The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture will host a Civil War lecture and history walk during April.
The museum will help kick off the Outdoor KnoxFest 2015 with a history hike at Fort Dickerson Park in South Knoxville led by Civil War curator Joan Markel at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 25. The event will take place at the Fort Dickerson Park Greenway, where participants are invited to join this free guided walk on trails within the future Battlefield Loop of the Urban Wilderness.
Fort Dickerson Park is home to one of the best-preserved earthen forts from the Civil War era. Resting on a knob just across the river from downtown, it is one of 16 earthen forts and battery positions that protected the city of Knoxville during the war.
The hike is a part of Outdoor KnoxFest—a weekend for adventurers, outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers to celebrate outdoor recreation in Knoxville and its Urban Wilderness from April 24 to 26. Outdoor KnoxFest is presented by Legacy Parks.
Additionally, the museum’s annual Civil War Lecture Series will continue at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, with the talk “Four Years of Civil War Commemoration in Knoxville.” Markel, will recap the 150 years of Civil War history, and highlight the accomplishments of the sesquicentennial commemoration effort here in Knoxville. The lecture is free and open to the public and will be held in the museum auditorium.
Markel notes, “Our goal at the museum has been to educate and engage the community in the richness of their Civil War past. Those four years of life and death conditions were traumatic—a terrible experience almost completely lost to time by people today living in its shadow. Strong lessons and legacy provide a cultural depth to our understanding and appreciation of East Tennessee 150 years later.”
The McClung Museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Museum admission is free, and the museum’s hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive on the weekdays. Free public transportation to the museum is also available via the Knoxville Trolley Vol Line.
Additional parking information is available online.
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CONTACT:
Joan Markel (865-974-2144, jmarkel@utk.edu)
Stacy Palado (865-974-2143, spalado@utk.edu)