Category: Museum

There have been many different forms of communication throughout history. One that has stood the test of time is postcards. Postcards typically have a picture on the front and space on the back to write a note and address the card to a loved one. While they are still used as a way to communicate, a lot of people, like myself, collect postcards as souvenirs from the places they visit. In 1945, the term deltiology was coined by Professor Rendell Rhoades and his colleagues at Ohio State University. Deltiology is the study and collection of postcards. 

There is an Institute of American Deltiology located in my hometown of Myerstown, Pennsylvania, which is about 40 minutes east of Hershey (Yes, the chocolate town). The institute was established and is run by Donald Brown who began collecting postcards in 1943. The collection now contains over one million postcards that are preserved at the University of Maryland. I have been lucky enough to have visited and spend some time at the institute. Almost every room of the institute’s three story house is filled with postcards covering the whole state of Pennsylvania and the other 49 states of America. Today, vintage postcards are also used as a way to tell the history of a place. There are two book series – Images of America, and Postcard History – that use postcards as the basis of their history. Both series even have books on specifically about Bristol – Bristol to Knoxville: A Postcard Tour, Bristol (Postcard History: Tennessee)! 

Historians are not the only people inspired by postcard artwork. Bruce Springsteen took inspiration from postcards for his Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. album cover. He used postcard art because he wanted it to be known that he was from New Jersey. Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. was Springsteens’s first studio album. It was released on January 5, 1973 and includes “Blinded By The Light.” Originally this album did not sell well and peaked at 60 on the Billboard charts. Now it is one of the most recognizable album covers. Springsteen’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. album cover shows that postcards have a much bigger impact on culture than just a way to communicate. Springsteen is not the only artist to use postcards as inspiration. There are countless songs, lyrics, and covers across all music genres that have used postcards as inspiration. 

Within the museum’s collection we have several historic postcards of downtown Bristol. This one of State Street was purchased by the museum in 2019. The postage mark notes that it was mailed on August 30, 1937 in Portland, Oregon. The postcard was printed by Asheville Post Card Company out of Ashville, North Carolina and the image was colored by C.T. American Art Colored, which is also known as Curt Teich & Co.

This postcard in the museum’s collection is from the Taylor Christian Hat Company. The 1927 Bristol Sessions were recorded on the second floor of the hat company’s storefront. Instead of a photo postcard this one addresses an order from a customer. This postcard is one of the only artifacts that document the business of the Taylor Christian Hat Company and where the building was located as it is no longer standing in downtown Bristol.

Lastly, this postcard was donated by the descendants of Alfred Karnes. Karnes recorded 6 songs at the 1927 Bristol Sessions. The postcard depicts the Bayless Highway Baptist Church located near Starke, Florida. This church was one of the last places where Karnes’ preached before he passed away in 1958. 

In addition to these postcards from the vault we have several postcards on display near the virtual postcard kiosk where you can send a digital postcard to a loved one when you visit the museum! 

By Julia Underkoffler, Collection Specialist at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

In August of 2014 The Birthplace of Country Music Museum opened its doors for the first time. To celebrate our 10 year anniversary, we have asked two of our longest serving volunteers, Mary Geiger and Barbara Smith, to reflect on their time as docents at the museum and share some of their favorite memories from the last ten years. Mary and Barbara were part of the first class of docents for the museum. Docents are museum volunteers who have been specially trained to provide tours. 

The new Birthplace of Country Music Museum was sparkling and we six “brand spanking new” docent graduates were brimming with enthusiasm. Our docent education was intense and in-depth, and we could not wait to share with visitors all that we learned of the museum story.  Each docent created their own unique method of presentation; however, brimming with naiveté, it quickly became clear that there wasn’t visitor interest or time to share all our knowledge.  A sure sign we had gone too far was the audience’s eyes glazing over!  Thus began the 2nd phase of docent education, the mental exercise of paring down one’s knowledge to critical, but manageable information while also aiming for a personable yet interesting presentation.  This lesson is an ongoing process even ten years later.

Content and pared down information were not the only challenges, another challenge was managing to be heard!  In our music museum, the docent is almost always talking over background music from carefully placed “sound clouds” in the gallery. While these sound clouds direct the sound into specific spaces of the museum, docents often have to be heard by crowds of thirty or more people that can bleed over into different sound cloud zones during a tour.  Luckily, many of our docents were once school teachers and are blessed with “foghorn” voices which can be heard over the loudest clamor!  Those of us with softer voices found alternate methods to ensure we can be heard, such as using portable microphones.

A delightful reflection is the experience of watching those artists featured in the museum exhibits react to seeing their contributions. It was fun watching Scythian mimic their poses on the back wall in the Immersion Experience or Crus Contreras, during his tour, encouraging an artist staff member or Paul Thorn and his drummer Jeffrey, both south paws, simultaneously autographing the Green Board.

The Alfred Karnes family has held two family reunions in the museum.  While talking to Karnes’s last surviving daughter and succeeding generations, we learned more about this fascinating, deep-voiced Baptist minister who married five times, with his 5th wife perhaps last in possession of his never-seen-again harp guitar.

Recently the two of us shared the joy in touring the Eastman Chemical France Division employees, with Barbara performing the introduction in French!

Our final reflection is the reward in meeting so many diverse visitors over the years, most particularly those who arrive not knowing the museum story or even liking country music and then departing with a newfound appreciation for both.  Those are the most enjoyable tours. 

Guest Bloggers Mary Geiger and Barbara Smith are volunteers at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

As a curator at a small-ish museum, I wear many hats. And one of those hats puts me in front of the public in a variety of ways, from media interviews to public programs to outreach activities. Another way is attending conferences – both professional and academic – to share the story of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum (BCMM) and related cultural and music history.

Over the years, the curatorial team has attended conferences for the American Alliance of Museums, Virginia Association of Museums, Tennessee Association of Museums, Appalachian Studies Association, Radio Preservation Task Force, Southeastern Museums Conference, and Smithsonian Affiliations. These opportunities are a great way to rejuvenate energy and inspiration around our work, develop professionally, make new contacts and partnerships, and learn A LOT.

Most recently, Collections Specialist Julia Underkoffler and I attended the International Country Music Conference (ICMC) at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Begun in 1983, ICMC “provides scholars an opportunity to share their work in all aspects of country music. It broadly defines country music to include variants which share common historical and cultural roots ranging from Americana, alt-country, bluegrass, Cajun, country rock, crossover, and honky tonk to the Nashville Sound, New Traditionalist, old-time country, and Western swing.” Speakers come from all over the United States and several countries, and they present on a wide variety of topics. The 2024 conference had papers on Marty Robbins’ El Paso trilogy of songs; Confederate memory in classic country and bluegrass; country music and nostalgia; Black female musicians and Dolly Parton covers; the partnership between Johnny Cash and Chips Moman; the career and legacy of Howdy Glenn; and Daniel O’Donnell and Irish country – so something for everyone!

We attended ICMC for the first time in 2022, thanks to a professional development grant from the Institute for Museum & Library Services. And we are so glad we did – this conference has turned into one of our absolute favorites! It is an incredibly friendly event, and we were immediately welcomed into the fold and asked to participate in different ways, which really helped us to meet and get to know the other attendees. ICMC also provides some of the best conference food I’ve ever had!

Once again, the 2024 conference was a great experience, giving us the chance to share our work with a wider audience. And it was also Julia’s first experience at a professional conference! We participated in the conference in two tangible ways this year. First, Julia and I presented on the preservation of the museum’s Farm and Fun Time transcription disc – you can read the cool story of this artifact’s discovery and conservation HERE and HERE.

Second, I was invited to be part of the Charles K. Wolfe Memorial Panel: “Honoring Legacy Through (Re)building Museum Practice.” This panel was organized by Dr. Jada Watson and moderated by Dr. Kris McCusker. Along with Angela Stefano Zimmer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (CMHoFM) and Dr. Bryan Pierce of the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM), we discussed the ongoing work museums are doing to highlight the legacy of Black music and musicians in the country music industry – through exhibits, educational outreach activities, and public programming. I found the conversation and learning about what the CMHoFM and NMAAM are doing so inspiring – and a great way to think about other work we can do at BCMM in the future.

Besides the conference sessions and academic panels, the ICMC organizers always provide wonderfully engaging evening programs – for instance, last year we had a talk and performance by the Black Opry. This year’s Friday night program gave us the opportunity to gather together at Historic Columbia A Recording Studio to learn about how Latino culture has long influenced country music from the music to the wardrobe to the myths. Moderated by Dr. Greg Reish, we heard from artist manager and consultant Rick Rodriguez and country artist Orlando Mendez as they explored that influence, touching on pivotal moments in the industry development, the contributions of Latino artists, and the role of language and different regional styles to the evolving sound of the music, and sharing contemporary initiatives to spotlight this rich history. Even better we got a selection of songs by Orlando and a rousing performance by several of the participants to close out the program!

As you can see, ICMC is a jam-packed but incredibly engaging experience. Julia and I came back from Nashville full of ideas, new friends and contacts, and a deep appreciation for all of the wonderful work that is being done in the world of country music history – and for its future. That inspiration is rejuvenating and will benefit our own museum and community! Thank you, ICMC!