Friday, February 17, 2012
"Travellers Rest" Trip Delights JASNA Members
Middle TN JASNA members took a "field trip" to Travellers Rest, home of early Tennessee settler, John Overton, at their February meeting. In addition to touring the Overton home originally built in 1799, JASNA members enjoyed a "spot" of tea and learned about Regency Era fashion from Tonya Staggs, educational co-ordinator at Travellers Rest.
The detailed house tour, led by Brian Allison, curator of Travellers Rest, informed the group about the role John Overton played in the development of Tennessee, his relationship with Andrew Jackson as well as his interesting personal life (he was a short man married to a much younger woman who was over 6 feet tall!) Many of the furnishings in the house belonged to the Overton family and much was said about hospitality and entertaining that went on in this home in the 1800's.
Following the house tour, JASNA members went to the "barn" where they sipped tea, ate sweet delicacies and listened to Tonya Staggs give a wonderfully illustrated lecture about clothing of the Regency period. Tonya did an especially good job of linking historical happenings such as the French Revolution and Britain's war with France to the changes in clothing that appeared in the early 1800's. She also showed a bonnet which she had made that looked much like ones in fashion plates of this period. JASNA members were glad to hear that workshops about hat and dress making from this era will be offered in the future at Travellers Rest.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
February JASNA Meeting to be Held at Travellers Rest Plantation and Museum
The tour begins at 1:30 pm; cost of admission and tour is $10.00 payable at the gift shop. Parking is in a gravel lot near the gift shop, with overflow parking in the grass nearby.
Members are also encouraged to bring $5.00 for annual local dues as well as a treat to share with the group for high tea. (If you cannot attend the February meeting, please mail your payment to Jo Ann Staples at 57 Revere Park, Nashville, TN 37205. Checks may be made out to JASNA Tennessee.)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
National Endowment for the Humanities Seminar This Summer: "Jane Austen and Her Contemporaries"
In June 2012, the National Endowment for the Humanities will sponsor a seminar, "Jane Austen and Her Contemporaries," at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO. This seminar is one in which sixteen participants will seek significant new insights about Jane Austen by reading her works closely alongside works of now understudied (but well-known) writers of her own day. This program is designed primarily for those who teach American undergraduate students, although qualified independent scholars are also eligible to apply.
The seminar is scheduled from June 18-July 20, 2012; deadline for applications is March 1, 2012.
For more information about the seminar, click on this link.
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