About Tennessee History: The Tennessee State Museum, in the heart of downtown, is one of the largest state museums in the nation, with more than 60,000 square feet of permanent exhibition space and a 10,000-square-foot exhibition hall. The museum's interpretive exhibits begin 15,000 years ago, from the Prehistoric, Frontier, Age of Jackson, Antebellum, Civil War and Reconstruction periods through the early 1900s.

These sections include special displays of furniture, silver, weapons, quilts and paintings produced by Tennesseans. The Tennessee State Museum's holdings of Civil War uniforms, battle flags and weapons are among the finest in the nation. The museum also has many one-of-a-kind items associated with Andrew Jackson, Daniel Boone, James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, David Crockett, Sam Houston and Alvin York.