Patsy Cline Museum facts for kids
The Patsy Cline Museum is a special place that opened on April 7, 2017. You can find it on the second floor of the Johnny Cash Museum building in Nashville, Tennessee. This museum holds a huge collection of items that belonged to the famous country singer, Patsy Cline. She sadly died in a plane crash in 1963 when she was only 30 years old.
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How the Museum Started
Patsy Cline was born Virginia Patterson Hensley. She recorded three albums and had two number one songs before her death. Even after she passed away, her music stayed popular. Her songs continued to be hits, and more and more people became her fans. She was the first woman to join the Country Music Hall of Fame. This happened 10 years after she died.
Shannon and Bill Miller also created the Johnny Cash Museum. They wanted to make a museum for Patsy Cline too. They got the chance after Charlie Dick, Patsy Cline's husband, died in 2015. He had kept many of Patsy's personal items hidden away. After his death, these items became available for the museum.
Where to Find the Museum
The Patsy Cline Museum is about 4,000 square feet. It is located in the SoBro area of Nashville, on Third Avenue South. The museum is open every day, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Kids under 6 years old can enter for free. Children aged 6 to 15 pay a lower price for admission. There is some parking available on the streets nearby.
What You Can See Inside
The Patsy Cline Museum shows what a normal life Cline and her family lived. This was true even as she became very famous. Her husband, Charlie Dick, saved many of her personal things. These include the sewing machine her mother, Hilda Hensley, used. Hilda sewed Patsy's special cowgirl outfits for her early shows. You can also see Patsy's custom cigarette lighter and her collection of salt and pepper shakers.
Charlie also kept a telegram he received from Colonel Tom Parker. Colonel Parker was Elvis Presley's manager. He sent his sadness after Patsy Cline's death.
Exploring Patsy Cline's Life
The museum halls have many exhibits about different times in Cline's life. For example, one exhibit shows a sign, a wooden booth, and a milkshake maker. These are from Gaunt's Drug Store, where she worked as a teenager. This store was in Winchester, Virginia. Visitors can also see the porch seat from her childhood home in that town.
There is a recreated dining room from her Nashville home. This is where she lived with Charlie Dick. It includes her Filter Queen vacuum cleaner. You can even see the canceled check she used to buy it. A copy of their rec room shows a hi-fi console and record player. There are also many vinyl LPs and a reel-to-reel tape player. A black and white TV plays clips of Cline's performances. The Norge refrigerator in the room still works! The red padded bar in the room has "Patsy & Charlie" printed on it.
Interactive Fun and Costumes
At interactive stations, you can listen to Cline's music. You can also watch videos of her performances. Plus, you can read full copies of her handwritten letters. Many of her famous stage costumes are on display. This includes the sparkly dress from her shows at the Mint Casino in Las Vegas in 1962. Some of these costumes were designed by Cline herself. Her mother then sewed them.
Special Items and Awards
Many special items are shown in the museum. A lot of them belonged to Cline personally. Some items are very touching. For example, you can see the Elgin watch she wore when she died. This watch was a gift from her husband. Her silver engraved wedding ring is also there. You can also see the ID bracelet (with photos inside) she gave to Charlie Dick. Her mom's handkerchief from Patsy's funeral is also on display.
An AMI jukebox celebrates two of Cline's songs. They are on the list of Top 20 Jukebox Hits of All Time. These are #1 "Crazy" and #17 "I Fall to Pieces".
Other exhibits include:
- A wall of 45s records, showing both sides.
- The Key to New York City given to Cline by Mayor Robert F. Wagner in 1961.
- A canceled check she used to pay for furniture in her home.
- An Oriental black jewelry box with her costume jewelry.
- A boot-shaped cigarette lighter.
- A clock shaped like a pocket watch.
- Handwritten letters to her family and fans.
- Her wedding photo album and scrapbook.
- Album covers from her records.
- Her awards.
- Sketches of costume designs she drew herself.
- A Jimmy Dean fan club card.
- Gold lamé pants and shoes.
- Costumes and items from Sweet Dreams, the movie about Cline's life.
- Information about the biopic hosted by Beverly D'Angelo. She was the actress nominated for a Golden Globe for playing Cline in Coal Miner's Daughter.
The exhibits in the museum are set up in order of time. The last exhibit shows costumes designed by Cline. She asked Nudie Cohn, a famous designer, to make them for her. Nudie Cohn made rhinestone-studded "Nudie suits" for many stars. Patsy sent her request and measurements to Cohn on February 28, 1963. His reply agreeing to make the costumes arrived after she died. She passed away less than a week later, on March 5, 1963. Many years later, Cohn's granddaughter finished the costumes for the exhibit.
See also
- List of music museums
