This story originally appeared in the Spring 2022 print edition of the Tennessee State Museum Quarterly Newsletter.

Stickball Sticks and Ball by Jimmy Harlan and Michael Crowe, 2021

The Museum recently commissioned Eastern Band of the Cherokee artisan and woodcarver, Jimmy Harlan, to create a pair of stickball sticks for the collection. Michael Crowe, also a member of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, created the ball. Stickball has long been an important part of the social and cultural heritage of Southeastern Indians. First Peoples have been documented playing stickball in the Tennessee region for over 300 years. Often referred to as The Little Brother of War, the game is a precursor to lacrosse. Stickball can be physically intense and somewhat violent. Games have been played for social or ceremonial engagements, or even as a way to settle disputes. Spectators can watch a ball game at festivals or the Annual Cherokee Indian Fair in nearby Cherokee, NC. These artifacts are currently on display in our exhibition Painting the Smokies.

Stickball Sticks and Ball by Jimmy Harlan and Michael Crowe, 2021 (2022.2.1, 2022.2.2, 2022.5.4)

Paintings of World War I Nurses by Gilbert Gaul, 1917 to 1919

The Museum is pleased to have recently acquired these two impressionist World War I-era oil on canvas paintings by Gilbert Gaul (American, 1855-1919). Both scenes depict American Red Cross nurses on the battlefield carrying a wounded soldier on a stretcher. Regular army hospital units were not ready for service when the U.S. entered the war in April 1917, so the Red Cross stepped in to fulfill medical needs. Six Red Cross Army base hospital units, including women, were ordered to France to aid allied troops. The Red Cross Nursing Service recruited and supplied nurses for the Army Nurse Corps (ANC). By the end of the war, the ANC grew from 400 to 21,000 women, half of whom had traveled to France.

Paintings of World War I Nurses by Gilbert Gaul, 1917 to 1919 (2022.13)

Albumen Print by F.B. McCrary, 1886 to 1887

This recently donated albumen print was made by the McCrary Gallery at its 130 Gay Street location in Knoxville during the 1880s. The studio was named after its owner F.B. McCrary, who was a well-known East Tennessee photographer at the time. For a period, he partnered with the Knoxville artist Lloyd Branson and helped run the McCrary and Branson Gallery, also located at 130 Gay Street. The two worked together and operated this gallery from at least the 1870s to 1904, when they split and McCrary became sole proprietor of the firm’s Atlanta house. The absence of Branson’s name on the ornate backing of this print suggests it is from McCrary’s brief independent period in Knoxville when the two temporarily dissolved their partnership in 1886 and 1887.

Albumen Print by F.B. McCrary, 1886 to 1887 (2022.6.4.2)

Desk, Chest of Drawers, and Rocking Chair, 1890 to 1909

The Museum recently received a donation of a group of furniture once belonging to Benjamin Lawton Wiggins, the fifth Vice Chancellor of Sewanee, University of the South. Wiggins married Clara Quintard, the daughter of Sewanee’s first Vice Chancellor, Rt. Rev. Bishop C.T. Quintard. Beginning as professor of ancient languages in 1880, Wiggins was elected as fifth vice chancellor in 1893. During his tenure, Wiggins was a champion for conservative lumbering to protect the forests surrounding the university. His advocacy and collaboration with figures like President Theodore Roosevelt positioned Sewanee to become a leader in forest management. Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Q. Wiggins III.

Rocking Chair and Chest of Drawers, 1890 to 1909 (2022.7.1-3)

Nashville Soccer Club Jersey, 2020-2021 Signed by Walker Zimmerman

The Museum recently received a generous donation of an authentic Nashville Soccer Club jersey signed by player Walker Zimmerman. He joined the club in 2020 as a defender and quickly became part of the team’s history by scoring Nashville SC’s first goal ever in Major League Soccer (MLS) on February 29, 2020. He also received the award for MLS Defender of the Year in 2020 and 2021. In addition to his MLS career, Zimmerman has made numerous appearances for the United States Men’s National Team. This includes captaining the team during a 3-0 World Cup Qualifying victory over Honduras. Nashville SC is now playing in its third season in MLS, and its new stadium, Geodis Park, opened earlier this year.

Nashville Soccer Club Jersey, 2020-2021 Signed by Walker Zimmerman (2021.56)