King Iron: The Untold Story of Enslaved Furnace Workers in Tennessee

The Tennessee African American Historical Group

Grant Amount: $8,010

 

King Iron: The Untold Story of Enslaved Furnace Workers in Tennessee is a traveling exhibit that centers the lived experiences of enslaved workers in Middle Tennessee’s iron industry. The Tennessee African American History Group (TAAHG) focuses the exhibit on the workers’ skill, daily lives, attempts at freedom, and their lives after emancipation.

In addition to interpretive panels, the exhibit includes artifacts on loan from museums and archives as well as a diorama of a working iron furnace.

The exhibit opened in Franklin, Tennesse in February 2024 before moving to the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum at Hotel Halbrook State Historic Site in March 2024. The exhibit is expected to be on tour through 2025.