HISTORY, ARTS, AND CULTURE INTERSECT AT THE CORNER OF SECOND & COMMERCE
As I write Director’s comments for this issue of our quarterly magazine, the event to which I refer below is still two months in the future. By the time you read this in print, the event will be upon us…Saturday, June 14 in the Customs House Museum’s Turner Auditorium.
A once-in-a-lifetime special musical tribute, Rockin’ Clarksville: Local Music Legends of the 60s and 70s will showcase musicians from that era who played their hearts out in local clubs and dance venues. Beginning 60 years ago, around 1963, Clarksville’s “Rock Music” scene was evolving very rapidly, and by the mid-70s hit an apex that, in my opinion, has yet to be equaled.
Let me share with you the backstory of how this event unfolded and my perspective on why this is important to chronicle such a unique period of our community history. 1964 was the year that began a cultural seismic shift known as the “British Invasion.” The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits, The Animals, and numerous other invading bands began touring the U.S. The influence on American teenagers, boys and girls, was tumultuous. Most boys copied the cool mop-top haircuts and witnessed thousands of teenage girls screaming for their favorite music idols. Many imagined becoming the next big “Rock Star”...including yours truly.
Neighborhoods across America had more than one band blasting away in carports, garages, and basements, and local music stores couldn’t keep guitars, amps, drums, and keyboards in stock.
Those aspiring rockers, who stuck with it and honed their playing and vocal skills, became accomplished musicians by the time they graduated. What developed locally in addition to the talent pool were the numerous venues where bands could showcase their talent. Clarksville boasted many locations where bands performed regularly. Places such as Sugar Daddy’s, My Mother’s Place, Camelot, the Holland House, the Palms, 1141 Club, the Pink Poodle (where Jimi Hendrix played), and several more provided live music entertainment for young adults.
Fast-forward 60 years, the clubs are gone as are many of the players…but that music lives on. There are still musicians from these decades who continue to perform. We are proud to showcase their amazing talent on June 14, here at the museum for Rockin’ Clarksville: Local Music Legends of the 60s and 70s.
Enjoy this issue of Second & Commerce!
CUSTOMS HOUSE MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Larry Richardson, Chair
Dan Black, Vice-Chair
Darwin Eldridge, Treasurer
Jane Olson, Secretary
Amelia Magette
Armi Rhodes
Brendalyn Player
Jody Isaacs
John Halliburton
Nick Nicholson
Tracy Knight
Marydith Young*
Joe Creek*
Deanna McLaughlin*
Carolyn Ferrell*
*denotes ex-officio
Frank Lott EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
Learn about museum exhibits, programs, and more at customshousemuseum.org.
Narrative Moments: Photography from the Collection THROUGH JULY 13
Embracing Blackness: Diasporic Unions THROUGH JULY 27
Asia Mathis: Magnolia THROUGH JULY 20
Taking the Stage: Clarksville’s Amanda Leigh THROUGH JULY 23
Within the Abstract: Works by the Contemporary Collective THROUGH JULY 29
Women in Sports THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14
Riches of the Land: Agriculture 1850 to 1950 THROUGH OCTOBER 19
Art of James Threalkill AUGUST 6 – OCTOBER 26
TACA Award Winner Marty McConnaughey AUGUST 1 – NOVEMBER 2
A Dream Deferred: Hanley, Redmond, & Lott AUGUST 1 – OCTOBER 19
Clarksville Sounds: A Musical Exhibition from the Collection
JULY 26 – JANUARY 2, 2026
Arline Mann: The Forever House AUGUST 7 - OCTOBER 26
IN THIS ISSUE
4 / Embracing Blackness
Founder and curator, Karlota Contreras-Koterbay and co-curator Carlton Wilkinson, discuss Embracing Blackness: Diasporic Unions, a traveling exhibition that features regional and local Black artists.
8 / Voices of Impact: Tiffany Perkins
Tiffany Perkins, Founder of Black Clarksville, shares the inspiration behind the organization’s beginnings as well as plans for Juneteenth 2025.
A Haven of Rest
The 20th c. Ladies’ Rest Rooms of the Montgomery County Courthouse offered a space for not only women who visited downtown but were also used in surprising situations.
The First Woman’s Bank & the Right to Vote
The ratification of the 19th amendment depended on Tennessee, and many women pushed for both financial independence and and the right to vote.
Clarkitecture
A journey through Clarksville’s architectural heritage reveals the fascinating styles and the spooky, educational, and captivating stories associated with our city’s ironic structures.
A Dream Deferred
Beloved Clarksville artist and architect Dan Hanley’s painting is the 2025 Flying High Signature Piece. The upcoming three-man show between Hanley, Redmond, and Lott is more than an exhibition—it’s a promise kept.
The Contest Begins with “Pull!”
Located at Cross Creek Clays, the Museum Marksman Challenge inaugural competition celebrated the sport of clay shooting, and you can join the challenge in 2025.
At the Table with Diane Welker
After the sudden passing of chef and local TV personality Diane Welker, a longtime neighbor honors her life and recipes.
Whispers of the Wind Pam Austin
Acrylic on canvas, 48" x 60"
The Contemporary Collective is an established group of Nashville area abstract artists who have been working together since 2012. Within the Abstract: Works by the Contemporary Collective exhibition is at the Customs House Museum through July 29, 2025.
Welcoming American. Omari Booker.
Unknown Woman in Clarksville. Anonymous, ca. 1910 . Courtesy of the Customs House Museum Collections.
Gulf Pump Relic. Frank Lott, 1980.
Bright white reflections against fresh earthen tones, sunlight moves effortlessly over each plane of skin, steel blue-tinted shadows lurk above dark grey lines of elbows and kneecaps.
Ivory eyes circumspect, dark cavernous pupils open an abyss of curiosity; untold realities of unmet desires; yet, a navigational point of focus on visionary places of tomorrow.
Gleaming teeth reveal a fiery red glow of gums and inner flesh; glowing embers below deep purple lip crevices.
Burnt umber extended fingers over dark sienna palms, traced with mahogany lifelines, glassy nail surfaces, translucent grapefruit pink
over fleshy white fingertips, a universe of black resonates in a visual void of eternal space, salty sweat beads mimic distant twinkling starlight, gentle transitions of color and hue beckon a new world, to explore.
Black skin, only betrayed by jet black hair filaments, witness to gentle transitions, the richness of all colors and the starkness of black, a playful exchange between smooth to textured surfaces.
The color of Majesty mirrors our unconscious lives, one color knowing all colors, regal origins of ages past; an earthen view of life, only to be viewed as the outsider in the new being's age of denial.
-Carlton Wilkinson
Karlota I. Contreras-Koterbay and Carlton Wilkinson are cocurators of Embracing Blackness: Diasporic Unions, one part of the statewide and ever-changing traveling exhibition, Crafting Blackness. This is a condensed interview between Shana Thornton of Second & Commerce and co-curators, ContrerasKoterbay and Wilkinson.
Embracing Blackness: Diasporic Unions is a multimedia exhibition with a focus on Black craft. Contreras-Koterbay explained, “Our definition of craft is broader. [Historically] It has defined some of the hierarchical boundaries that are derogatory or discriminatory. For us, we are celebrating the handmade, the work of artists who are identifying as a Black artist. This is a celebration of the Black creative, their ideas, and the stories. These artworks are visualizations of these narratives in the form of woven textiles, ceramic sculptures, wooden carvings, but we’re also not limiting ourselves on the traditional craft materials, but we are honoring the craft techniques and skills, the manipulation of media, and the creation of work through the hands.”
BIPOC art historian and curator Contreras-Koterbay started a research project in 2022 focusing on the 100-year history of Black craft artists in Tennessee 1920-2022. “I was fortunate to be selected by the Tennessee craft committee,” Contreras-Koterbay said of how she became the primary researcher on this project, which was originally limited to a database, survey essay, and three exhibitions in west, middle, and east TN to be completed in one year.
“When we were doing the research from 2022-2023, it was such an unprecedented project, that we felt like it doesn’t do justice to just do that short time and only those locations,” ContrerasKoterbay said. “We’re going to miss so many people to have access, so we decided we’re going to expand it for four more years. The survey essay has been expanded because we wanted self-representation, so I told them that we will be inviting coauthors and co-curators who are Black scholars. Then, we have the curatorial fellowships, and Carlton is one of the first to be
invited to be in the fellowship. They are African American artists from different parts of the state, and some might identify as LGBTQIA+, demographics within the Black community. There is always a Black co-curator for every show.”
Artist and co-curator Carlton Wilkinson followed up with his own experience of becoming involved in the exhibitions. “This will be the fourth exhibition that I’m involved with personally as an artist,” Wilkinson said. “But it’s the first time that I’ll be involved as a co-curator. I can’t tell you the growth I’ve experienced just from embracing the topic. I am just besieged with articles and ideas. The term Black umbrellas so many of these interracial unions. There’s growing acknowledgement just as we had in our last election with Kamala Harris, of Indian and Jamaican descent, being under the umbrella of a Black woman, so I was inspired by that. I really want to continue the discussion of what Blackness is. Unions are celebrating the coming together of all these identities.
“There is an ongoing identity that associates itself with being Black or Blackness,” Wilkinson continued. “We’re just putting some clarity on it. There’s still an ongoing discussion of what being Black is, and we’re just trying to discuss it through this exhibition. It’s more of a celebration than a controversy.”
Contreras-Koterbay explained, “The Crafting Blackness Initiative really looks at identity as a construction. These are self-identifying labels that we respect. For example, the time in American history of having the 1% drop of African blood and you’re Black or using race has historically been used to exclude people, but in the Crafting Blackness Initiative we’re trying to reclaim that Blackness as an inclusive concept, rather than an exclusive worry. We realize the importance of the military in the integration of multiculturalism. Hopefully, there will come a time when we won’t exclude people based on skin color or countries of origin. We’re really trying to celebrate this unified American identity.”
“Let’s just start with me,” Wilkinson said in reference to the multiculturalism that each area of the state offers for the exhibitions. “I’m part Ethiopian. I’m part English, Irish, Cherokee, and West African. I have one great-grandfather and one greatgreat-grandfather who were Southern White men who are represented on both sides of my family tree. We are under the description of African American and that’s appropriate, but I choose not to ignore all the variations. As families are coming together by choice, not by force, to become a union. There’s a new discussion of who are we.”
Both Contreras-Koterbay and Wilkinson agreed that an important part of the project is being in solidarity with the Black community. Making this a collaborative project emphasizes one of the core values. The logistics of reaching out to new locations and interacting with the curatorial community in those areas allows them to put their heads together to provide more access and information to people in the respective communities where the exhibitions take place.
“We wanted this to be as inclusive and participatory as possible,” Contreras-Koterbay said. “We wanted Black scholars as coauthors and collaborators. I really wanted to be guided in the right direction because we endeavor to open up this project to the grassroots of the Black community. That’s why it was
so important to have a traveling show because you have the major museums and major cities. Tennessee is such a big state with so many rural counties and towns that are always neglected or forgotten or not given enough access to these amazing projects. With what’s happening in this country, we really need to expose our citizens to each other.
“It comes from me being a migrant to Appalachia because Appalachians are one of the most stereotyped and misunderstood groups in the country,” Contreras-Koterbay said. “That it’s White, rural, uneducated folks. We do have Black Appalachians, Latino Appalachians, and the Melungeon, which are Black, White, and Native American lineage. There is diversity if we just open our eyes and accept the reality of things rather than erasing those histories.”
Wilkinson’s poem “Black Skin” represents his multiculturalism and the physics of Blackness. “It acknowledges our various backgrounds under the description of ‘Blackness.’ Black or White, a lot of people don’t know their background or history,” Wilkinson said.
“In this exhibition, we have the Visages of America through the lens of Blackness. This is one of Carlton’s main projects in this exhibition,” Contreras-Koterbay said. “We will have a wall of photographs. Painting, photography, and printmaking are historically part of Tennessee Craft
fairs and their exhibitions, so there are gradients in that category within the history of TN crafts. When we started researching for our database, we opened to that. Photography is very crucial to show the literal image of those people who are multiculturally Black. Through those photographs, it is important to show the Blackness through the eyes of these Black photographers.”
The exhibition will include two galleries that feature paintings, sculpture, mixed media, installations, and even violins. While both galleries focus on dynamic visualizations of Blackness, one gallery features women artists in exploration of Black sisterhood. Many women carry the traditions of craft through lineages, having been inspired and taught by aunts, great-aunts, greatuncles, and great-grandparents.
Covering a century of the history of craft making by African Americans in the state of Tennessee, the research product includes a compendium: Quilted Narratives: Black Bodies Making Form with an image-rich database of Black TN artists, a collection bibliography with artists’ statements or Q&A/video narratives, culminating into a series of exhibitions with public engagements focusing on Black TN Craft Artists and craft-making in TN. Each exhibition is curated to highlight the craft artists of that area within the statewide show. “These are narratives of their lives formed into art and craft,” Contreras-Koterbay said.
Wilkinson continued, “Education brings joy, love, and acceptance. Ft. Campbell has so many multicultural couples and families.” Wilkinson wants to be sure that people are seeing themselves represented in art and in life.
“We are all Americans. We are all humans,” Contreras-Koterbay said. “These are narratives of resilience, and we hope
that we can use art to develop critical thinking, dialogue, and solidarity with a more unified community by having these celebratory activities. We can be happier and kinder.”
Embracing Blackness: Diasporic Unions is on exhibition at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center through July 27 with a panel and performances taking place from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. on July 10.
BY SHANA THORNTON
Featured artists: Ludie Amos, Alice Aida Ayers, Seyi Babalola, Olasubomi Aka-Bashorun, Marteja Bailey, Omari Booker, LeXander Bryant, Jane Buis, Landry Butler, Bill Capshaw, Gail Clemons, Tina Curry, Samuel Dunson, Kimberly Dummons, William Edmondson, Amanda Ewing, Jason Flack, Cynthia Gadsden, Earline Green, Bessie Harvey, Alicia Henry, Barbara Hodges, Leroy Hodges, Alexis Jones, Henry Jones, Ted Jones, Gediyon Kifle, Wilson Lee, Rod MaGaha, Hattie Marshall-Duncan, Tobertha + Wokie Massaquoi-Wicks, Aundra McCoy, Armon Means, Lester Merriweather, LaKesha Moore, Andrew Morrison, Elisheba Mrozik, Michael Mucker, Althea Murphy-Price, Sammie Nicely, Xander Payne, Greg Ridley, Christine Roth, Deneen Coleman Ruff, Ashley Seay, Thandiwe Shiphrah, Lorenzo Swinton, Betty Turner, Maya Turner, Gary White, Ramona Wiggins, Carlton Wilkinson, Donna Woodley, Kevin Wurm with Jairo Prado. The traveling statewide exhibitions are presented by Crafting Blackness Initiative and Tennessee Craft with support from the Tennessee Arts Commission, ETSU Slocumb Galleries, Knoxville Museum of Art, Bravissima! Women Sponsoring the Arts, East Tennessee Foundation’s Arts Fund, and SouthArts.
tennesseecraft.org/crafting-blackness/
All artwork courtesy of Embracing Blackness.
Page 4: Untitled Photograph. Rod MaGaha.
Page 6: Yasuke Promenade. Ola Aka-Bashorun.
Page 7: Invitation. Thandiwe Shiphrah.
VOICES OF IMPACT: Tiffany Perkins
Black Clarksville's plans for 2025 Juneteenth include a block party at Dixon Park and an emphasis on Black-owned businesses. The founder of Black Clarksville, Tiffany Perkins, always focuses on supporting and creating space for the Black community. Perkins has led Black Clarksville from its grassroots beginnings during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when they started out hosting small networking and meetup events.
“The mission of Black Clarksville is to uplift, empower, and honor the Black Community in Clarksville, TN, through programs, events, and initiatives that foster unity, pride, and growth. The organization is exclusive to Clarksville and Montgomery County. We are focused on what we are able to do here, who we are able to serve here, not here and Kentucky. Very specifically, here,” Perkins said.
Perkins asked herself what they could really do to celebrate
history and culture that’s very exclusive to Black people, "bringing in the community and getting them to learn more about our culture and community and the people who are here supporting Black businesses." Perkins explained, “We got an incredible turnout [for Juneteenth]. I’m still in disbelief that we’re now in our fifth year, and it’s growing.”
Perkins said that they engaged in conversations with people about the future. After the first Juneteenth, Black Clarksville organized monthly networking mixers with more structure and that were hosted by different Black-owned businesses.
“We were hosting the mixers, and I was choosing places I liked, and people would show up and say, ‘I’ve never heard of this place, and now that I’m here, I definitely didn’t know that it was Blackowned.’ We got really intentional about having a Black-owned business host us in their space, so that they could highlight what
they do, their level of service, and have some direct conversation and interaction with the community and their potential customers,” Perkins said.
Next, Perkins grew the inaugural Black Clarksville week. “You know Black History Month started from Negro History Week, and while we were in our infancy [as an organization] we just really wanted to introduce ourselves to the community and connect, so we did a week’s worth of activities from community service to business expos, markets, networking mixers, and the gamut of events. It was awesome,” Perkins said. “That’s transitioned a bit. In addition to that, we hosted Black history expos where we partnered with so many Black organizations here, from the Buffalo Soldiers to Mt. Olive to Greek organizations—to bring that history out has been exciting.”
Black Clarksville went on to host the BLK Xcellence Brunch, which will become the BLK Xcellence Banquet in 2025. Four honorees are awarded after being chosen by a committee each year. They’re often unsung heroes in the community. Black Clarksville also presents Black-owned businesses with awards annually at this event. August is Black Business Month, and they plan to continue to host the event during that time.
The organization has also become civically engaged and did a lot of voter registration and voter education, as part of a coalition.
“Through collaboration with our voter alliance, we’ve fed poll workers. We’ve fed people in line waiting to vote. We really wanted to push civic engagement and people being active in their community,” Perkins said. “When the tornado hit [in 2023], we hosted a community Christmas dinner and fed over 100 families. We had presents, essential needs, and it was really cool to give back to the community. It was completely free of charge. People had lost their homes and to be able to do a Christmas dinner together—we had all the good stuff—chicken, turkey, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese, all of it—to be able to have a nice community meal in the midst of a tragedy was great.”
Perkins also emphasized the organization’s next steps. This year’s Juneteenth event will take place at Dixon Park. “With the Black history there, I’m truly hoping it becomes our forever home,” Perkins said. “It’s a perfect location. The park has just been renovated. It’s really family friendly.”
Dixon Park was once home to Nace and Nannie Dixon. Nace served as the second Black alderman in Montgomery County, and the couple was influential in the Black community of Clarksville's East End. Perkins is focused on bringing back the heart of the Juneteenth event. “We really want to commune with the people we live by,” Perkins said. She envisions “literally, blocks long of people talking, hanging out, playing cards, listening to music, sharing food,” Perkins said. “Last year, we did a lot of crowd participation, and we want to do more—everything from dances to ‘finish the lyrics’ and card games. We’ve got the basketball court out there, so a basketball shoot out. The park lends itself to so many things that are culturally relevant, so to have access to play basketball and different games, we’re really excited about that part of it.”
Perkins paid tribute to the businesses that are celebrating their fifth year with the Juneteenth Block Party. “A lot of businesses don’t make it to five years, so we really want to make sure we’re doing a good job of highlighting and spotlighting businesses,” Perkins said. “Don’t forget about your local businesses and vendors. We hope to really create an experience where people want to stay out there for the entirety of the event. There’s plenty of space to set up shop, hang out, and really have a good day.”
The Juneteenth Block Party is family-friendly with a variety of great vendors, food trucks, activities, and games. Black Clarksville is the only organization to host a block party in Clarksville.
“We’re going above and beyond this year,” Perkins said. “As people move here who have Black-owned businesses, I want them to know that they can find a home with Black Clarksville. If they need support, we’re here. If they have any issues, we’re here to guide them in the right direction." Black Clarksville hosts a private Facebook group and a monthly newsletter.
The Friday before the Block Party, June 20, Miss Clarksville Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant will take place in the Clement Auditorium at Austin Peay State University. This is the inaugural year for the pageant, which is open to young women ages 10 to 27. Black Clarksville will give scholarships to the top winners in the Miss and Teen divisions. These young women will be crowned Friday, the 20th, and will present at the Block Party. The Juneteenth Block Party takes place from 12-6 p.m. on Saturday, June 21 at Dixon Park.
For more information about tickets to Miss Clarksville Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant, updates on the Juneteenth Block Party, and/or to become involved in any aspect of the organization, contact Tiffany Perkins via email: Hi@BlkClarksville.com
“We’ll find a space for you,” Perkins said. “We’re open. We definitely want to help and really want to grow.”
BY SHANA THORNTON
blkclarksville.com
Photo by Paj
In 1929, a five-year-old boy was hit by a car while attempting to cross Second Street in downtown Clarksville. Miraculously, he had the presence of mind to grab the car’s fender, which prevented him from being thrown under the wheels; he was not injured except for bruising. The woman driving the car, however, fainted from the horror of having accidentally struck a child. A bystander took her to the ladies’ restroom at the Montgomery County Courthouse where she recuperated. She was not revived in a spare toilet stall—the ladies’ restroom at the courthouse was a well-cared for space that we would probably refer to today as a lounge. Throughout the twentieth century, similar restrooms became part of public places before falling out of use.
These spaces varied by location— but were available in courthouses, department stores, theaters, and some restaurants. While related to toilets, they were spaces with multiple uses. They had beds for adults and babies, and were spaces where women could separate themselves from public life while interacting with the public life of downtown in terms of shopping, business, and courthouse matters. In Clarksville, as in other places across the country, women carved out a feminine space for themselves in the, generally masculine, world of downtown. Women used, cared for, and promoted restroom spaces in the courthouse. This claiming of space within downtown is evidenced by the work of the Federation of Women’s Clubs and other women’s groups, the various uses of the restrooms, and the work of African
American women who were employed to care for the spaces.
The incident with the woman who fainted after her car collision demonstrates how these spaces were used to regroup. In 1939, for example, a young woman was found unconscious and seriously ill in the ladies’ restroom and was taken to the hospital. It is likely that she made her way there when she was feeling poorly while out and about. Also in the 1930s, a local grocer, M. Sanders, was found in great pain lying on the floor in the courthouse. His friends rushed him to the ladies’ restroom, a space they would normally never enter. Sanders died in the restroom, after suffering what was later deemed a cerebral hemorrhage. It is unlikely that this male visitor to the ladies’ restroom, and his male companions who conveyed him there, would have received much criticism or pushback given the direness of the situation.
Another story from the Leaf-Chronicle recounts a time a male intruder was less welcome. In 1925, teenager Albert Edwards was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after being caught as a “peeping tom.” The restroom matron, Julia Wheeler, called for the sheriff and a justice of the peace after hearing someone. The two men found Edwards peering through a crevice into the restroom. The reporter for the Leaf-Chronicle reported that the young man was “so intent…upon his alleged sport that he did not see the officer until caught by the collar.” Edwards was charged a $25 fine and had to stay in the county jail, as he was unable to pay.
Far more common than these newsworthy situations, though, were the everyday and intended uses of the ladies’ restroom. Naturally, things were sometimes left behind in these spaces, and several mentions of the restrooms in the LeafChronicle over the years were people trying to reunite themselves with their lost jackets, slippers, or money. The courthouse restrooms were promoted as places where women could have some privacy to rest. It might seem strange today that someone would need a break while shopping, but downtown was not a mall; there was no food court. For people from Montgomery County, getting to downtown Clarksville could be arduous, and combining a full-day excursion with a packed lunch and childcare could be daunting. When the restrooms originally opened in 1914, they were also promoted as a space where women who worked in shops and offices downtown could take their lunch breaks.1
Several uses of this space are never explicitly mentioned in the historical record, but they do not take much imagination to consider. For instance, the relative quiet and privacy of these spaces would have made them more ideal for breastfeeding than most any other downtown spaces. Additionally, caring for menstruation-related hygiene was likely something women appreciated about the space. A designated space for these things made the world of downtown more accessible and entrance to public life more expansive.
The Clarksville women’s clubs were deeply involved in the maintenance of the restrooms. The regular reports of the Clarksville Federation of Women’s Clubs included updates from the Rest Room committee throughout the twentieth century. The women on the committee collected furniture, magazines, linens, and provided fresh flowers for the rooms. They also provided tables, sewing supplies for any necessary on-the-go mending, and children’s books. 2
A few clubwomen were especially active in promoting the care and use of the courthouse restrooms. Prominent Clarksvillian Brenda Runyon, most notable as founder and director of the First Woman’s Bank, was deeply involved in establishing and promoting the restrooms, and her name is frequently visible in archival records in association with their maintenance and promotion. Her 1929 obituary lists her work with the restrooms as among her accomplishments and as a demonstration of her “thought and interest in public welfare,” explaining that
the restrooms have long been “a boon for shoppers from the rural districts and those from Clarksville who found duties of trading and selling combined with the care of children arduous, and in the rest room they found a haven of rest.”3
The restrooms, like toilets and other public spaces in Clarksville, were racially segregated for much of the twentieth century. In the Federated Women’s Club reports from the 1940s, there are mentions of an African American women’s federation working together with the all-White Clarksville Federation to care for their own restroom. By 1950s, the Federation reported that Black women had entirely taken over the care of their restrooms. Unfortunately, very little information about the ladies’ restroom or women’s clubs for African American Clarksvillians exists in the archival or newspaper records. In 1940, a remodel project in the courthouse for the Red Cross office, took space from an old storage room and “a portion of the colored rest room.”4 This clearly shows that county and courthouse officials designated this space less important than other parts of the building if its size was cut as part of a remodel.
Over the course of the 20th century, at least three different African American women were employed by the county to care for the ladies’ restroom space. At times referred to as matrons, maids, or janitress, these women were in constant attendance, although the specific services they rendered are a little unclear. Carrie Garnett was employed when the courthouse restrooms were opened in
1914, and she was described in the LeafChronicle as “competent and reliable,” and as a “matron,” who would “watch the children, nurse the babies, or attend in any other way upon its visitors.” She was described in ways that were both complimentary to her personally and reassuring to potential White restroom patrons: “personally neat in appearance and polite in manner,” and “responsive and attentive to her duties.”5
Julia Wheeler was another woman who served in attendance of the restroom. The exact dates of her employment and whether she took over directly from Garnett or if there was another woman who held the job in between them is unclear. Wheeler popped up in the LeafChronicle several times, including as the matron who called the authorities on the peeping tom. When Wheeler died in 1945, the headline for her obituary was “News of Interest to Colored People,” and highlighted that she “had many friends of both races.” While there is a lot that could be discussed just with those two statements, one thing to note is that she was likely quite well known locally.
The last courthouse restroom matron whose name is on file was Ora Miller. When she died in 1960, the Leaf-Chronicle contained two articles about it. One was a standard obituary, which mentioned her family members, church and club membership, and burial information, along with her job discussion. The obituary referred to her as a “janitress” of the Montgomery County Court House for thirty years. The second article was titled “Courthouse Worker Dies,” and in
Page 11: Unidentified woman from Clarksville who might have been someone who visited the Courthouse Ladies’ Restrooms. Circa 1920. Courtesy of the Customs House Museum’s Collection.
Page 12: First floor of the Montgomery County Courthouse where the Ladies’ Restrooms were located. “Montgomery County Courthouse, First Floor Offices 1963.” Courtesy of the Montgomery County Archives Millennium Collection.
Page 13: Clarksville photographer Nora Witzel (left) and unidentified women. Circa 1915. Again these were women who might have used the courthouse restrooms at the time. Courtesy of the Customs House Museum’s Witzel Collection.
this one, Miller was defined by her job. This matters because she was seen as a fixture in the community. Instead of referring to her as a maid, matron, or “janitress,” the writer of this article said that she was a member of the maintenance staff for over thirty years and her “particular responsibility was the care for the two rest rooms for the women of the county,” and that her “services were available to all women and children who needed what her facilities had to offer.” The unnamed reporter recounted a story of how in thirty years her absences from work could be counted on one hand, and when she was ill shortly before her death the bus driver stopped specifically at her door because he could not believe she would not be going to work that morning. The article ends by saying that “within the limitations of the facilities provided by her to the county, she added to the comfort and convenience of all her patrons. The service that she gave was marked by devotion to duty; a job well done; and affection for her employers and the public she served.”6
The story of these women who worked at the courthouse restrooms is complicated. The descriptions we have of them are likely all written by White people, and while they are often complimentary, they are sometimes patronizing and certainly do not tell the full story. The relationship between the county and the Clarksville Federation of Women’s Clubs is a bit complicated too; the county hired these women to care for the spaces, yet the Federation managed every other aspect of the restrooms. Federation documents never mention these women by name. Sometimes, when something is part of everyday life, people forget to record details about it for the future. The ladies’ restrooms at the courthouse leave many questions unanswered. Given the private nature of the space, there are not photos that capture it in use. Stories of old friends running into each other or new friends being made in these spaces do not make the newspaper. Segregation and staffing both inspire many more questions than answers. What was the restroom for African American ladies like? What were the decisions that Black clubwomen made to care for that space? Did the women employed by the county to care for the restrooms think it was a good job? How did restroom patrons treat them? What were the daily routines of the job? It is possible that there are still folks in Clarksville who remember the courthouse restrooms or the people who cared for them. These memories might answer some lasting questions.
In 1966, a woman named Sadie Horner wrote a letter to the editor that appeared in the Leaf-Chronicle. She wrote that she was a frequent visitor to Clarksville and that the restrooms were “a disgrace to dogs,” and that her “hog pens are in better shape.”7 Even though she claimed she did not mean the letter to be too critical, she suggested that “some civic groups might take the rest rooms as a project and do something about that filthy broken-down furniture.” She specifically asked what happened to “the lady who used to look after them,” likely referring to Ora Miller who had passed away. It is probable that the county never hired a restroom matron after Miller.
Private spaces within the public world of downtown eventually fell out of use. Changes in gender relations, business models, and public space led to their decreased use and maintenance, but for a while women thought these spaces were necessary and created a Clarksville that was more welcoming.
If you have memories of the courthouse rest rooms or the women who worked there, we'd love to hear your stories. Please contact liabraatenc@apsu.edu to share your recollections.
References:
1 Formal Opening of the Rest Room, June 23, 1914.
2 Formal Opening of the Rest Room, TSLA Women’s Club Documents.
3 Club and Business Leader Dies, Feb 4, 1929.
4 “Red Cross Office Being Remodeled,” Jun 12, 1940.
5 “Formal Opening of the Rest Room” June 23, 1914.
6 “Courthouse Worker Dies,” Monday, June 6, 1960.
7 Letters to the Editor, August 11, 1966.
All newspaper articles mentioned are from the Leaf-Chronicle. Archival records about the Clarksville Federation of Women’s Clubs can be found at the Montgomery County Archives and the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
Dr. Cate LiaBraaten is an Assistant Professor of History at Austin Peay State University whose scholarly interests include world's fairs, the Great Depression, the history of play and playspaces, as well as women's history, especially the temperance and suffrage movements. With a PhD from Loyola University Chicago, she also is a practicing public historian.
cateliabraaten.com
The first bank owned and operated by women in the United States opened for business and welcomed deposits right here in Clarksville on October 6, 1919.
The First Woman's Bank of Tennessee gave women the ability to make financial decisions, when women did not even have the right to vote yet.
A friend and businessman challenged Brenda Vineyard Runyon to open a bank. As the only woman to serve on the school board, she was no stranger to women’s rights advocacy. She accepted the venture to begin not only a woman-owned bank, but one employed entirely by women as well—local legend maintains that it was the first in the world to be led by women. Runyon’s leadership can be witnessed throughout the community, as she had already chaired the Red Cross during World War I and served as president of the Clarksville Federation of Women’s Clubs.1
Making money with banking was uncommon for most women when Runyon opened the bank. Without the right to vote, women were often prohibited and blocked from financial decisions.
The National Association of Colored Women pushed for the women's vote in Clarksville and surrounding Montgomery County, according to Eleanor Williams’s research. The National Women’s History Museum confirms, “In the 1880s, black reformers began organizing their own groups. In 1896, they founded the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), which became the largest federation of local black women’s clubs.” Interestingly, the first president of NACW was Mary Eliza Church Terrell, a Tennessean born in 1863 in Memphis; she was also an active suffragist and one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which formed in 1909 after the NACW.5
By opening a woman’s bank in 1919, Runyon represented the future for Clarksville women and was instrumental in encouraging women to become leaders in many aspects of community life. Runyon resigned as president of First Woman's Bank of Tennessee in 1926, due to health concerns. Without a successor, The First Trust and Savings Bank of Clarksville took over the woman’s bank in 1926, and it has since been merged with two other banks.7
According to Eleanor Williams, the lateMontgomery County Historian, Runyon influenced the women of Montgomery County to join with her in these business and leadership endeavors: “Mrs. Wm Bailey Winn, Mrs. J. L Northington, Mrs. J. E. Elder and Mrs. Dancey Fort” were the other investors in the bank with Mrs. Matt Lyle as cashier. After a Clarksville banker told Runyon that banking was off limits to women, “Runyon and Lyle spent months secretly traveling to Hopkinsville three times a week to learn the banking business from a bank resident in Hopkinsville.”2
The First Woman’s Bank of Tennessee was inside the Arlington Hotel in downtown Clarksville across from the Montgomery County Courthouse (an Arlington Hotel marker is located there now). The hotel was owned by another prominent Clarksville woman, Lulu Bringhurst Epperson, who made the first deposit at the woman’s bank when it opened.3 On opening day, the bank collected $20,000 before 2 p.m. To put this in context, $20,000 in 1919 is equivalent to approximately $369,700 in 2025.4 To express their thankfulness to depositors, the bank gave the women a dahlia for making a deposit and the men a cigar.
By 1917, over fifty White women had joined the Montgomery County Local Suffrage League. Constance Rudolph, a local suffragist, was a schoolteacher. As an educator, Rudolph’s connection to young women could have encouraged her to join the suffrage movement, as the limitations were not only concerning the right to vote, but also the right to own property and serve in public and political offices, depending on the state’s laws. By August 1919, the Leaf Chronicle printed a notice that women must register to vote, and according to Williams, “this registration would entitle them to vote in Presidential and municipal elections within two years providing they did not change residence.” Williams's research goes on to declare: “During the first two days of registration, only two women, African American, aged 51 and 55, registered to vote.”
Tennessee was the deciding vote, as the 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1920.6 Williams describes the day, “[I]t was hot and sultry in Nashville. The Tennessee capitol and the Hermitage Hotel were filled with women whose long white dresses sported either yellow or red roses to signify their stand on suffrage. Yellow for ratification; red opposed.” Once women had the vote, Lulu Bringhurst Epperson who made that first deposit in the women’s bank also organized the First Democratic Women’s Club.
To imagine a society in which women cannot make financial investments or decisions is impossible for today’s young women. According to “Women and banking: 50 years of progress,” beginning in 2021, the U.S. Federal Reserve “announced it would begin including women-owned financial institutions under the umbrella of minority depository institutions (MDIs).” As of May 2024, “only 18 women-owned banks are listed as MDIs by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.”8 Over 100 years later, Brenda Runyon and the women of Clarksville who started the Women’s Bank are still ahead of the standards.
BY SHANA THORNTON
References:
1 John L. Butler. Historic Clarksville 1784-2004 (Clarksville, TN, 2004).
2 Williams, Eleanor. "Montgomery County Women's History." Arts & Heritage Development Council. (accessed 15 April, 2025).
4 CPI Inflation Calculator. (https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/ inflation/) (accessed 15 April, 2025).
5 Lange, Allison, PhD. “National Association of Colored Women.” National Women’s History Museum. (https://www. womenshistory.org) (accessed 3 March, 2025).
6 Coe, Alexis and Genualdo, Alessandra. “Women, Money, and Power: A Historical Timeline,” The Helm. (https://thehelm.co) (accessed 27 February, 2025).
7 Binniker, Margaret D. “First Woman’s Bank.” Tennessee Encyclopedia. (https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net) (accessed 28 February, 2025).
8 Bennett, Karen. “Women and banking: 50 Years of progress.” Bankrate. (https://www.bankrate.com) (accessed 3 March, 2025).
Images:
Page 14, far left: German actress Hedwig Reicher wearing costume of "Columbia" with other suffrage pageant participants standing in background in front of the Treasury Building, March 3, Washington, D.C. Washington D.C, 1913. [March 3] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/97510759/.
Page 14, bottom right: Brenda Runyon. Clarksville, TN. Photograph. Courtesy of the Customs House Museum Collections.
The architecture of a city, for better or worse, often defines how a city has materialized over time. The shape and structure of a city’s dwellings and businesses reveal how it has evolved as well as how it has stayed the same. While stories of the supernatural, such as that of “Lucy” pacing the widow’s walk at the SmithTrahern Mansion, or the literal “ghost” towers of the historic United Methodist Church, can captivate the imagination, the structures themselves provide a foundation, presentation, and purpose in reality. Architecture impacts how a city is perceived by those who visit and by those who live there. It can become an iconic representation of a particular place. The Empire State Building, the Sears Tower, the Ryman Auditorium, and Clarksville’s own Customs House Museum, to name a few, all share in common their unmistakable association and identity with their respective cities. The business conducted in these buildings will often change over time, but the image, the architecture, the symbols—remain. The longer a structure stays alive, the more likely it can become a cornerstone of a city and the community. The world of architecture is vast, and it is worth mentioning that there can be a lot of overlap and even confusion as to the many categories and sub-categories of American architecture. To become well acquainted with all the intricate details of the different architectural forms can take years, and so for the sake of this article, the styles themselves may be generalized, but the discussion and display are no less fascinating.1
Architecture can showcase the history of a town. For example, Italianate architecture was fashionable in the mid-19th century in America but had its origins in Italy in the 16th century. It is
identifiable by narrow windows often with ornate rounded arches on the top, symmetrical low-pitched roofs, and decorative adornments, among other features. Predominately built in the 1800s, you can find the Italianate style throughout downtown Clarksville. On Madison Street, several houses, including the Cumberland Bank & Trust, have these distinctive, almost luxurious details. In addition to Madison Street, houses on Greenwood, Franklin, and Main Street all display examples of this architectural style. Due to its high visibility on the heavily trafficked College Street at Austin Peay, Archwood, also known as the Samuel Rexinger House, is one of the most recognizable Italianate-inspired Clarksville structures.
Greek Revival architecture, which gives a nod to the temples of ancient Greece, is another form found in several historic Clarksville buildings, such as Emerald Hill, also located on the Austin Peay campus. Popularized in the early to mid-1800s, it is noticeable by rows of grand columns, low-pitched gables, and symmetrical facades. The McReynolds-Nave & Larson Funeral home on Madison Street would be considered Greek/Classical Revival. Classical differs from Greek revival in that it has a wider scope of design components, drawing not only from ancient Greece but ancient Rome as well. The Federal building, formerly the Clarksville Post Office (currently The Mailroom restaurant) also has features of Classical Revival architecture. Combinations of styles certainly occur as in the Smith-Trahern Mansion which demonstrates Greek Revival coupled with Italianate influences.
Gothic Revival is a form of architecture that literally and figuratively stands out, with eye-catching ornate designs such
as the beautiful piercing church spires that dot the Clarksville skyline. Gothic Revival can be a glimpse into the medieval. These rather haunting yet gorgeous features serve a dual purpose; for example, statuesque gargoyles can be seen on many European Gothic structures and were placed there not only to ward off evil spirits but also act as a gutter system to disperse rain. Clarksville architects, however, opted to forgo the macabre gargoyle for something less grotesque, such as the smooth cherub faces called “caryatids” that peer out from the top of the Romanesque Knights of the Pythias Lodge, currently E & J’s 3D Printing shop. The architect of the Customs House Museum, William Aiken, also forwent gargoyles, choosing instead to place copper eagles atop the structure to keep watch over the city. Upon closer inspection, the eagle is grasping a shield that contains thirteen stars and stripes, as per the original U.S. flag and thirteen colonies. The eagle represents a guardian figure and symbol of the federal government. Several churches, such as First Presbyterian on Main Street, St. Peter’s African Methodist and Trinity Episcopal on Franklin Street, as well as United Methodist on Madison Street, all have Gothic architectural features.
Other notable historic structures in Clarksville include the Poston building on Public Square. Built in 1842, it is the oldest structure used for business purposes in Clarksville, falling into the category of Federal Style. The Montgomery County Courthouse, with its rising square brick towers on all corners, its large square clock with a weathervane in the shape of an eagle on top, and its two statuesque female figures with a sword on one side and the
Stories Behind the Structures
Just as an architecture’s exterior deals in literal facades, the structures themselves are facades for the fascinating and very human lives and stories that lived and breathed within those walls. Perhaps one of Clarksville’s most well-known stories or folklore behind a structure is that of the Smith-Trahern Mansion. Likely built around 1858, it housed one of Clarksville’s founding tobacconists, Christopher Smith. As the tale goes, Smith sailed down the Mississippi to New Orleans via the Cumberland River, which his mansion overlooks, to conduct business. As cruel fate would have it, he contracted yellow fever while in New Orleans and died. To add insult to injury, the steamship, the David White, that his body reportedly was sent home on, exploded in the Mississippi River en route to Clarksville, killing many and vanquishing any remnant of the body of Christopher Smith. Thus, while Smith’s fate seemingly was resigned to the Mississippi River, his wife Lucy is said to haunt the Clarksville mansion to this day. It may be romantic to imagine Lucy longingly pacing the widow’s walk—a popular structure in the 1800s as a literal balcony that wives would walk on as they awaited the return of their sea-faring husbands—but the reality may have been quite different. For one thing, in Lucy’s lifetime, there was not a widow’s walk on the mansion, but rather an octagonal observatory. The Trahern family added the widow’s walk in 1947, well after Lucy’s death. Secondly, after Christopher’s death, in addition to leaving behind two daughters, recent research has shown that Christopher also left behind sizable debts, which Lucy would
subtly, written in her will that her daughters would “be free from the debts, contracts and liabilities of their husbands, with power and authority to control or dispose of said property (the SmithTrahern mansion) in any manner they see proper as fully as if they were single or unmarried.” Indeed, truth is often more fascinating than fiction. 2
In as much as Lucy exists as a ghost in a mystical sense, the very real “ghost” towers of the United Methodist Church on Madison Street have a devastating, profound, and yet ultimately resilient story. These “ghost” tower structures were built as an homage to the towers that preceded them, which were destroyed in the 1999 tornado that pummeled many Clarksville institutions in the downtown, devastating it to rubble in places. The new towers are sleek, transparent, and steadfast in their presence, symbolizing the death of a terrible moment in Clarksville history and the eternal life resiliency of spirit within the community of Clarksville.
Another historical anecdote behind a structure is that of Emerald Hill or “Eagles Nest.” Built in 1830, it sits on a hill overlooking the Cumberland River and currently acts as the Alumni Center for Austin Peay State University. This stately mansion was the home of Marion McClure and prior to that, Gustavus Adolphus Henry. Gustavus was a Confederate senator and General in the Civil War. His popularity amongst the Confederacy was so significant that “Fort Henry” and the Civil War “Battle of Fort Henry” are named
University, which was the predecessor of Rhodes College prior to its move to Memphis. Austin Peay purchased Archwood in 1965, and it currently houses the president of Austin Peay.
downtown Clarksville and Austin Peay State University, along with surrounding areas, exhibit a diverse and eclectic mixture of houses, buildings, churches, and stores, not to mention bridges which are the blend of architecture and civil engineering. The stewardship involved regarding the conservation of some of the oldest structures in Clarksville, e.g. the Customs House, Archwood, Emerald Hill, and the Smith-Trahern Mansion, is commendable and should not be under-appreciated. It takes passion, effort, diligence, and forethought to successfully maintain these time capsules of history. Architecture creates texture in a city. Whether it is smooth, sleek, robust, ancient, modern, wooden, metal, brick, etc., these textures make up the city and community for its residents. Architecture is built to satisfy a need for space—a space to talk, create, live, perform, work, worship, sell, buy, represent, and more. What the future holds for Clarksville architecture is anyone’s guess, but if the past and present are any indication, it will surely be a sight to behold.
References:
1 To view the architectural styles of Clarksville, visit the Architecture exhibition in Explorers Landing at the Customs House Museum. The exploratory books, “Building Homes” and “Building Stories,” share details about significant structures in Clarksville. Both books are available in Explorers Landing.
2 The author would like to thank Roxanne Jenkins, Historian at Fort Defiance, for her research on Smith-Trahern Mansion.
Andrew Ross is a contributing writer for Second & Commerce magazine and Events Associate for the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center. He is a teacher, private tutor, and musician. He currently lives just outside of Clarksville, TN, with his wife, dog, and cat.
All architecture photos by Summer Lucio
Pages 16-17: "Residence of Dr. F.J. Runyon Clarksville, Tenn. 224 Union Street. Frank J. Runyon M.D. and Brenda Vineyard Runyon lived at the address in the early 1900s.” Photograph. Courtesy of the Customs House Museum’s Collection. The home originally belonged to Louis Garth Wood, a tobacconist, and Huldah Warfield Wood. They are the parents of Mabel Wood Cheek, who married Leslie Cheek in the 224 Union Street home and later built Cheekwood in Nashville. After Louis Wood died, Huldah sold the home to Dr. and Mrs. Runyon. The house was eventually razed.
Page 19: Smith-Trahern Mansion interior second floor. Photograph, 2024.
Page 20, bottom left: United Methodist Church with Ghost Towers. Photograph, 2025.
Page 20, top right: Customs House Museum & Cultural Center Eagle. Photograph, 2025.
Page 21, top right: Archwood on APSU’s campus. Photograph, 2025.
Page 21, bottom right: First Presbyterian Church. Photograph, 2025.
Page 21, bottom left: Caryatid on the Knights of the Pythias Lodge. Photograph, 2025.
A Dream Deferred by
Cindy Podurgal
Chambers
The upcoming three-man show is more than just an exhibition. It’s a promise kept.
Artists Frank Lott, Dan Hanley, and David Redmond shared a medium, a region, and a decades-long friendship. They also shared a promise: Together, they would exhibit a joint retrospective of their art at the Customs House Museum.
Just the three of them, side-by-side. Some day.
But time slipped away, and so did the chance to gather for that special occasion. Dan Hanley passed away in Clarksville on May 17, 2021. David Redmond died in his adopted hometown of Memphis on January 9, 2025. Both left behind loving families and an artistic legacy that will live long into the future.
Their friend and fellow watercolorist, Frank Lott, Executive Director of the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center, mourned the loss of his friends—but never forgot their shared dream. On August 1, 2025, he will fulfill that promise with the opening of a three-man show, A Dream Deferred.
“Dan, David, and I had many conversations about a joint exhibition,” Lott says. “But we were all busy, and just never got
to the point where we could spend the time to fulfill that dream. I want people to appreciate, not just the talent level, but the comradeship and mutual admiration we shared,” he says. “We just loved each other’s artwork.”
Over the years, the trio of artists crossed paths often. Dan Hanley was an art teacher at Clarksville High School, and David Redmond was his prized pupil, when Lott first began running into them at art competitions back in the 70s. “I wasn’t even living in Clarksville then,” Lott recalls, “so our awareness of each other goes back half a century.” Their mutual respect grew, despite competing in juried contests. And it was a short leap from admiration to friendship.
As the years passed, family and professional responsibilities took each man in a different direction. Hanley, a Clarksville native, put his singular mark on the community as a respected architectural designer. After graduating from Austin Peay with a double major in art and business, he worked as an art teacher before becoming Executive VP of Fox Ridge Homes, and husband to Jodie, father to Kerri, and grandfather to Aubrie Grace. Redmond graduated from
CHS and entered Austin Peay State University as an art student but graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. With a natural aptitude for detailed hands-on work, Redmond launched a 26year career in dentistry, marrying the former Dawn Hackman, and becoming a proud father to sons Dustin and Nicholas and daughter Brittany. Lott graduated from Murray State University in 1973, founded BLF Marketing with Jeff Bibb in 1978, and married Patti Marquess six years later. A dedicated patron of the arts, Lott was named Executive Director of the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center in November of 2019.
All three men continued to pursue art as a passion, rather than a profession—but the caliber of their work continued to grow, in part because of the knowledge they freely shared with each other. All have been featured in exhibitions at the Customs House Museum, and each has had work chosen as the Signature Art for Clarksville’s premier annual gala, Flying High.
Although Hanley, Redmond, and Lott shared a love of watercolor—a notoriously challenging medium to master—their visual interpretations varied significantly, and all found inspiration and instruction in each other’s art.
For Lott, that includes Hanley’s “splatter work.” The difficult technique results in the glittering snow, gleaming raindrops, and sparkling dew that brought Hanley’s watercolors to life. “He was a master of controlled splatter,” Lott says admiringly. Redmond, he says, possessed an enviable talent for manipulating light and shadow, creating a striking juxtaposition between his photorealistic subjects and their ethereal, luminescent backgrounds.
But their artwork, as well as Lott’s, always stayed true to the subject matter, with few metaphorical interpretations and little need for deep analysis. It’s a quality Lott calls WYSIWYG: “What You See Is What You Get.”
What you see—and get—in Lott’s work is “an appreciation for the beauty of almost everything,” according to his wife Patti. “He’s passionate about his talent and has nurtured it for a long time.” In fact, she says, when the pair were classmates at Christian County High School, Frank was voted “Most Talented Boy” in his 1969 senior class.
After 40 years of married life, Patti remains amazed at her husband’s determination to make every painting the best it can possibly be. “He’s constantly struck with new ideas, and he’ll keep at it till he feels it’s just right.” Lott draws inspiration from a vast collection of photographs he’s snapped—including more than 500 photos of skies and clouds—which allow him to study the subtle variations of light at different hours and across the seasons.
Patti remarks that the couple’s first joint public appearance was at the grand opening of the Customs House Museum in June of ‘84. She remembers Frank presciently telling her that day, “This is something I want to be involved in for a long time.” Putting his art talent, knowledge of history, and background in marketing and advertising to good use, “he really has stayed involved from the opening right up to now,” she says.
As for the upcoming joint exhibition, Patti adds that the three artists were “kindred spirits” who had talked about the show for
years. “I’m so glad that Frank contacted the other artists’ wives, and they’ve decided this is something they wanted to pursue. It should be a wonderful exhibit.”
One of those wives, Jodie Hanley, describes her late husband Dan as a “deep thinker” whose inner thoughts and experiences were reflected in his artwork. “He had a great love for Clarksville, and for its history. I think art was just another form of communication for him,” she says.
Looking at his work today, his wife of 48 years feels more than just pride. “I find it uplifting,” Jodie says. “It’s a glimpse into his soul. I really do feel like he’s alive on the canvas.” She laments that Dan didn’t have as much time to create art as he would have liked. “Like everyone else, he assumed he would do more after retirement, but that time never really came.”
She says he left the world some wonderful pieces of art that “hopefully will be enjoyed by many,” along with some thoughtprovoking essays and writings. But Dan’s greatest goal, she insists, “was to be an outstanding father and grandfather—and he certainly achieved that.” She feels her late husband would be humbled by the retrospective show, and especially by having his work displayed alongside that of Lott and Redmond. “He just adored them,” she says.
Dawn Redmond’s loss is still fresh, and she’s thankful to be surrounded and consoled by his art after 46 years of marriage.
“When I look at his work today,” she says, “I remember he was at his happiest when he was painting.”
Dawn recalls that David didn’t have much time to paint when the kids were growing up and he was building his dental practice. In fact, she says, he didn’t really return to it until the late 1990s. But when he did, his process was thoughtful and layered. “He always did a lot of thinking about his paintings before he started. Then there would be sketches. And then he would get out his watercolors and paper and start in,” Dawn says. He preferred to do his work in the kitchen, on the center island, right in the heart of the household.
David frequently asked for—and received—Dawn’s unvarnished opinion. “Oh, I was his worst critic,” Dawn says with a laugh. “I think he would listen to me about half the time.” And rightfully so, she says: “His work was done in layers of washes, so at first, I might not even know what it was supposed to be, and I wouldn’t like it. He’d always patiently remind me, ‘I think you’ll see it in the end.’ And I would. And by the time he’d finish, I’d love it.” His favorite artistic subject was architecture, and he was captivated by light reflecting off buildings. Of all his works, though, Dawn’s favorites are the portraits of their many pets. “He did three paintings of our lab mix, Jackson. I feel like he painted them just for me.”
She credits Dan Hanley for sparking his love of art, and for keeping up with David’s progress over the years. After high school, the pair got together quite frequently; in fact, David worked with Dan in design and construction, and was even employed as a framer in the shop the Hanleys owned, before going off to dental school.
Dawn Redmond wants others to remember her late husband as a “very empathetic man … someone who appreciated the natural beauty of the world.” Although she plans to attend the exhibition, she expects it to be “bittersweet.”
“It was something David really wanted to be a part of—and he was preparing work for it, even before Dan became ill.” After Dan’s passing, she says, Frank reached out to share his condolences on the loss of their friend and to remind him about the planned retrospective. “Even when David became sick,” Dawn says, “the exhibition gave him a reason to keep moving forward.”
A Dream Deferred will be on display at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center August 1 through October 19, 2025. The joint retrospective will showcase the three artists’ unwavering dedication to the pursuit of painting, while highlighting each man’s creative evolution over the course of five decades. The exhibition will culminate with a special presentation during this year’s Flying High gala, where the late Dan Hanley will be honored as the 2025 Signature Artist.
With an average of 50 new exhibitions on display at the Customs House Museum each year, it’s hard for Frank Lott to feel attached to all of them. But this one’s different.
It’s personal. And more importantly, it’s a promise kept.
Cindy Podurgal Chambers has been writing professionally since she was a teenager. A former section editor of The Fort Campbell Courier, she was a humor columnist for the European edition of The Stars and Stripes, creative director of a local ad firm, communications coordinator for Clarksville Academy, and PR director/full-time faculty member at Bethel University. Now semiretired, she enjoys freelance-writing for a variety of publications. Images:
Page 22: Spring Day at the Lake. Frank Lott, 1983.
Page 23: Colonial Door. Frank Lott, 1978.
Page 24, top left: Reflection on Flying High. David Redmond, 2009.
Page 24, bottom right: New England. David Redmond, 2022.
Page 25, top right: Finishing Touches. Dan Hanley, 2003.
Page 25, bottom right: Morning Watch. Dan Hanley, 2006.
Legends Bank Provides a Gift that Kps on Giving
In 2006, Legends Bank purchased Flying High’s Signature Art, Morning Watch by Dan Hanley, for $24,000. At the time, it was the highest amount ever paid for Flying High art in Customs House Museum history. For nearly 20 years, the bank has proudly displayed Morning Watch at its downtown Clarksville office.
In honor of the museum’s upcoming exhibit, A Dream Deferred, and to commemorate the late Dan Hanley’s enduring impact on our community, Legends Bank has offered this painting to be displayed in the Hanley, Redmond, and Lott art exhibition before being put up for auction—again— this time, as Flying High’s 2025 Signature Art.
The Customs House Museum Board of Trustees and Museum Guild greatly appreciate the community spirit of Legends Bank, and its title sponsorship of both the exhibition and of Flying High 2025. The museum will retain all proceeds from the auction sale of the Hanley artwork and credit it toward total funds raised from Flying High 2025.
Dan Hanley, who gave so much to Clarksville, would be justifiably proud.
By Larry Richardson
Watch for announcements for the next Marksman Challenge to be held at Cross Creek Clays on September 12, 2025 or contact Channing grimes at channing@customshousemuseum.org to participate.
Shotgun in hand, you step up to the front of the station, load two cartridges, and point forward toward a small open field in the bordering woods. “Pull” is the shooter’s command. Your guide, the “trapper,” presses a control connected to the mechanical arm off to one side, sending a clay disc flying. You trigger the shotgun, and the clay “bird” turns to powder if hit, or if not, it floats to a soft landing with no score registered. That, in essence, is how the game of Sporting Clays is played.
When I was a youngster in rural Kentucky, there was a small group of shooters who met on weekends and fired their shotguns at flying clay targets to hone their “shooting eye.” They would occasionally make small wagers on who could hit the most targets. I didn’t have a shotgun, so I watched in admiration as the best shooters rarely missed. I wanted to be that good of a shot. Years later when I worked for Ducks Unlimited, I took up the shooting challenge, specifically, sporting clays.
Non-hunting shooting sports have existed since the stone and leather sling. Games of skill utilizing various instruments that hurl projectiles toward targets promoted skill and accuracy. No doubt, ancient warriors practiced their deadly skill of throwing spears or launching arrows toward targets before battle. This evolved into leisure games that awarded a prize to the best competitor. Perhaps best remembered is the mythical outlaw Robin Hood, who split the arrow of an opponent, and Prince John begrudgingly awarded him the prize.
Shooting a shotgun requires practice, just like firing a rifle. But, firing a cartridge filled with small, round pellets is often less accurate than a single rifled bullet. Practicing with live birds, usually pigeons, slowly evolved to shooting circular clay discs mechanically thrown. So, the sport of skeet and trap resulted into a leisure game of shooting flying targets from standardized distances and angles.
Sporting clays, on the other hand, is designed to simulate field shotgun shooting, much like hunting for waterfowl and upland game. Wingshooting practiced in the off-season or year-round
improves shooting skills and habits, including firearms safety. Sporting clays is a game for men and women, and some high schools even sponsor team competition.
Sporting clays is the closest thing to actual field shooting of all shotgun sports. It’s often compared to golf because the shooters are moving to different stations throughout the course. Some locations have as many as 10 to15 or more shooting stations. Typically, squads of two to six people are on a course as they move from station to station. No two courses are the same as the topography, length of the trail, and the speed or trajectory of the trap are set to challenge shooters. One round of competition is usually 100 clay targets.
The Customs House Museum and Cultural Center sponsored the inaugural Marksman Challenge in a popular sporting clays contest last October at nearby Cross Creek Clays, just outside of Palmyra, Tennessee. This “fun shoot,” where points are not counted for national competition, drew thirteen four-shooter teams for a day of light competition underwritten by Travis Electrical Service of Clarksville.
Cross Creek Clays is privately owned by retired Army Special Operations veteran, Joe Calabrace. There are three different courses that accommodate novice to advanced talent, along with single game stations, all geared toward improving shooting proficiency. Rental equipment is available, as are lessons on how to improve your shooting and sporting clays skills. Get your team together and join us on Sept. 12, 2025.
cumberlandriverartist.com
Larry Richardson’s home is in the Cumberland River city of Clarksville, where he is Chairman of the Board of the Customs House Museum. He earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s in biology from APSU and has worked in parks and wildlife conservation, retiring from Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Besides being an avid outdoorsman, he is a landscape artist and at times a writer.
Diane’s weekly column started showing up in newspapers all across middle/west Tennessee.
Diane was more than Clarksville’s official foodie. From 1999 to 2004, she hosted a daily radio program called “Women on Weekdays” during which she interviewed local women leaders and influencers. She was an active supporter of the Montgomery County Unit of the American Cancer Society, the Clarksville Walk for Cystic Fibrosis,
regular basis. Eventually, the ladies-only brunch outgrew restaurant tables cobbled together and migrated to people’s homes. The group called themselves the “Bishes Who Brunch.” Food was always involved when interacting with Diane. These brunches were lavish affairs, with everyone bringing their best dishes and perfect drink pairings. Diane seemed to enjoy being the “mother” of the group, a source of candid and comedic wisdom to the younger women. Diane’s gregarious and charming personality was a perfect fit for the role.
After a brief battle with an unexpected illness, Diane passed away in August of 2023. Although Diane occasionally mentioned that she was working on a cookbook, the family shared that they have yet to find it. However, she had left a cookbook in the form of her articles— it just needed to be compiled. As an amateur genealogist, neighbor, fan, and friend, I set out to collect all her articles into a cookbook. In addition to discovering wonderful recipes, I also learned a lot about Diane.
As early as 1998, Diane authored an article entitled “Around the Table.” In 1999, she hosted a cooking segment on a TV show produced by the local paper. In 2004 and 2005, Diane hosted a weekly stand-alone show, “When Diane is in the Kitchen” which aired five days a week on a local channel. If food was at a local event, so was Diane. She judged local cooking contests, provided cooking lessons at the Customs House Museum, and performed cooking demonstrations. Between 2005 and 2017, she wrote “At the Table,” a weekly column in the Leaf Chronicle. Reflecting the consolidation of local media outlets during the mid-2010s,
clear that food was a vehicle to build, maintain, and celebrate relationships. It’s all there in the title—“At the Table.” At the table, friends and family gather to eat, drink, share, laugh, cry, and experience the best of life.
The compilation of Diane Welker’s “At the Table” articles is available at the Montgomery County Archives. The compilation was created by Blayne Clements.
Blayne Clements is a long time Clarksville resident and parttime freelance genealogist. Blayne has spent almost fifteen years researching his family tree, volunteered with the Mount Olive Historical Preservation Society researching the history of those interred at the cemetery, and recently started doing genealogy freelance work.
blaynesfamilyreasearch@gmail.com @Blayne's Family Research
All photos courtesy of At The Table Facebook page (Accessed April 15, 2025).
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