Get ready for spring and learn about local agricultural history at the first ever Heirloom Seed and Story Exchange at the Pioneer Village of the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum (ALLM). The event will take place March 26, 2022, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on the Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) main campus.
During this inaugural event, participants can exchange seeds along with recipes and home remedies made from those plants. The information and seeds collected by the ALLM, the LMU-College of Veterinary Medicine (LMU-CVM) and the LMU-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU_DCOM)will help to preserve and interpret the area’s agricultural heritage.
“We’ve had quite a bit of success in terms of broadening our programs the past few years,” said Michael Lynch, director of the ALLM. “This is another good opportunity to engage the community with something new.”
A large collection of seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds will be available to trade during the event as well.
LMU is celebrating the 125th anniversary of LMU’s charter and founding this year. LMU was founded on February 12, 1897, and there is a year of events planned in honor of its quasquicentennial. The theme, “Four Seasons to New Seasons,” highlights the University’s humble beginnings on the grounds of the then-defunct Four Seasons Hotel. In 1896, Reverend A.A. Myers, who was running the Harrow Academy, invited Civil War General Oliver Otis Howard to speak at the school’s graduation ceremony. During the visit, Myers shared his vision for an institution of higher education on the site of the Four Seasons. Howard recalled a conversation he had with President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, where Lincoln expressed a wish to repay the Appalachian people for their loyalty. Howard agreed to assist Myers by building a school that would serve as a living memorial to Lincoln while providing educational opportunities for underserved populations. LMU was founded on the anniversary of Lincoln’s birth in 1897, nestled in the Cumberland Gap at the site of the Four Seasons Hotel.
“With the addition of the Pioneer Village to the museum, we are now better equipped to tell the story of not just the nation’s Civil War, but the local area’s Civil War, too,” said Program Coordinator Natalie Sweet. “Interpreting the agricultural history of Claiborne, Bell and Lee Counties is essential to that narrative.”
For event information on Facebook, visit: https://facebook.com/events/647922256284680. A full calendar of events can be found online. For more information on this and other events at the ALLM, contact Sweet at Natalie.sweet@LMUnet.edu.
The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum’s recent multimillion dollar renovation continues its excellence as an award-winning museum, which includes the Past President’s Award from the Tennessee Association of Museums in 2019 and multiple Awards of Excellence from 2019-2021. The museum is available for tours to the public, schools, and special interest groups. Interested parties can reserve a tour by calling 423.869.6235.
Lincoln Memorial University is a values-based learning community dedicated to providing educational experiences in the liberal arts and professional studies. The main campus is in Harrogate, Tennessee. For more information about the undergraduate and graduate programs available at LMU, contact the Office of Admissions at 423.869.6280 or email at admissions@LMUnet.edu.
