Exhibits and Events at the Customs House Museum in Clarksville, Tennessee

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Patrons enjoy a wide variety of exhibits

On Exhibit

Please Note: The Museum will be closed January 1, 2009.

Coming Soon: Fort Defiance Interpretive Center. Click here for details.

Call for Entries: Share Your Photographs and Stories of the 1999 Tornado

On Friday morning, January 22, 1999, Clarksville was struck by a tornado that churned through town, destroying businesses, homes and churches. In recognition of the storm’s 10-year anniversary, the Museum will open an exhibit in Heritage Hall of photographs, brief stories and objects illustrating the disaster and recovery. We invite you to help us tell the story of how the tornado affected us all. We will be collecting photographs and stories from now through December 12. Original photographs will be scanned by the Museum staff and returned to the owner. If you have a small tornado-damaged object you’d like to loan for the exhibit, please let us know. Submission forms for the tornado anniversary exhibit can be picked up at the Museum’s front desk or downloaded here. Contact Curator Amy Andersen at (931) 648-5780 for more information or to submit your stories and photographs. Deadline for entries is January 6, 2009.

The Monsters of the Interstate - Peg Harvill Gallery, Heritage Hall - Through January 2009 - Carl Wilson was returning from a business trip in Louisville, KY when he saw the sign on I-65 for “Dinosaur World” at Cave City. He decided to drop in (still in a business suit) and spent an hour shooting digital photographs. That trip led to two more, and the result is a fun and educational romp with some familiar reptiles.

Carl Wilson was born in Russellville, KY and moved to Clarksville at age 9. He is graduate of Clarksville High School and an Air Force veteran. After completing his military service, Wilson earned an accounting degree from Austin Peay State University. For 35 years, he was employed at Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation, from which he retired on October 15, 2008.

Brain Teasers 2 - Kimbrough Gallery - Through Jan. 4, 2009 - Gain new appreciation for your brain and what it can do with Brain Teasers 2, a nationally traveling exhibit, which offers 20 challenges for puzzle enthusiasts of all ages. The exhibit is designed to sharpen problem-solving skills and provide plenty of fun. Brain twisters include unraveling mathematical conundrums, separating linked objects and then reassembling them, arranging geometric shapes to form new ones, and much more. To solve these puzzles, visitors must use creative thinking and problem solving strategies such as looking for patterns, thinking ahead, setting aside preconceived ideas, and looking at problems from different perspectives. This brightly colored exhibit appeals to visitors of all ages and encourages parent-child interaction as families team up to solve the brain teasers. Visitors have been known to come back and try again if they don't solve all the puzzles on their first visit!

Brain Teasers 2 is produced and toured by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and is locally sponsored by AT&T.

Old Friends – Orgain and Bruner Galleries – Through Feb. 15 – We all have old friends. They can be people, places or animals we've encountered in our lives. They can make us feel happy or sad, comforted and loved. These 20 watercolor paintings by David Redmond reflect some of his old friends from a chilly winter landscape to a familiar country store or a loyal family pet.

Clarksville native David Redmond was introduced to watercolor painting by his high school art teacher, Dan Hanley. While Redmond pursued a 27-year career as a practicing dentist, he maintained his interest in painting. Dr. Redmond is now a full time clinical instructor at the UT College of Dentistry in Memphis.

"I have been painting quite a bit the last few years and this will be my first major exhibit. I am interested in the effect light has on an object. I've developed a glazing technique with watercolor which results in much deeper and richer colors similar to egg tempera," says Redmond.

The Spirit of Light – Crouch Gallery – Through Feb. 15 – Friends of Photography members were asked to look for subject matter that could be interpreted metaphorically and/or literally. “What does the Spirit of Light mean to you as a photographer and how will you choose to symbolize that in an image?” It proved to be quite a challenge for many. The end result is a collection of 61 unexpected, eclectic, creative, and powerful images.

Lucy Dunwody Boehm Porcelain Collection - DeWald Gallery, Heritage Hall - Come see one of the Southeast's largest collections of these fantastic porcelains now installed in a new permanent gallery.

Model Trains - Our volunteer engineers "ride the rails" every Sunday afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The “Snowflake Special” and other model trains will run on from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31 (regular admission will be charged).

Volunteer Positions Available

The Customs House Museum has openings for adult volunteers. Please contact us if you would like to give tours, run model trains, help prepare newsletters for mailing, or serve as a receptionist. For more information, please call Sue Lewis at (931) 648-5780.

Special Events

“Let’s Find” – Something New for Pre-Schoolers

Children 2 – 5 years old and their grown-ups are invited to join Ms. Sue the first Thursday of every month to explore the museum from a child’s perspective. In each “Let’s Find” session, we will look for one or two objects in the museum’s exhibits, read a story, and make a craft. This one-hour activity begins at 10:30 a.m. For details and contact information, please see our tours page

Family Day, January 24 - “Collectors’ Event” 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Children and adults are invited to display their collections. See Sue’s collection of medical marvels: photographs of gall bladder surgery, dental x-rays, and brain MRIs. Call Sue Lewis at (931) 648-5780 by January 21, 2009, to reserve a table. Free admission all day.

Family Day Events are appropriate for all ages. Children under age 14 must be accompanied by an adult. The activities, including admission to the Museum and parking, are free to everyone. For more information call Sue Lewis at (931) 648-5780, ext. 28.