Tipton County Museum
Veterans Memorial and Nature Center
751 Bert Johnston Ave. Covington, TN 38019
The Tipton County Museum is a place for learning, a place for discovering, and a place for exploring. Admission is Free!!!
NEW EXHIBIT - COMMON PEOPLE IN UNCOMMON TIMES: THE CIVIL WAR EXPERIENCE IN TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 3 TO MARCH 14, 2012 - The official traveling exhibition of the Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission organized by the Tennessee State Museum and locally by the Simonton-Wilcox Camp No. 257 and Sons of Confederate Veterans. Click here for the flyer. The exhibit focuses on how the war impacted the lives of Tennesseans through personal stories of some of the participants. Their tales represent a diverse array of personalities—Confederate soldiers, Union sympathizers, African-Americans, gallant women—whose sagas illustrate a land divided. Visitors will learn about the lives of the common soldier. Almost 187,000 Tennesseans served in the Confederate armed forces, while more than 50,000 served in the Union army, including some 20,000 African-Americans. Confederate Tennesseans fought in every major battle east of the Mississippi River, from Gettysburg to New Orleans, forming the backbone of the largest army in the western theater, the Army of Tennessee. Whether Union or Confederate, the soldiers’ stories are individual and varied, including boys from the mountains and from the Delta. Aristocrats, farm boys, or former slaves were all impacted by the Civil War. The exhibit includes stories of Tipton County Civil War soldiers and their families as well as the raids and skirmishes that occurred here. The Tennessee home front, especially the rural areas including Tipton County, suffered immensely during the war. Crops and farms were destroyed and livestock confiscated. Towns and cities faced the uneasy and unfamiliar aspect of occupation by Union or Confederate armies. The exhibition explores the home front through the stories of people like John Fielder, a store keeper in Henderson County; Kate Carney, a defiant secessionist in Murfreesboro, and C.A. Haun, a noted potter from Greene County. The exhibit presents Tennessee’s unique story among former Confederate states during reconstruction and illuminates the Volunteer State’s significant role in the manner in which the Civil War was remembered by post-war generations.
One of the first facilities in the country to bring together military history, environmental education, and historical preservation, the Tipton County Museum is truly unique. This million-dollar facility is located in the largest urban park in the county, which includes a 20-acre wildlife sanctuary, a half-mile nature trail through a woodland forest, and a wetland study area.
The museum houses changing history exhibits featuring artifacts from Tipton County's rich heritage and a nature center depicting the unique ecosystem of West Tennessee. Numerous programs for students and adults are available year round.
The conference center is an excellent place to host your reception, corporate meeting, or event.
These are some of the programs the museum offers:
Education programs can be given upon request to groups of children in grades K - 12, following our ongoing mission of "Enhancing Classroom Education". Group visits are $5 per student which includes 2 educational programs and a guided tour of the museum. Full payment is due upon arrival and reservations must be at least 2 weeks in advance. Please call the museum to schedule your visit.
New!!! Common People in Uncommon Times: The Civil War Experience in Tennessee - February 3 to March 14, 2012...The official traveling exhibition of the Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission organized by the Tennessee State Museum and locally by the Simonton-Wilcox Camp No. 257 and Sons of Confederate Veterans. Click here for the flyer.
Annual February Gardening Series. Features a different speaker for each Saturday discussing gardening topics ranging from landscape design to pruning trees and shrubs to plantings for our area. Click here for the announcement flyer.
The Annual Earthfest Celebration usually held in April celebrating the environment, recycling and ways to "Go Green".
Plus numerous other events.........
The museum operates through funding by the Tipton County Government, the City of Covington, corporate sponsors, and museum members. Join us! Become a friend! Download a Museum Membership Form here to become a member or call the museum for benefit and other information (476-0242).
Museum & Gift Shop Hours
Tuesday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday 9:00am - 3:00pm
Closed Sunday & Monday
Contacts
Alice Fisher, Director
afisher@covingtontn.com
P.O. Box 768
Covington, TN 38019-2414
901-476-0242
Liz Newman, Program Coordinator
lnewman@covingtontn.com
