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Junior Curators

Each week on the Junior Curators blog, we travel back in time to a different place in Tennessee history. Stories may be about a famous person, place or event from Tennessee’s past. They will include things like priceless artifacts, pictures, videos, and even some games. Be sure to better understand the story by answering the questions at the end of each post.

After learning the story, be sure to share what you've learned with your parents, family, or friends. Try making your own exhibit about it, shooting a movie, or writing a story about it. Let your creativity run wild!

Category: Prehistoric Tennessee

4-13-21

Edmontosaurus: A Tennessee Dinosaur

by Jennifer Watts Did dinosaurs live in Tennessee? The answer is yes! Most people think of dinosaurs as living in western states like Montana and Wyoming. The truth is dinosaur bones have been found all over the world. And Tennessee is on the list. “Monty” the Edmontosaurus statue, Frank H. McClung Museum The first dinosaur bones found in Tennessee were actually discovered twice. One day in the University of Tennessee’s paleontology collection, five dinosaur fossils w... Read More
Posted by Katie Yenna at 4-13-21
Prehistoric Tennessee

4-6-21

First Peoples of Tennessee: How did they hunt?

by Katie Yenna Thousands of years before members of the historic tribes lived in Tennessee, their ancient ancestors lived here. They were strong people who lived through the Ice Age, the extinction of their main food source, and the encroachment of foreign settlers. They also did not have a written language, so what they left behind tells us a story of how they lived, worked, and celebrated their culture. Today, you are going to read about one important part of their life, hunting. The Pale... Read More
Posted by Katie Yenna at 4-6-21
Innovations Prehistoric Tennessee

9-25-20

Digging History: Archaeology Month in Tennessee

by Lauren Grizzard Have you ever wondered how we learn about the past? How do we know about the people living before there was a written language? One of the ways we learn about the past is through archaeology. Since September is Archaeology Month in Tennessee, we thought we’d let one of Tennessee’s State Archaeologists explain not only what it is, but how it impacts our history and daily life: Now that you know a little more about archaeology, are you ready to piece together ... Read More
Posted by Katie Yenna at 9-25-20
Prehistoric Tennessee

9-22-20

Interview with an Archaeologist

by Matthew Gailani Hello Junior Curators! My name is Matthew and it’s September, which means archaeology month in Tennessee! This week we are going to learn all about archaeology and some of the oldest artifacts in our collection. But what is archaeology? What do archaeologists do? Why should we care about archaeology? To answer these questions and more we’ve brought in an expert to interview. Her name is Debbie Shaw and she is not only a curator at the Tennessee State Museum, bu... Read More
Posted by Katie Yenna at 9-22-20
Prehistoric Tennessee

6-11-20

Mississippian Matching Game

by Grace Allen Between 1000 and 500 years ago there were Mississippian Indian cities and villages all over Tennessee. Mississippian communities had skilled artists that made pottery and other goods. We have some great examples of this at the Tennessee State Museum. Check out this memory game using images of Mississippian artifacts in our collection.  To play, click to flip over the cards and see the images from our collection. When you flip over two of the same image, the pair will tur... Read More
Posted by Katie Yenna at 6-11-20
Prehistoric Tennessee

6-9-20

A Tale of Two Red Pandas

by Morgan Byrn Have you ever stopped by the red panda exhibit at the Nashville Zoo? Visitors light up in delight as they watch Dr. Lily and Rowan climb, play, and nap in their exhibit. Today, you can usually find their homes in the treetops of Nepal, China, and Burma. They are about the size of a house cat and are herbivores. Now you might be thinking I wish they lived in Tennessee! They did long ago! How do I know? I’ll tell you and it all starts with a road. In 2000, the state was i... Read More
Posted by Katie Yenna at 6-9-20
Prehistoric Tennessee

5-15-20

First Peoples Quiz

by Lauren Grizzard Native Americans were the first people to live in Tennessee before it was even a state! We have learned a lot about Native Americans and their culture through archaeology (are-kee-all-o-gee). That means to carefully dig artifacts out of the ground to study. The four time periods in the quiz today are prehistoric. Prehistoric is a fancy way to say there wasn’t a written language. Since we don’t have writing to study to know about early Native American culture, w... Read More
Posted by Katie Yenna at 5-15-20
Prehistoric Tennessee

4-27-20

How Museums Tell Great Stories

by Jeff Sellers Do you like Show and Tell at school? When I was a kid, it was my favorite part of the school day. The teacher let you bring in something from home. When it was your turn, you could lift up your toy or doll and tell your classmates about it.  In a way, this is what museums do. They hold very special objects called artifacts. Artifacts are objects used by people a long time ago. Artifacts tell stories about a person, a place, or events. A curator is the person in charge o... Read More
Posted by Joseph Pagetta at 4-27-20
Prehistoric Tennessee

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