Black History Exhibit Opening January 28, 2017

At a glance from Cookeville Leisure Services:

 

WHAT: Exhibit opening: “Black History: Contributions to Life in Putnam County”

 

WHEN: Jan. 28, 1-3 p.m. (exhibit continues through Feb. 28)

 

WHERE: Cookeville History Museum, 40 E. Broad St.

 

ADMISSION: Free

 

CONTACT: Cookeville History Museum, 931-520-5455, or Cookeville Leisure Services, 931-520-4386

 

 

Cookeville History Museum opening Black history exhibit Jan. 28

In light of Black History Month in February, the Cookeville History Museum will have an exhibit Jan. 28-Feb. 28 featuring prominent Putnam County African-Americans throughout history. The exhibit, titled “Black History: Contributions to Life in Putnam County,” will also highlight churches, schools and cemeteries and include photographs, artifacts and a documentary produced by WCTE public television station, “Everybody’s Welcome at John’s Place.” A reception will be held during the exhibit opening from 1-3 p.m. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 40 E. Broad St. Admission is free. To learn more, call 931-520-5455.

 

Photo information:

Robinson Crusoe Buck, a former slave who died in 1956 at age 110, is one of the prominent African-Americans to be featured in the exhibit “Black History: Contributions to Life in Putnam County,” which opens Jan. 28 at the Cookeville History Museum. During the Civil War, Buck hid and cared for his owner, Abraham Buck, while Union soldiers were in the area. When he became free, he acquired 400 acres in Algood and donated land for a school and church. He was friends with then-Putnam County Circuit Judge Cordell Hull, who later became the nation’s longest-serving secretary of state, and was invited to the White House to meet President Franklin Roosevelt.