Capitol Documentary Debuts in Montgomery County
October 8, 2013
Please note: This article was originally published on 10/8/2013. Information and/or dates from past events may be not be relevant for the current school year.
From the day its cornerstone was laid through the present, the Tennessee State Capitol has been the site of some of the Volunteer State’s most momentous historical events. Now the Capitol’s story has been captured on a video documentary that will soon be appearing in classrooms throughout Montgomery County.
At a news conference Tuesday, Secretary of State Tre Hargett and Clarksville-Montgomery County Director of Schools B.J. Worthington were joined by state legislators Reps, Curtis Johnson and Joe Pitts, Sen. Mark Green, school board members Horace Murphy, Jr., George Giles and Jimmie Garland and County Mayor Carolyn Bowers in announcing that DVDs of the documentary will be distributed to every school in the school system.
The General Assembly requested that the Secretary of State’s Office produce the documentary. It premiered in an event at the Nashville Public Library earlier this year. Copies of the DVD are being distributed to school districts in all 95 of Tennessee’s counties.
“The study of history is extremely important for our students,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “And the Tennessee State Capitol is arguably the most historic building in our state. To better understand the state in which they live, students need to learn about the Capitol building. I am pleased that the General Assembly provided us with the funding we needed to produce this documentary and provide copies for use in classrooms around the state.”
“This will be a great resource for our students as they study Tennessee history,” Dr. Worthington said. “Through production of this video, the Secretary of State’s Office and the General Assembly have given our students an inside look at the Tennessee State Capitol. ”The documentary covers the building’s history from the time the original cornerstone was laid in 1845 through the present day.
It covers serious events – including the Union Army’s occupation of the Capitol – and whimsical ones – like the time a car drove through the building’s lobby as a publicity stunt.
The documentary can be viewed online from the Secretary of State’s web site at www.capitol.tnsos.net. There are plans to add other online resources to the site, including a virtual tour of the Capitol, as well as features and fun stories about the building’s history.