Home of American Pickers

Home of American Pickers

The American Pickers show has always been a favorite in our household, a show my husband and I could both agree upon, where American history comes alive as two middle-aged men forage through garages and barns to rediscover America’s past through discarded items. Last year, I visited one of their American Archaeology stores in Nashville…

A Sweet Tribute

A Sweet Tribute

I have always been fascinated by how the use of physical structures within a community evolves over time, allowing a place to find new purpose and engagement with its residents. When those buildings become historic, the connection between the past and the present becomes tangible. And sometimes it becomes sweet. The Candy Factory (now known…

The Power of Ta-Da!

The Power of Ta-Da!

I’ve never been a fan of the circus. My last visit was in the fifth grade. After receiving a good report card, I was treated to a day with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum Baily’s Greatest Show on Earth! Gone were the big tents and the weird, sideshow menageries, but the extravagance and festive nature…

Of Myths and Questions

Of Myths and Questions

There is a certain magic created when a successful book is picked up for a blockbuster movie and set in a picture-perfect location where visitors can roam and admire and stand in the footsteps of their literary heroes. To immerse ourselves in something grand that carries a mystique of history or art is irresistible. Plus,…

Empty picture frame

The Artless Frames at Belmont Mansion

Belmont Mansion is a one-hundred-and-seventy-year-old mansion in Nashville, Tennessee. Its salmon-colored, exterior walls and grand interior staircase eloquently mask the fact that this house was built by Adelicia Hayes, the widow of one of the most successful slave traders in American history, who owned approximately seven hundred and fifty slaves over three plantations in Tennessee…