Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel's Public History classes have had a busy week working in the Harpeth Hall archives and visiting the Ryman Auditorium to learn about the building's restoration. Mr. John Dowell led a great tour for our girls at the Ryman, taking them behind the scenes to the see restoration done in the attic and in the dressing rooms (which were added during the 1993 renovation).
The Ryman was the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974 when it moved to its present location. Under threat of demolition, the Gaylord Entertainment group decided to invest 8.5 million dollars into the building's restoration. The auditorium is now on the National Registry of Historic Landmarks. The building first opened in the 1890s as a religious meeting hall but soon added entertainment and lectures to its billing. Many of the students at Ward's Seminary and Ward-Belmont attended concerts and lectures at the Union Gospel Tabernacle, the auditorium's original name. The girls also learned of the many famous people who have performed at Ryman Auditorium. Students are also doing original research and preservation in the Harpeth Hall Archives as they prepare a new exhibit, "A Century of Clubs." Each student researched a period of time using yearbooks available online from Harpeth Hall's digial collection. (Click here to access the digital archives.) They are also working with clothing, scrapbooks, and newspapers. In the spirit of service, the classes have compiled a complete index of clubs at Harpeth Hall and its predecessor schools dating back to 1898. As part of the new exhibit, the classes are also creating a more in-depth version of the exhibit in the form of an online exhibit, which will be linked to the school's "History and Archives" page. Stay tuned for more details next week!
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