WANTED

Glimpses of the past . . .
Exhibits provide windows into histories
of 'play time' and the College
What do a high-wheeled tricycle, Professor
"Daddy" Haynes’s telescope, a set of New
Testament playing cards, a melodeon, a Town Ball,
and an early amperage meter have in common?
They are all currently on display as part of two
exhibits at the President Andrew Johnson Museum
and Library on campus.
One exhibit, “Time for Play,“ provides a look into
the toys and games of the 19th century and will be
on display through July.
“Glimpses of Tusculum College,“ in another display
area, features items spanning the College’s
211-year history, including some of the oldest
books in the school’s original
library, early scientific
equipment, a 1855 map of
the United States, and numerous
photographs.
Abroadening attitude
regarding children’s
play in the 19 th century is reflected
in the display. Toys
that taught children practical
skills or religious or
moral lessons reflect the
prevalent belief at the beginning
of the 19th century that
while children were to be allowed
to have some time for
amusement, they were to be
industrious and learning,
with little idle time. With the arrival of more immigrants
and the medical community’s encouragement
of physical play for healthy development, ideals of
play as amusement and part of healthy development
began to be more prevalent by the mid-1800s.
Learning is the focus of some of the items in the
exhibit, including a puzzle map of the United States,
a New Testament Game using playing cards, childsized
tools, a wooden Noah’s Ark with animals,
and reproduction samplers used to teach young
girls not only embroidery but also numbers and
31
letters.
Outdoor play is represented in the display by a
high-wheeled tricycle, a hopscotch board, a marble
ring, a kite, and a reproduction Town Ball, the predecessor
to baseball.
The toy display has been made possible with the
support of Berea College, East Tennessee Historical
Society, Mrs. Mary Belle Jenkins, and the Tennessee
State Museum.
The Tusculum College Archives contain almost 7,000
books, more than 900 linear feet of documents, and
over 200 artifacts that tell the story of Tennessee’s oldest
college. “Glimpses of
Tusculum College" provides
a peek into these extensive
archives and will be
on display through the end
of the year.
On display for the first time
to the public are several
items of scientific equipment
used by Tusculum
students in their classes,
such as a steam sanitizer, an
early amperage meter, and
equipment used to train
students following World
War II to use radio equipment,
including tubes.
Also on display for the
first time is a telescope that
is believed to have been owned by Dr. Landon
“Daddy” Haynes, a beloved professor who taught a
number of different subjects, including astronomy,
during his 65 years at Tusculum.
The exhibit also includes a melodeon used for
chapel services in McCormick Hall, pennants of the
debating societies on campus, and some of the earliest
books from the College’s library.
Also included in the exhibit are a number of photos
of the campus and student life, ranging from the
A high-wheeled tricycle, top left, and a New Testament playing card
game, bottom left, are part of the "Time for Play" exhibit, and, a photo
of the library in the late 1940s, top right, and a book written by Dr.
Samuel Doak, bottom right, are part of the "Glimpses of Tusculum"
exhibit at the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library.
1870s through the 1960s.
•