Tennessee Encyclopedia facts for kids
The Tennessee Encyclopedia is a special book about the U.S. state of Tennessee. It's like a giant collection of facts and stories about the state. This encyclopedia was first printed as a book in 1998. Later, in 2002, it also became available to read online for free!
This amazing resource covers many topics. You can learn about Tennessee's history, its geography (like mountains and rivers), its culture (how people live and what they do), and even biographies of important people from the state.
Contents
What is the Tennessee Encyclopedia?
The Tennessee Encyclopedia is a huge reference book and website. It helps you find information about everything related to Tennessee. Think of it as a super-detailed guide to the state.
How the Encyclopedia Started
The idea for this encyclopedia came about in 1993. It was planned as a big project for Tennessee's 200th birthday (called a bicentennial) in 1996. The Tennessee Historical Society led this educational effort.
Work on the book began in 1994. The state's government, called the Tennessee General Assembly, helped pay for the project from 1995 to 1998. Other groups, known as foundations, also gave money. Middle Tennessee State University also helped by providing resources and support.
The Print Edition
When the book was finished in 1998, it was a big deal! It was only the third encyclopedia ever published about a U.S. state. The print version is very large, with 1,193 pages. It contains 1,534 different articles, called entries. More than 500 different writers helped create these entries.
The book won awards too. It was a co-winner of a Tennessee History Book Award. It also received an Award of Merit in 1999 from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).
The Online Version
Since 2002, you can find the Tennessee Encyclopedia online. The online version has all the information from the book. Plus, it has new articles and cool multimedia content, like pictures or videos.
The Tennessee Historical Society and the University of Tennessee Press work together to keep the online encyclopedia updated. The best part is that you can read everything online for free! The website was updated in February 2011 to make it even easier to use.
Who is the Editor?
The main editor for both the book and the online version is Carroll Van West. He is a history professor at Middle Tennessee State University. He also leads the university's Center for Historic Preservation.
The copyright for all the content in both the book and online versions belongs to the Tennessee Historical Society. This means they own the rights to the information.
