Among the items in the exhibit is this photo of Pikeville Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, which was once a school for ex-slaves.IF YOU GO• What: “Free at Last” exhibition• When: Aug. 1-Oct. 1 (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-4 p.m. Saturday)• Where: Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 200 E. M.L. King Blvd.• Admission: Free with museum admission ($7 adults, $5 seniors/students, $3 children ages 6-12)• Phone: 423-266-8658• Website: www.bessiesmithcc.org
Area residents can get a glimpse at how slaves helped secure their freedom during the Civil War at a new exhibit at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center.
“Free at Last,” a four-panel exhibition that features photographs, maps, prints, documents and text, may be viewed through Tuesday, Oct. 1.
“Many of the slaves created their own freedom by leaving their homes and going to Union lines,” says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.
Essentially, the slaves became contraband of war since the rules of war allowed for the seizure of property, which is what slaves were considered before the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, she says.