Bethesda and Surroundings Communities by Rick Warwick presents a history told with personal interviews by those who grew up in the southern part of Williamson County. Period photographs, numbering 390, are included to enrich the narratives of those telling their life stories. Histories of schools, churches, country stores, physicians, fraternal organizations, and local postmasters supplement the interviews in more detail. Bethesda, a Hebrew word meaning house of mercy, is the center of the old 12^th civil district surrounded by Cross Keys, Ash Hill, Duplex, Harpeth, and Callie. The early families of these communities settled largely on the North Carolina land grant of 4,800 acres belonging to Dr. Joseph Blythe, a Revolutionary War veteran. Today, the historic homes of the Bond, Steele, Alexander, Lee, Hartley, Irvin, Grigsby, and McCall families are still standing revealing a material sense of how these families once lived. A section entitled Faces of the Past offers an insight into the physical appearances of those who once called this area home.

 

WCPLtn: Discover Learn Succeed

The Williamson County Public Library is located in downtown Franklin at 1314 Columbia Avenue.

All library programs are free and open to the public. Learn more about this event or other library programs and services by calling 615-595-1243, extension 1, or by visiting the library’s website at http://wcpltn.org. The library e-newsletter provides library news about programs like this and more. Sign up to receive it via email.

Photos, screenshots, and videos may be taken at library events and activities for library use and publicity. Anyone not wanting to have their photo taken should notify library staff at the time of the event or activity.

Fancy Women of Smokey Row: Prostitution in the Civil War
Lecture presented by Brandon Hulette, Military Historian and Vanderbilt Professor
 

By 1863 Nashville was the most strategically important city in the Western theater of the American Civil War. Thousands of soldiers and millions of dollars worth of supplies passed through Nashville on the way to the battlefields of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia. With so many young men away from home for the first time facing an uncertain future in the killing fields of the Civil War, Nashville was often thought of as the last time to eat, drink, and be merry before facing the harsh reality of war. As such a booming bar and prostitution industry developed in Civil War Nashville to meet the desires of the Soldiers moving through the city. There was, however, a dark side to this industry - disease. At the same time, the sexually transmitted infection rate soared to as much as 40% of soldiers in the city.

This talk delves into the history of the Army’s struggle to address this issue, including law enforcement efforts, attempts to export prostitutes, and finally becoming the first city to legalize prostitution in this period. With legalization came improved health and the emergence of legal brothels that catered to all soldiers' needs as well as prominent figures building empires from the once illicit trade such as the infamous Mollie May. We’ll discuss how all of this came to be, the stories of the people involved, and the locations in Nashville where legal prostitution took place.
This is an adult program.

WCPLtn: Discover Learn Succeed

The Williamson County Public Library is located in downtown Franklin at 1314 Columbia Avenue.

All library programs are free and open to the public. Learn more about this event or other library programs and services by calling 615-595-1243, extension 1, or by visiting the library’s website at http://wcpltn.org. The library e-newsletter provides library news about programs like this and more. Sign up to receive it via email.

Photos, screenshots, and videos may be taken at library events and activities for library use and publicity. Anyone not wanting to have their photo taken should notify library staff at the time of the event or activity.

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The views expressed in this program are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or opinions of the Williamson County Public Library System.