Community News

The Tennessee Wars Commission and the Tennessee Historical Commission will begin accepting applications on Dec. 1 for a new grant program to provide funding to protect Civil War and Underground Railroad sites in Tennessee.

Grant funding is made possible by the Tennessee Civil War Sites Preservation Act of 2013, which was passed this year by the Tennessee General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Haslam.

The Avery Trace Chapter, NSDAR Scholarship Committee, on behalf

of the chapter, presen-

ted Linda Brown of the Roane State Foundation with a check for $400 during a recent monthly chapter meeting in Kingston Community Center.

The money will be used to fund a book scholarship for a Roane State student majoring in history.

When this is not possible, the foundation selects an honors student in another field of study who is in need of financial support.

A former Tennessee legislator, a pair of engineers, a retired elementary school principal and a builder make up this year's Roane Treasures.

The group was recognized by Roane County Executive Ron Woody during a Founders Day ceremony earlier this month.

This year's Golden Treasure is 96-year-old Ida Lou Nelson.

Treasures and the County Commission districts they represent are Jack Bowman, 1st; Mitchell B. Ollis, 2nd; Thomas Pickel, 3rd; Leonard Morris, 4th; and Arvel McNelley, 5th.

Although turkey has become the mainstay of our Thanksgiving Day dinners, it is interesting to note that turkey is not listed in the records of the first Thanksgiving dinner.

They were, however, plentiful in the New England woods at the time.

Wild ducks, geese, venison, fish, shellfish, all sorts of “sallet,” wild fruits and berries, and wine made from both white and red grapes comprised the menu on that important day.

The party on that first Thanksgiving celebration was a three-day bash.