Boones Creek Historical Trust is distributing a history packet to every history teacher in the Johnson City and Washington County school systems.
The packet contains the recently released documentary movie entitled, Voices Of Boones Creek. The 30-minute documentary covers 265 years of Boones Creek history told by the descendants of the early families.
Boones Creek was Tennessee’s first community and there is a rich supply of oral tradition that has been handed down through the families. The film was made possible by an Arts Build Communities grant provided by the Tennessee Arts Commission and by Shell, Miller, Sebastian Advertizing. The film was co-produced by Vicki Shell and Anabelle Spears, both of Boones Creek.
Vanessa Pugh, Educational Liaison for BCHT, designed a teacher worksheet that follows the sequential order of the movie for the packet.
“As a retired teacher,” said Vanessa, “I know the significance of delving into unexplored areas of the past to utterly understand the present. And believe me, these early stories will help our students appreciate and understand where we live. The future reward is that those students become involved citizens because they care about this place.”
Voices of Boones Creek was about 8 months in the making and is underscored with a sound track produced by local musicians and vocalist Sarah Beth Lovell.
“What an absolute pleasure to produce this project. Gathering up our oral treasures and images and knowing the next generation will hear the stories is extremely rewarding. Boones Creek stories are Tennessee’s first stories and I find them riveting and poignant,” said Vicki Shell.
“It has been a goal of ours for more than a decade,” added Lilly Hensley, BCHT President. “We have collected information for years and this is really a mission accomplished.”
The Boones Creek Historical Trust and the Boones Creek Opry are located at 632 Hales Chapel Road, Gray, TN. The 1842 Keefauver home has been re-purposed into a small museum. Voices of Boones Creek documentary may be viewed in the museum theatre. The hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. School groups are welcome by appointment.
In addition to a museum, the Boones Creek Opry has live music each Saturday. The Opry begins at 6 p.m. and open mic starts at 7 p.m. If your child would like to learn a musical instrument contact the BCHT RandyCarrier School of Music at 423.461.0151.
