In 1928, ETSU’s Reece Museum debuted a Tennessee Frontier exhibition. The exhibit remained on display until 2007, when its artifacts were placed in storage. Reece Museum curator Rebecca Proffitt has spent the past six years revamping the exhibit.  

Minority voices were lacking in the original installation, but the new exhibit strives to fill those gaps. Nanyehi, an Indigenous woman commonly known as Nancy Ward, helped connect Native communities with Appalachian settlers. Stones are stacked on the room’s right side of the room to represent Ward’s gravesite. Other artists, including Sammy Nicely, Amanda Swimmer and LaKesha Lee, are also featured. 

Upon entering the room, visitors will see a glass case displaying pieces of ancient pottery and utensils. Remnants of a cooking pot dating approximately A.D. 600 to 1000, a pestle dating from 5000 B.C. to A.D. 1790 and an axe from 7500 to 3000 B.C. are among the artifacts.  

Another glass case houses a variety of relics, including conquistador stirrups, a powder flask made from ox or cow horns and pistols dating to 1842.

Abby Trembeczki/East Tennessean

The left wall showcases a variety of maps. The “Mapa del Golfo y costa de la Nueva España” is described as the first European rendering of the Southeast’s interior. The “Carte de la Louisiane et du cours du Mississippi” is a political map depicting France’s interests in America, including East Tennessee.  

The clothing items in the display are particularly interesting. The room houses a green dress dating to around 1830. The dress features a color called Scheele’s green, invented by Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1775. However, the dress is surrounded by ropes because of the dye’s toxicity from its arsenic and copper content.  

A men’s outfit features fall-front trousers and a swallowtail coat, both of which were popular around 1830 and convenient for horseback riding. Proffitt said the fibers in the clothing, including flax, wool and linen, were homegrown and harvested.  

Some of the items were primitive, and it often seems that depictions of frontier life focus on that side. However, members of the frontier also enjoyed dressing up and taking part in finer activities. One of the most visually striking relics was a blue-and-white serving platter, featuring intricate designs.  

Overall, the exhibit balances the rugged and harsh realities of the frontier life with its more refined side. It includes many more artifacts than can be described in this article and can only be fully appreciated in person. The Tennessee Frontier Room will remain installed until June, giving ETSU students an opportunity to visit the exhibit

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