to make trade with the North easier and drew massive amounts of commerce away from surrounding Southern states as a result.

On February 2, 1886, the operating officers of the South’s major railroads met at Kimball House in Atlanta to discuss a shift to the Stephenson gauge. While some advocated passionately for the full transition, the final decision was to adopt a 4-foot-9 inch gauge – 3 inches narrower than the Southern gauge, but still a half inch wider than the Stephenson gauge. This miniscule difference allowed for most engines formatted for the Stephenson to still traverse the tracks, while also being wide enough for use by the Pennsylvania Railroad, a unique Northern Railroad with a 4ft9in gauge which had many interchanges with Southern rails. It was decided that on May 31^st and June 1^st of that year, in just two days, tens of thousands of railroad laborers across the South would pull up some 11,500 miles of rail and move them inward. Only one side would need to be moved, so it was decided that the western or northern side of each track would be shifted 3 inches.

The four-month preparation period allowed for special wheels to be made for engines and cars that could simply be turned around on their axles on the transformation day to fit the new track. When May 31^st came, hundreds of workers hit the ground reversing the wheels on thousands of cars and engines, while thousands more workers quickly plucked railroad spikes on the 11,500 miles of track and shifted them inward by 3 inches. This daunting task was made considerably more efficient with the use of a special caliper known as a railroad gauge. Instead of measuring the distance between the rails every few feet, the workers could simply slide the caliper (like the one found in Discovery Park’s Depot), which had a set length of 4ft9in, down the track and confirm its uniformity.

On June 1^st, after the noisiest 36 hours the South ever experienced, the last spike was hammered in. Over the next several decades, regular maintenance of tracks eventually shifted all railroad tracks in the South to the Stephenson gauge of 4ft 8.5in. Nevertheless, the Great Gauge Change of May 31^st and June 1^st, 1886 remains one of the greatest feats of engineering in world history, let alone the most magnificent coordinated effort in the Southern United States prior to telecommunications.

Side note: The day after the transition, June 2, 1886, President Grover Cleveland, who was 49, married college student Frances Folsom in the Blue Room of the White House. Cleveland had been the executor of her father’s estate and oversaw her upbringing. Nevertheless, at just 21 years old, she became one of the most beloved first ladies in American History. This was a busy week in American history, indeed!