After being closed for a year and a half during the Town of Farragut Town Hall renovations, the Farragut Museum is now open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm. Knowledgeable docents volunteer to give tours of the museum and offer additional information on the exhibits. The Farragut Museum’s gallery spaces are a treasure chest of artifacts, housing many personal effects of Admiral David Farragut.
Museum History
The Farragut Museum began in 1986 as a response to then Governor Lamar Alexander’s statewide proclamation called “Tennessee Homecoming ’86.” This called for a year-long celebration involving 647 communities across the state of Tennessee. The purpose was to provide native Tennesseans the opportunity to delve into their history by rediscovering their past and, by doing so, to preserve their heritage. Farragut held a short-term exhibit that was later transformed into the Farragut Folklife Museum due to the outpouring of interest in this collection of Farragut history.
Farragut Town Hall was originally located in the old Russel Dairy building behind the Avery Russell Home (aka Campbell Station Inn) at the corner of Kingston Pike and Campbell Station Road. The first director appointed by the Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen, Mary Nell McFee, created the exhibit from collection of old pictures and vintage clothing that had been donated by the town’s citizens.
With eyes toward future exhibits, Mary Nell learned of a historical collection of Admirals Farragut’s belongings that were being offered through a historical magazine. The Farragut Museum Committee raised funds for the collection, and then-Mayor Bob Leonard had the town budget for the remaining funds to purchase the collection. After the museum was completed in 1991, it was relocated to the current Town Hall where it contained two galleries, a workroom and, for the first time, a gift shop.
Museum Exhibits
The museum now has three gallery spaces and a stage that can be used for presentations and special events. The first gallery follows the area’s historic settlement beginning with the native Americans to the early communities of Campbell’s Station and Concord. Highlights include the importance of the marble industry and the railroads through the area. There is also a display on the Founding of Farragut and the early years of Farragut High School.
A second gallery houses the Admiral David Farragut collection that includes his personal china, swords, bayonet, parts of his Civil War uniform, family photographs, manuscripts, and letters of interest, as well as items from the sloop-of-war steam ship, the USS Hartford, that Farragut commanded during the Battle of Mobile Bay, a key Union victory during the Civil War. As the first commissioned admiral of the United States Navy, Farragut is best known for his statement, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.”
As a dedicated rotating exhibit space, the third gallery now houses a tribute to veterans that served in the Civil War, World War I and II, Korean War, and Vietnam War.
Museum Visits
The museum is housed inside Town Hall at 11408 Municipal Center Drive, across from the Farragut post office, and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm. Admission is free. Kristi Vining, Historic Resources Coordinator, hopes the Farragut Museum will host school groups, historical lunch and learns, and special events in the future. Those interested in arranging an after hours tour or a group tour should call 865-966-7057.
The Frances L. Abel Gift Shop features a variety of unique pieces, including gift items, local and Civil War history books, “The Hidden Battlefield” DVDs (WBIR’s The Heartland Series), a variety of keepsakes, and handmade items from local crafts persons.
While visiting the museum, be sure to see the Civil War Trails Historical Marker that commemorates the Battle of Campbell Station fought on November 16, 1863, and the Farragut Memorial Plaza featuring a life-plus Admiral Farragut bronze statue, Civil War era cannons on loan from the U.S. Naval Yard, and historical markers with information about Admiral Farragut’s life that are located on the Town Hall grounds.
For additional museum information and special event updates, visit TownofFarragut.org/museum or Facebook (Farragut Museum).