Heritage Organizations
Please choose Local or Regional/National Heritage Links.
Heritage Links of Local Interest
The
Smith Trahern Mansion
was built in 1858 by wealthy tobacconist Christopher Smith, this
masterpiece overlooks the Cumberland River. Constructed during the
troubled Pre-Civil War era, the home reflects the transition between
Greek Revival and Italianate styles, which were so popular at that
time. The home boasts grand hallways, an exquisite curved staircase,
and a "widow's walk" on the roof. In March 1988, that Mansion was
placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Emerald
Hill Mansion
The
Emerald Hill Mansion began as a farmhouse in the 1820s and has
undergone two major renovations in 1900 and 1909. The mansion
contains many of its original furnishings, and serves as the home
for the Pace Alumni Center at Emerald-Hill--Alumni Relations and
Development Offices of Austin Peay State University.
Customs House Museum and Cultural Center
The 1898 portion of the Museum was originally
designed for use as a Federal Post Office and Custom House to handle
the large volume of foreign mail created by the city's international
tobacco business. Designed by Federal Treasury Supervising Architect
William Martin Aiken in the eclectic style popular with Victorian
America, the building showcases many architectural styles including
Stick, Queen Anne, Italianate, Romanesque, Flemish, and Gothic.
The 1898 portion of the Museum was originally designed for use as a Federal Post Office and Custom House to handle the large volume of foreign mail created by the city's international tobacco business. Designed by Federal Treasury Supervising Architect William Martin Aiken in the eclectic style popular with Victorian America, the building showcases many architectural styles including Stick, Queen Anne, Italianate, Romanesque, Flemish, and Gothic.
Clarksville Civil War Round Table
This group of local citizens interested in Civil War history
usually meets at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of
the month at Borders Books on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard. Visitors are
welcome.
Montgomery County Historical Society
The Montgomery County Historical Society usually meets on the
third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the L&N Rail Road Station,
10th & Commerce streets, Clarksville, Tennessee. Programs
feature people and events of historical interest to the community.
Visitors are welcome.
Historic
Collinsville is a living history museum featuring authentically
restored log houses and outbuildings dating from 1830 to 1870. The
settlement takes visitors from the earliest "first home" to the
expansive big house on the hill with separate kitchen, living and
sleeping areas. Each home and outbuilding has been painstakingly
restored to its original condition and furnished authentically. It
is located near the Southside Community off of Shelton Ferry
Road.
Mount Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society
The Mt. Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society emphasizes the influence and contributions of African-Americans regarding the history, education, development, growth, and culture of the Clarksville, Tennessee, area. It encourages the discovering and preserving of existing records, artifacts, and properties that represent that history of achievement and contribution.
Fort Defiance, later named Fort Bruce, is a
Civil War fort that sits on a 200-foot high buff above the
Cumberland River. A gun platform facing north overlooked the river,
one gun platform faced west and another bomb-proof gun platform
faced south. The main gate of the fort opened to the east. When Fort
Defiance fell to Union troops, the ironclad U.S.S. Cairo and the
Conestoga were on the Cumberland near Clarksville. Fort Defiance is
located at 120 A Street, Clarksville, Tennessee. An interpretive
visitor’s center is planned for the fort.
Heritage Links of Regional or National Interest
Fort Donelson National Battlefield
Unconditional surrender of Fort Donelson, about 50 miles from
Clarksville, created jubilation throughout the North and silence in
Dixie. It was the North’s first major victory of the Civil War,
opening the way into the very heart of the Confederacy. This federal
victory earned Gen. U. S. Grant his nickname, “Unconditional
Surrender Grant.”
The Civil War Preservation Trust
The Civil War Preservation Trust is America's largest non-profit
organization (501-C3) devoted to the preservation of our nation's
endangered Civil War battlefields. The Trust also promotes
educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives to inform the
public of the war’s history and the fundamental conflicts that
sparked it.
Daughters of the American Revolution
The DAR, founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a
non-profit, non-political volunteer women's service organization
dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and
securing America's future through better education for children.
Sons of the American Revolution
SAR commemorates and provides memorials for the people and events of
the American Revolution and helps preserve records relating to the
events leading up to and during the American Revolution. The
National SAR was a major force behind the construction of the
National Archives in Washington, D.C., and the collection of
historic documents there.