The Jackson Purchase Historical Society will meet at the Discovery Park of America, 830 Everett Blvd., Union City, Tennessee on October 24th. The meeting will begin at 11:00 am. Scott Williams, President and CEO of the Discovery Park, will discuss his recent book, Townmania: Marcus Winchester and the Making of Memphis. Books will be available for purchase and signing. We appreciate the invitation by the Discovery Park to link our meeting with this event.
The Discovery Park is offering free admission to those attending the program to tour the park after the meeting. Those attending should stop at the JPHS table when they enter to get a wristband to avoid confusion.
Marcus Winchester was present during some of Tennessee’s most significant events of the antebellum era, and he counted many of its key figures among his friends. He was captured by the British during the War of 1812, stood beside Andrew Jackson during treaty negotiations with the Chickasaw, championed David Crockett’s congressional campaigns, assisted Frances Wright in building her utopian commune on the Wolf River, and watched as Native Americans were ferried across the Mississippi River on the Trail of Tears. Winchester also befriended James K. Polk and served as John Overton’s “boots on the ground” in Memphis as Overton ensured that
Memphis was not overlooked at the Tennessee State Capitol. Winchester and his family faced relentless attacks because his wife, Amarante Loiselle, was a free woman of color during a time when the debate over slavery was becoming increasingly polarized — and deadly.
Scott Williams, a native Tennessean, has had a career in museums before joining the Discovery Park as president and CEO, including the Newseum, dedicated to the First Amendment, and Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. This is his fourth book, all of which deal with Tennesseans, who made an impact on their times, one of which is a biography of David Crockett.
Discovery Park of America provides a one-of-a-kind, transformational experience first envisioned by Robert and Jenny Kirkland. The location was chosen as a way for them to give back to Union City, their small West Tennessee hometown. When Robert Kirkland held his first public meeting to explore the creation of a museum in Union City, more than 250 members of the community showed up to declare their desire to be part of his mission to create a center of culture and education in West Tennessee. Eventually, more than 350 volunteers contributed more than 20,000 hours to the planning and construction of Discovery Park. The combined efforts of experts, novices and volunteers were fully realized on Nov. 1, 2013 as Robert and Jenny Kirkland cut the red ribbon. Although Robert and Jenny Kirkland have both passed away, their vision has been realized, and since its opening, millions of guests have experienced this 100-million-dollar masterpiece now sitting in what was once a quiet cornfield.