Museums of Tusculum receive two awards from state association

musuemawardsThe Museums of Tusculum College were recently honored with two awards from the Tennessee Association of Museums.

The awards were presented during the Tennessee Association of Museums annual conference, held his year in Johnson City.

The Museums of Tusculum received an Award of Excellence for its monthly email newsletter, which was accepted by Dollie Boyd, interim director of the museums. The monthly newsletter is an attractive, full-color informational electronic publication that features the latest news and upcoming events of the two museums on the Tusculum College campus, the Doak House Museum and the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library.

Featured in the newsletter are historic tidbits about Tusculum College. For example, the March newsletter contained a feature about the college’s history of women’s education in celebration of Women’s History Month and an article about Julia Doak, who in 1879 became the first female graduate of Tusculum College.

A monthly feature in the newsletter, “Receipts from Mrs. Doak’s Kitchen” provides recipes and other cooking and housekeeping tips from the 19th century.

Also recognized was “Pickin’ at the Doaks,” the museums’ monthly free traditional music jam session, which earned the Museums’ an Award of Commendation. Leah Walker ’04, site manager for the museums who created the program, accepted the award.

“Pickin’ at the Doaks” began last summer as musicians were invited to come to the museums for a jam session of traditional music and the public was invited to come and listen to music enjoyed in this region for years.  The jam session, which takes place on the fourth Friday of each month, has attracted a number of musicians and growing number of appreciative listeners.

Most of the performances during the summer and fall were held on the lawn at the Doak House Museum, except in cases of inclement weather when they were held inside the museum.  Taking a break for the holidays, the program resumed earlier this year at the Doak House Museum and is being held indoors until the weather warms.

The two museums on campus are operated by the Department of Museum Program and Studies. The Doak House Museum is the 19th century home of the Rev. Samuel Witherspoon Doak, co-founder of Tusculum College, and hosts thousands of school children from the region for a variety of educational programs related to the 19th century as well as other community programs.

The President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library houses a special collection of items relating to the 17th president, the college’s archives, special themed exhibits and volumes from the institution’s original library.

The two museums are also part of the National Historic District on the Tusculum College campus. Follow the museums on Facebook and Twitter to learn the latest news and upcoming events or visit its Web site at www.tusculum.edu/museums to learn more about the variety of programs offered at the museums.