Regional History

The Regional History Department acquires, preserves, interprets and makes available materials and information in selected areas of research in support of the mission of the library. Included are rare books, maps, manuscripts, periodicals, subject files of Tennessee and regional materials.

Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Archivist, for additional Regional History information.

Loan Policies

Because of the unique and irreplaceable nature of many items in the Regional History Department and the public trust in which its collections are held, none of its holdings are allowed to circulate outside the building. In some instances, special permission may be given for users to take materials for copying within the library.

Guides / Finding Aids

Subject Index: A finding aid of great importance is the Subject Index, which indexes chapter or sections of a book. Because material on Tennessee subjects is so limited, this index has proven to be an excellent guide.

Name Index: When the location of a person or family is unknown, this index is an excellent location tool with entries in alphabetical order.

Collections

Early Tennessee Land Records -
The Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association, Inc. donated fifteen reels of microfilm, which were added to seven reels already owned by the library. These twenty-two reels of early land records are indispensable to the historical researcher and are housed on the second level of the library.

U.S. Census Publications -
All censuses for Tennessee are available on microfilm on the second level and many are available in book form in Regional History.

The Eyler Play Collection -
This collection of 18th Century plays includes sixty-five first editions. Twelve of the total seventy-three plays are by three of England's poet laureates: Colley Cibber, Nicholas Rowe, and William Whitehead. Dr. Clement Eyler, Professor of English at Tennessee Tech from 1956 through 1967, collected these rare plays while stationed with the U.S. Air Force in Europe during World War II. All of them are shelved in Regional History.

Draper Collection, State Historical Society of Wisconsin -
Volume 1. The Preston and Virginia Papers Volume 2. Calendar of the Kentucky Papers Volume 3. Calendar of the Tennessee and King's Mountain Papers The above indexes are shelved in Regional History and the microfilm is available on the second level.