New Elvis Exhibit at Center

Who doesn't love the Hawaiian Elvis films? He actually made three on location in Hawaii; "Girls, Girls, Girls," "Blue Hawaii," and "Paradise, Hawaiian Style." All three are a part of the newest exhibit at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center. (on loan from Graceland)

Along with the movie soundtracks and memorabilia, we also have a pair of swimming trunks bought by Elvis while filming "Blue Hawaii."

The exhibit is free and open Monday Through Saturday, 9-5 and on Sunday, 1-5.

Favorite Pictures from August Concert

Here are some of our favorite shots from the August Concert on the Porch.

Emma Webb

Emma

Emma 

Grover Westover

Paul Jackson

Sleepy John's house ... in the spotlight.

Wildwood Express: (from left) Grover Westover,  Paul Jackson, Gary Spraggins and Marilyn and Coley Graves

Wildwood Express

Wildwood Express

Photos by Vickie Cooper.

Bluegrass featured at August “Concert on the Porch”

 

Join the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville, Tenn., for the fourth in its 'Concert on the Porch' series Saturday, August 20, beginning at 7 p.m. This month's concert will feature Wildwood Express, a group of five area musicians who perform the old time stringed music of yesterday. Also appearing with Wildwood Express will be 11-year-old Emma Webb of Memphis.

The concert will open with Webb. Webb is part of the Generation Next series of the Memphis & Shelby County Music Commission and she is also the youngest member of the Memphis Songwriters Association. Webb has been performing in the Memphis area since she was 8. Her performances include music from the 80s to current pop songs plus some originals.

Wildwood Express performs the old time stringed music including bluegrass gospel, instrumentals and old time country. Their instruments of choice include the banjo, dulcimer, mandolin, upright bass and guitar.

The band is made up of Grover Westover, of Brownsville, who does vocals and plays guitar. Paul Jackson is from Bells, Tenn., and does vocals and plays mandolin.  Gary Spraggins is on the upright bass and is from Alamo, Tenn.  Coley and Marilyn Graves are from Bartlett, Tenn.; Coley does vocals, guitar and banjo, while his wife, Marilyn plays the hammered dulcimer. All are members of the Jackson Tennessee Area Plectral Society whose main purpose is the preservation of old time stringed music.

Everyone is invited to this free event. Bring your lawn chairs or blanket and enjoy an evening of old-time music. For more information, call the Center at 731-779-9000 or visit online at www.westtnheritage.com. 

Hoofbeats in the Heartland opens August 24

 A cavalry and military commander in the war, Nathan Bedford Forrest is one of the war's most unusual figures. He was one of the few officers in either army to enlist as a private and be promoted to general officer and division commander by the end of the war.

 The traveling exhibition “Hoofbeats in the Heartland: Civil War Cavalry in Tennessee” will open at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center, in Brownsville, Tenn., Wednesday, August 24. The exhibit is organized by the Tennessee State Museum and funded in part by a grant from the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.

Hoofbeats in the Heartland will look at how Tennessee’s strategic location would make it a major battleground of the Western Theater. As both sides maneuvered, raided, fought, and occupied the state, nearly every community experienced the heavy hand of war. While few communities witnessed large battles, nearly every community experienced soldiers on horseback as part of a raiding force, occupying army, or as members of the numerous guerilla or partisan bands. 

The exhibition Hoofbeats in the Heartland will introduce the soldiers and the evolution of cavalry tactics in the Civil War. Visitors to the exhibit will meet the leaders such as Nathan Bedford Forrest and John Wilder and learn how their personalities affected the mounted warfare. Learn about the typical cavalry trooper, the nearly one million horses and mules that died during the Civil War and the mounted spies and scouts used to gain intelligence about the opposition.

Throughout the state both sides dealt with small bands of guerilla or partisan fighters mounted on horseback. These groups, some holding legitimate commissions from their respective governments, manifested in nearly every Tennessee county.

Visitors will also learn how the homefront sometimes became the frontlines and the role of the African-American troops. Significant battles will also be discussed including Fort Pillow in West Tennessee.

Hoofbeats in the Heartland will remain on display at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center until October 31. The Center is a tourist information center and three regional museums located off of Interstate 40 at Exit 56 in Brownsville. The Center is open seven days a week and is free to the public. For more information, call 731-779-9000 or visit www.westtnheritage.com.

Texas Family Joins the Fun at Concert on the Porch

The West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville, Tenn., was honored to welcome guests from Cut and Shoot, Texas, during its July 16 “Concert on the Porch.” Gary Christianberry and his family were vacationing in Tennessee when they decided to stop in Brownsville for the night. During their stay, the family enjoyed a tour of the Center’s three museums and a Southern Gospel concert from the porch of the “Sleepy” John Estes home. Pictured with Christianberry, outside of the Center, are his wife, Julie, and children, Joshua and Chelsea.

Elvis Fan is West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center's 10,000th Visitor

Pictured are (from left) WTDHC Center Director Sonia Outlaw-Clark, Greg, Taylor and Janice Hatch, and Center Advisory Board Members Carolyn Freeman and Jerry Wilson.

Taylor Hatch helped her grandparents, Greg & Janice Hatch, choose Tennessee as their vacation destination. “I had written a paper about Elvis and I wanted to see Graceland,” said the 11-year-old from Urbandale, Iowa.

After visiting Memphis, the Hatch family was traveling to Nashville before heading home July 20, when they decided to stop at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center (WTDHC) in Brownsville, Tenn. The decision made Taylor this year’s 10,000^th person to visit the Center. She was greeted with cheering and applause and presented with a special gift bag full of West Tennessee items, including a Brownsville birdhouse and Tennessee Gold Sauce.

Southern Gospel “Concert on the Porch” July 16

David Smith

The West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center’s summer concert series continues with a Southern Gospel concert Saturday evening, July 16. The free concert will begin at 7 p.m., and features Brownsville’s own David Smith and His Voice of Ripley, Tenn.

Known locally as the Singing Firefighter, Smith loves to sing the old southern gospel favorites like “How Great Thou Art” and “In the Garden,” mixed with more modern tunes such as “What Kinda Car.”

 “His Voice” is a Southern Gospel Trio that includes Larry Kelly of Ripley, Candace Maness of Nutbush, and Mitch Platz of Brownsville. The group has been performing together since 2010.

This event is one the entire family will enjoy and is presented from the porch of the Sleepy John Estes home. There will be some bleacher seating and attendees are also encouraged to bring their lawn chairs and blankets. Popcorn, hot dogs, chips and drinks will be available.

His Voice Trio

For more information about the concert, contact Outlaw-Clark at 731-779-9000. The West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center is located at I-40 and Exit 56, behind McDonald’s, and features three museums. Visit the Center’s website at www.westtnheritage.com.