Actress Flo Roach to Join Cast of Lantern Walk as Part of 2022 Military History and Armed Forces Symposium

April 14, 2022 – Discovery Park of America announced today that actress Flo Roach will join the cast of the Lantern Walk that will be presented on Sat., April 30 at 7:30 p.m. and at 9 p.m. as part of The 2022 Military History and Armed Forces Symposium. Roach has appeared in films including “The Help,” “100 Lives” and “Chapters.” Most recently, you may have seen her in an episode of Bluff City playing to role of a shelter director.

In addition to writing a new portion of the production, she will play the role of a soldier’s mother. Roach joins a talented group of historic interpreters who portray events and share stories from all perspectives of those living in South Western Ky. during the Civil War.

The Lantern Walk features an evening tour through the Settlement at Discovery Park, a collection of hand-hewn log buildings resembling what one might have found in a mid-19th century frontier community. For this special evening event, guests encounter those historic interpreters as they sit around the fire, make themselves comfortable on the front porches or just go about their lives. The audience moves from place to place observing the performances.

Tickets to the Lantern Walk are free but limited and must be reserved in advance here. This event will sell out, so to allow as many guests as possible to enjoy the Lantern Walk, please reserve tickets in only one of the two time slots.

Exhibit of Civil War-era photos Premieres at Discovery Park’s Military History and Armed Forces Symposium

April 13, 2022 – “A Country Divided: Photos from the Civil War” premieres at Discovery Park’s Military History and Armed Forces Symposium on April 29, 2022 and will be on display at the museum through May 25, 2022.

Designed by Discovery Park’s collections and exhibits team featuring items from the collection of Jason Pate, it consists of several early photography examples depicting soldiers that either lived in or traveled through Obion County and the surrounding Tennessee/Kentucky region during the Civil War. Guests will learn of the main photography mediums used during this time (ambrotypes, tintypes, and carte de visite) and of the soldiers’ stories that have survived along with their 160-year-old photographic counterparts on display.

Jason Pate, an award-winning educator currently employed with Obion County Schools, is an avid collector and “caretaker” of Civil War history. Using his nationally published collection, Pate has told, and brought to life, the stories of hundreds of Civil War soldiers from both sides of the war. He also serves his community as the youth pastor at Woodland Mills First Baptist Church.

Discovery Park Celebrates National Ag Day

March 24, 2022 – Despite it being a rainy day that moved many of the activities indoors, a crowd of more than 1,200 attended our National Ag Day Celebration on March 22. Among those in attendance were 13 student groups throughout the region that received free admission thanks to the Kirkland Scholarship Fund and were able to participate in the activities of the day.

More than 25 ag-related businesses and organizations had booths with information, hands-on activities and giveaways for guests to enjoy. The vendors and booths at the event included:

• AgLaunch
• BERG Livestock 
• Corteva Agriscience
• Farm Credit Mid-America 
• Farmspace Systems LLC
• H&R Agri-Power
• Kentucky Department of Agriculture
• Lone Oaks Farm STEM Education Program 
• McWherter Farms
• National Resource Conservation Service – USDA
• Northwest TN Beekeepers Association
• Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network
• Nutrien Ag Solutions
• Obion County Farm Bureau Insurance
• Simmons Bank
• Syngenta
• Tennessee AgrAbility
• Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads
• Tennessee Beef Industry Council 
• Tennessee Corn Promotional Council
• Tennessee Department of Agriculture
• Tennessee Future Farmers of America Association
• TN Soybean
• Turtle Plastics
• Tyson Foods 
• UT/Obion County Extension
• University of Tennessee at Martin Department of Agriculture, Geosciences and Natural Resources
• West Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge

During the event, representatives from Discovery Park and Farm Credit Mid-America marked the beginning of construction of the Farm Credit Mid-America Education Pavilion and Greenhouses that will open on the grounds later in the year.

After additional remarks from Tim Williams, senior vice president of ag lending for Farm Credit Mid-America, Williams introduced nine students, Wyatt Cunningham, Kendall Crabtree, Taylor Cantrell, Remi Gardner, Cassie Lewis, Haley Wheeler, Jason Matthews, Caleb McClure, Autumn Smith and Suni Ray Wright, who have excelled in agriculture in various ag-related clubs and organizations. After a countdown, the students planted wildflowers in flower pots that were on stage.

Also in attendance was Haley Wheeler, Miss Kentucky 2022, who assisted in ag safety protocol demonstrations. Wheeler serves as the spokesperson for the Kentucky Proud initiative.

A full album of photos can be found on our Flickr page.

Reelfoot Lake Designated One of Tennessee’s Bill Dance Signature Lakes

March 23, 2022 – Joann and Kerry Spear rolled out the hospitality red-carpet at the Boat House Restaurant in Samburg, Tenn. for a special gathering at Reelfoot Lake. Dennis Tumlin, chief customer officer for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development briefed area stakeholders about plans for the lake, Just 30 miles west of Discovery Park, to be designated one of Tennessee’s Bill Dance Signature Lakes.

Bill Dance lives in Memphis, Tenn. and is considered the most-recognized fisherman of all time thanks to more than 2,000 airings of “Bill Dance Outdoors” that has been airing since 1968. In addition to the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, he is also a member of the National Freshwater Hall of Fame, the IGFA Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

Tumlin outlined the new $15.4-million-dollar initiative to increase fishing tourism across the state of Tennessee.  Funding has been approved and a 1.9-million-dollar marketing plan is in the works that includes $400,000 for Interstate signage.  Tumlin said the best interstate exits will be identified and there will be “large brown and white signs marking the exit to Reelfoot Lake.”  Other funds have been earmarked for improvements at the 17 Tennessee lakes in this project, including upgrading loading ramps and installing bathrooms in locations like Kirby’s Pocket in Samburg.

This development will impact Discovery Park as many of those who fish, hunt or birdwatch on Reelfoot Lake also include a visit to the museum and heritage park in Union City in their itinerary.

“We have the ability to communicate directly with the 900,000 people who hold fishing licenses in Tennessee, and an additional 10 million more who live in contiguous states,” Tumlin shared.  “We plan to bring lots of new fishing tourism dollars into state with this initiative.”

Frank Fiss, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Chief of Fisheries in Tennessee, spoke a bit about adding a few additional entry points into Reelfoot and steps that TWRA is taking to control the population of Asian Carp at Reelfoot.

A Tennessee Parks representative shared that plans are already underway for a new campground at Reelfoot Lake and increased parking at Kirby’s Pocket.  She said that there is a dream to build a walking trail and a pavilion, as well.

Tumlin closed the meeting by encouraging city and county government officials to use any hotel/motel tax collected for the promotion of tourism in the county.  “You might be tempted to put this money in the general fund to buy a police car or fire engine, but I encourage you to see the bigger picture,” Tumlin said.  “If you reinvest these dollars that came straight from tourists back into tourism, you’ll collect enough tax dollars to buy two or three police cars or firetrucks.”

Those in attendance represented TWRA, Tennessee State Parks, tourism professionals, Reelfoot Lake guides and government officials.

To plan your trip through Tennessee on your way to or from Discovery Park, visit TNVacation.com.

Jackson-Madison County Library Presents Bicentennial Program on Davy Crockett Featuring Discovery Park’s CEO

March 1, 2022 – The Jackson-Madison County Library is hosting a Bicentennial program titled The Accidental Fame and Lack of Fortune of West Tennessee’s David Crockett on Saturday, March 12 at 12:00 p.m.

The program will be given by Scott Williams, author of the book for which the program is titled and Discovery Park’s CEO. He will be discussing his book, Davy Crockett’s ties to West Tenn., and signing books. Williams was inspired to write the book by the many places at Discovery Park where guests can experience the folk hero, frontiersman, politician and West Tennessee settler every day. Crockett lived in our region from 1822 until he departed for the Alamo in 1835. Crockett was also one of the earliest hunters around nearby Reelfoot Lake.

In “The Accidental Fame and Lack of Fortune of West Tennessee’s David Crockett,” Williams uncovers what propelled Crockett’s fascinating journey to international fame, while also examining the birth of Tennessee during one of the most fascinating periods in American history.

The program will take place at the Jackson-Madison County Library in the Program Center located at 433 E. Lafayette St. in downtown. For more information, contact the Library at 731-425-8600, visit the Library’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/JMCLibrary or its website at www.jmclibrary.org.

Photo Caption: Cover art for “The Accidental Fame and Lack of Fortune of West Tennessee’s David Crockett”

Discovery Park Opens Cornerstone Box Discovered During Demolition of Historic Dresden First United Methodist Church

February 3, 2022 – On February 2, 2022, our artifact experts opened the cornerstone box discovered during the demolition of the historic Dresden First United Methodist Church. The building was damaged beyond repair in December 2021, during one of the worst outbreaks of tornadoes ever recorded in the United States. The cornerstone box was found bricked inside a part of the church that was dedicated in 1923 and was previously unknown to many of today’s church members. Once discovered, demolition halted as those on hand began work to carefully extract the box from the cornerstone of the building. The box has been stored properly at Discovery Park over the past few weeks as the Discovery Park team has developed a plan to conserve the remains in the box after opening. Jennifer Wildes, the museum’s senior director of collections and exhibits, managed the opening of the box and was assisted by Jade Walsh and Jamie Thomson.

“Of all the artifacts we discovered, the most meaningful for me was a typed letter from the church’s pastor at the time, S. L. Jewell,” said Wildes. It included a short history of the church, and he noted that the letter had been ‘hastily written for information of someone who may in coming years look in the box.’”

The majority of the items were well preserved with the most unexpected item being an ear of corn. A letter wrapped around the ear noted it was of the Little Willice variety and was placed in the box by E. E. Ellis, the Weakley County agriculture agent. Ellis wrote, “May God’s richest blessings be with each farmer and those that depend on farmers as long as good old Weakley County continues to be populated with people.”

Other items pulled from the box included:

• Methodist hymnals and songbooks
• Copies of the Dresden Enterprise newspaper from 1924
• Copies of Methodist newspapers
• Tube containing a document from the Boy Scouts of America
• Correspondence relating to the building of the church
• A 1920 photograph of a young church member, Norma Leone Lewis, discovered inside a hymnal
• Official church rolls for 1923-1924

Church leaders are in the process of planning where and when their new church building will be built. Contributions to the Dresden First United Methodist Church rebuilding effort may be made online at GoFundMe.com by searching “Dresden FUMC Rebuilding Effort,” or checks may be mailed to:

Bldg & Renovation Fund
Dresden First United Methodist Church
411 Morrow St.
Dresden, TN 38225

Discovery Park to Open Hidden Cornerstone Box from Historic Dresden Church

Jan. 12, 2022 – Dresden First United Methodist Church in Dresden, Tenn. discovered a copper cornerstone box during the recent demolition of their church building. Church leaders have asked the Discovery Park team to help open and conserve the contents of the historic box.

The building was damaged beyond repair in December 2021, during one of the worst outbreaks of tornadoes ever recorded in the United States. The cornerstone box was found bricked inside a part of the church that was dedicated in 1923 and was previously unknown to many of today’s church members. Once discovered, demolition halted as those on hand began work to carefully extract the box from the cornerstone of the building.

Wayne McCreight, a church trustee, contacted Discovery Park to ask for help safely extracting the contents of this gripping find.

Jennifer Wildes, the museum’s senior director of collections and exhibits, will manage opening the box in the next few weeks and will be prepared to conserve what, if anything, remains inside after being hidden away nearly 100 years. Photos of any items found will be posted on Discovery Park’s Facebook page and loaned by the church for display at Discovery Park for a short time.

A clipping from the Dresden Enterprise, the town’s newspaper, noted that when the church was originally dedicated, a crowd gathered on a Saturday afternoon to watch the laying of the cornerstone. According to the clipping, the box that was placed there at the time contained a complete roll of the church membership, a full history of the church, copies of the church newspaper, copies of the Dresden Enterprise and copies of hymnals.

“If we find artifacts that are damp and fragile, it will require delicate care to preserve them intact before they can be thoroughly examined and cataloged,” said Wildes. “Whatever we find, we’ll make certain these items left by church members from the past are preserved as a reminder of the church’s important history.”

Church leaders are in the process of planning where and when their new church building will be built. Contributions to the Dresden First United Methodist Church rebuilding effort may be made online at GoFundMe.com, or checks may be mailed to:

Bldg & Renovation Fund
Dresden First United Methodist Church
411 Morrow St.
Dresden, TN 38225

Discovering Forever at Discovery Park of America

Dec. 21, 2021 – Our mission is to inspire children and adults to see beyond. Part of how we help guests to “see beyond” is by giving them new things to discover each day. Little did Christy Bondurant and Kevin Lyell know that they would discover their forever right here in Discovery Park’s gift shop.

Christy and Kevin were introduced to each other in 2020 by a church friend and were connected through Facebook. After messaging for a while, Kevin asked Christy out on a date. “I, being a bit old fashioned, told him that he would need to come meet me in my hometown for the first date and our first in-person meet up,” Christy said. She knew of the perfect place for them to meet and have their first date, Discovery Park of America.

Kevin was running late due to traffic, so Christy decided to explore the gift shop while waiting. As she was scanning a display in the gift shop, Kevin noticed her through the glass and they have been dating ever since.

This past Saturday, Dec. 18, Kevin brought Christy back to Discovery Park under the ruse of picking up a science themed Christmas gift for a family member. “He kept stalling and was not listening to my suggestions,” Christy said. After circling the shop a few times, Kevin got down on one knee on the other side of a shelf that was stocked with army men. “I was about to tell him how his niece did not care for army men, but he was down on one knee with the ring,” laughed Christy. He proposed at the same time and place he had first seen Christy, at 1 p.m. in the gift shop. “Of course I said yes,” Christy said.

We wish the future Mr. and Mrs. Lyell many years of happiness in their marriage that was first discovered here at Discovery Park.

Kevin Lyell proposed to Christy Bondurant in the gift shop at Discovery Park of America.

Tornado Relief Efforts

Dec. 17, 2021 – Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the tornadoes that crossed 8 states on Dec. 11, 2021. For those looking for ways to assist in relief efforts, we have compiled a list of places to volunteer and donate.

Local Resources for Tornado Victims

Food, Clothing and Other Essential Items: 

Samburg Assembly of God
253 N Reelfoot Ave. Hornbeak, TN 38232

First Baptist Church
204 S Poplar St. Kenton, TN 38233

Shelter:

American Red Cross Shelter
First Baptist Church
204 S Poplar St. Kenton, TN 38233

Ways to Donate

• The American Red Cross
• Bowling Green Fire Department
• CARE
• Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort
• Dresden Police Department
• Dresden Rotary Tornado Relief Fund
• Global Giving
• International Medical Corps
• Kentucky Baptist Relief
• Obion County Tornado Relief Fund
• The Salvation Army
• Support for Dresden Relief Fund
• Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund
• Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief
• Toys for Tornado Victims, Tennessee Realtors
• The United Way of Kentucky
• WE Care Ministries

Federal aid has been granted for those counties impacted by the tornado outbreak. TEMA will continue to update the December Severe Weather page with recovery recourses, volunteer information and how to donate. The Crisis Cleanup Line (800-451-1954) is active and accepting call from Tennesseans in the storm damaged counties who need assistance with cleaning up from the storms. For more information, visit December Severe Weather (tn.gov). Be sure to watch social media and contact local churches and organizations for other ways to volunteer or make donations.

West Tennessee PBS and Discovery Park of America Partner to Spread Holiday Cheer Across the Region

Dec. 6, 2021 – Now you can get a taste of the magic of Discovery Park’s Christmas lights from your own home as West Tennessee PBS presents “Let It Glow.” The 30-minute special was filmed at the museum and heritage park’s popular light show and will air five times during the holiday season.

“The drive-thru light show has become a holiday tradition for many families around West Tennessee,” said Scott Williams, Discovery Park’s president and CEO.  “The team here has spent much of the year planning and then implementing the addition of our exciting, new Christmas lights walk-thru. We are so grateful our friends at West Tennessee PBS are as excited about it as we are and look forward to even more people getting to experience it.”

The special program includes segments filmed inside the new walk-thru. Also featured is the drive-thru that allows cars to slowly drive around the 50-acre heritage park as they experience more than a million twinkling lights synced to the beats of popular Christmas songs. Viewers will get a unique look at a Titan Missile, the outside of the 199-foot-tall Discovery Center, a settlement of log cabins and more, all decorated for the holidays.

“Discovery Park and West Tennessee PBS have been great partners since the museum first opened,” said Mike Peery, West Tennessee PBS’s General Manager and CEO. “We view this as a perfect way to wish all our viewers a Merry Christmas.”

The program was produced and edited by Miranda Barnes.

“Let it Glow” can be seen on West Tennessee PBS:

Tues., Dec. 14 at 8 p.m.

Fri., Dec. 17 at 9:30 p.m.

Sun., Dec. 19 at 6 p.m.

Thu., Dec. 23 at 9 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 25 at 9 p.m.

Discovery Park of America Opens “The Fascinating World of Murray Hudson’s Globes and Maps”

Dec. 3, 2021 – Now on display at Discovery Park of America is an exhibit that shines a spotlight on one of the most unique collections of globes and maps in the world. On Friday, several of the museum’s visitors got a one-of-a-kind tour of “The Fascinating World of Murray Hudson’s Globes and Maps” from Murray Hudson himself. Hudson was also getting a first look at the exhibit which just opened to the public.

Hudson is a former English professor, stockbroker and farmer originally from Dyersburg, Tenn., who owns the largest private collection of for-sale antiquarian maps, globes, books and prints in the world. The spark of inspiration for his collection came from visiting an antique map shop on High Street in London while taking a summer course at Oxford University in 1964. His collection today includes more than 17,000 maps and more than 700 globes of various ages, sizes and designs. Many can be found in his shop, Murray Hudson – Antique Maps, Globes, Books & Prints, in the former Halls, Tenn., Post Office at 109 Church Street, where he also sells vintage sheet music and antique posters.

“As I look around, this exhibit far exceeds what I ever dreamed it could be,” said Hudson. “My goal has always been to get these maps and globes into the hands of people who could enjoy and learn from them. Discovery Park has done just that,” he added.

In addition to individuals and families who got to meet and hear about the collection from Hudson, several school groups were there to hear his story.

“The Fascinating World of Murray Hudson’s Globes and Maps” is sponsored by Conley and Conley Attorneys at Law and will be on display in the museum’s ATA Traveling Exhibit Hall through March 1, 2022.

For more information about Discovery Park of America, visit www.discoveryparkofamerica.com.

Finding Tennessee’s John Haywood: The Story Continues

Nov. 19, 2021 – Jeff Sellers, director of education and community engagement at the Tennessee State Museum and vice president of the Nashville City Cemetery Association, shared with us in a recent episode of “Reelfoot Forward” the story of the hunt for the grave of “the Father of Tennessee History,” John Haywood. In a recent update, a chancery court ruled that his remains, if any are located, will be allowed to be moved to the Nashville City Cemetery.

Although today Haywood has been forgotten by most, he has been called “the father of Tennessee history,” “a fascinating eccentric,” “an overlooked Tennessee historian” and “the author of the most important legal innovation in antebellum southern history.” Haywood, the namesake of Tennessee’s Haywood County, authored three histories of the Old Southwest and authored four legal works, each of which served as a template for legal practice in the states of North Carolina and Tennessee. In 1820, he also played a central role in founding the first historical society in the state, The Tennessee Antiquarian Society.

After his death in 1826, Haywood was buried at his family farm in Tusculum, Tennessee. In 1911, a memorial was scheduled to be placed at his and his wife’s gravesite by the Tennessee Historical Society. The farmer who owned the land did not want a monument in the way of his crops, so the Historical Society placed the marker on adjacent property pointing to the gravesite nearby. In 1959, an obelisk was placed on the adjacent property near a church that had been built there. The obelisk remains standing today. Despite the markers, the actual location of Haywood and his wife’s graves had been lost to decades of progress and land development.

Thanks to the fieldwork and data analysis of Middle Tennessee State University’s Department of Geosciences, Dr. Joe D. Collins and graduate student Oluwatosin Obe, th graves have likely been located.

Sellers and the group of volunteers now have full legal authority to locate and remove any remains located from the commercial property where they think the graves currently reside. The next step in the process is to raise funds to begin the archaeological excavation. Donations can be made to the Nashville City Cemetery Association, Inc. or by mailing a check to the Nashville City Cemetery Association, Inc. (care of the Haywood Cemetery Project) to:

The Nashville City Cemetery Association, Inc.

P.O. Box 150733

Nashville, TN 37215

To learn more about the search for John Haywood’s grave, listen to our podcast episode, read the petition or check out this article written by Main Street Nashville.