The "Tusculum's Trunk" exhibit now on display at the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library showcases memorabilia from the Tusculum College archives. At left is a trunk full of items, including a copy of the first Tusculum yearbook from 1917. At top right is a collection of hat styles through the years, and at bottom right is a Coca-Cola clock redecorated in the 1950s by residents of Rankin Hall to show their school spirit. (Tusculum College photos)

Memories fill 'Tusculum's Trunk' at President Andrew Johnson Museum And Library

Like the discovery of an old family chest in the corner of the attic, the "Tusculum's Trunk" exhibit at the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library reveals unexpected treasures from the rich history of Tennessee's oldest college.

"Every community, every family has a place that holds its collective memory - its archives," says text panel welcoming visitors to the exhibit at the museum on the Tusculum campus. "For some it is a museum, for others it is a scrapbook or trunk. This exhibit gives a glimpse at the archives that reflect the rich and varied history of the Tusculum College community."

"Tusculum's Trunk" was created as a way to allow the public to see some of the items contained in the college's voluminous archive, said George Collins, director of Museum Program and Studies at Tusculum, adding that items in the exhibit will be changed periodically.

Treasures in the current exhibit vary from a book of lectures on human nature by Tusculum founder the Rev. Samuel W. Doak, printed in the 1840s, to a Coca-Cola clock repainted by residents of Rankin Hall in the 1950s to show their school spirit. Tusculum hat styles through the years, an artistic expression of one alumnus' love for his alma mater, and a Craig Hall painted paddle used more then 50 years ago during "Rat Week" - an initiation week for freshmen - are also found.

Of course, there is also a trunk, and this one is in itself historic, having belonged to the family of Andrew Johnson. Inside the trunk, one discovers a copy of the first Tusculum yearbook from 1917, a 1901 alumni catalog, photos of the 1915 Tusculum baseball and football teams, a Tusculum belt buckle from the 1940s, a 1960s pennant, a photo of the Doak House circa 1890s, and a copy of the biography of Landon Haynes, who taught at his alma mater for more than 60 years.

An integral part of the life at Tusculum College, the Civic Arts, is the subject of a display in the foyer of the museum. This display traces the integration of an emphasis on citizenship and into the curriculum from Tusculum's beginnings through today. Information about the Andrew Johnson Museum, the Old College building that houses it, and the Doak House Museum are also displayed in the foyer.

The "Shadow of Lincoln" special exhibit of items relating to the 16th president from the collection of the museum remains on display as well. This exhibit was on display last spring along with the traveling exhibit "The Legacy of Lincoln in Tennessee," which was developed by the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate and the Tennessee Humanities Council.

The President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and is closed on college holidays.