Updated November 4, 2019
Postmark LaFollette appreciated the honor of hosting the traveling exhibit Crossroads: Change in Rural American from the Smithsonian and Museum on Main Street who partnered with Humanities Tennessee in bringing this event to our community. The exhibit has traveled to its next opening at the Rose Center 442 W 2nd N St, Morristown, Tennessee.
Postmark LaFollette appreciated the honor of hosting the traveling exhibit Crossroads: Change in Rural American from the Smithsonian and Museum on Main Street who partnered with Humanities Tennessee in bringing this event to our community. The exhibit has traveled to its next opening at the Rose Center 442 W 2nd N St, Morristown, Tennessee.
Updated October 8, 2019
Postmark LaFollette is hosting a panel discussion Saturday, October 12 at 3 p.m. in conjunction with the Smithsonian exhibit, Crossroads: Change in Rural America, currently on view and free of charge at the old post office located at 119 S. Tennessee Avenue in LaFollette.
Community members representing public services essential to our ongoing and sustainable County communities, young adults, and youths who have ideas about the future of Campbell County and its needs will be among the panelists The discussion will include economic, environmental, and social components that range from energy and public land use to the arts and education - all with a focus on the future needs of Campbell County.
Whitney Kimball Coe, a consultant engaged by Humanities Tennessee will facilitate the panel discussion and Tim Marena, will provide demographic data for Campbell County and speak to trends and indicators that will assist us in identifying special areas of change.
The public is encouraged to attend and to participate in the discussion. The exhibit is open on Saturday, Oct. 12 during the Big Creek ATV Festival. Musical entertainment will be provided at Postmark by Joseph Hensley and Tony Branam before the panel discussion and during a short break in the program.
Video clips from the panel discussion will be included in a Postmark video project slated for completion in early 2020 that will be submitted to the Smithsonian Museum program, Stories: YES. Postmark was one of 20 communities across the country to be invited to participate in this Smithsonian project.
The exhibit is made possible by the Smithsonian Institute’s Museum on Main Street and by Humanities Tennessee. The panelist program, The Future of Campbell County, is made possible through a grant from Humanities Tennessee.
Posted August, 2019
The Smithsonian exhibit, Crossroads: Changes in Rural America will make its debut in East Tennessee right here in Camp bell County, at Postmark LaFollette on September 7 and will be open to the public until October 20, 2019.
The Smithsonian Exhibit will be open every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Special group presentations may be set up for organizations of business groupings using contact form below. museumonmainstreet.org
Postmark LaFollette is looking for volunteer guides, called Docents, to show visitors around the exhibit and how it works, answer questions, etc.
The training sessions will be held on August 14, 2019 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and August 26, 2019 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. If interested please use contact form below to sign up for sessions.
Our goal is to have enough docents so that they will be able to work one, possibly two times a week for approximately four hours over the course of the exhibit. To sign up as a volunteer docent, contact us at [email protected]
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In 1900, about 40% of Americans lived in rural areas, By 2010, less than 18% of the U.S. population lived in rural areas. In just over a century, massive economic and social changes moved millions of Americans into urban areas. Yet, only 10% of the U.S. landmass is considered urban.
Many Americans consider rural communities to be endangered and hanging on by a thread—suffering from brain drain, inadequate schools, and a barren, overused landscape. Why should revitalizing the rural places left behind matter to those who remain, those who left, and those who will come in the future? Because there is much more to the story of rural America.
Crossroads: Change in Rural America offers small towns a chance to look at their own paths to highlight the changes that affected their fortunes over the past century. The exhibition will prompt discussions about what happened when America’s rural population became a minority of the country’s population and the ripple effects that occurred.
Despite the massive economic and demographic impacts brought on by these changes, America’s small towns continue to creatively focus on new opportunities for growth and development. Economic innovation and a focus on the cultural facets that make small towns unique, comfortable, and desirable have helped many communities create their own renaissance. The future is bright for much of rural America as small towns embrace the notion that their citizens and their cultural uniqueness are important assets.
Many Americans consider rural communities to be endangered and hanging on by a thread—suffering from brain drain, inadequate schools, and a barren, overused landscape. Why should revitalizing the rural places left behind matter to those who remain, those who left, and those who will come in the future? Because there is much more to the story of rural America.
Crossroads: Change in Rural America offers small towns a chance to look at their own paths to highlight the changes that affected their fortunes over the past century. The exhibition will prompt discussions about what happened when America’s rural population became a minority of the country’s population and the ripple effects that occurred.
Despite the massive economic and demographic impacts brought on by these changes, America’s small towns continue to creatively focus on new opportunities for growth and development. Economic innovation and a focus on the cultural facets that make small towns unique, comfortable, and desirable have helped many communities create their own renaissance. The future is bright for much of rural America as small towns embrace the notion that their citizens and their cultural uniqueness are important assets.
