Today we’d like to introduce you to Zacharie Kinslow.
Hi Zacharie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a native of Maury County, Tennessee though I now work and reside in Dickson County. I attended Columbia State Community College where I received my associate’s degree, Martin Methodist College (now U.T. Southern) where I received my bachelor’s degree, and Austin Peay State University where I received my master’s degree; all in U.S. History. I always knew history was something I loved and wanted to know more about, so I made a career out of it. I have previously been employed as an adjunct professor of history at Austin Peay State University, as a graduate intern on the Papers of President Martin Van Buren at Cumberland University, and as Museum Educator at the President James K. Polk Home & Museum in Columbia Tennessee before I found my way to Dickson, Tennessee. I have been twice published by the White House Historical Association on the topic of the U.S. Presidency and American Slavery, with, as of 2021, upcoming works in the White House Journal of History, the Tennessee Historical Quarterly, and a chapter in a new compilation work by the University of Tennessee Press: “Live With Your Head in the Lion’s Mouth: Elias Polk and the Complexity of 19th Century Southern Race Relations” in James K. Polk & His Time. I began working as the Executive Director of the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum in Dickson, Tennessee in December 2020 and could not be happier. Working with great people and meeting individuals from all around the country has been the honor of my life and I could not be more proud to serve in this capacity in such an important state museum.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Getting to the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum came with a lot of struggle along the way. I left the President James K. Polk Home & Museum in 2019 and found myself virtually unemployed for nearly a year. I worked odd jobs here and there; cooked in a restaurant or taught the occasional class, but I never felt satisfied (nor did my bank account). For around a year the routine was the same. Apply for a museum job somewhere in the country, drive to do the interview, make it to the top two or three, get rejected. To make matters worse, this was also during the 2020 global COVID-19 Pandemic. I was really at a low point when the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum reached out to me and asked if I was interested in interviewing for a position. Honestly, I felt that it was going to be the same routine to which I had become accustomed. Within one hour of leaving the interview, I was offered the job! I was elated but knew it was going to be a lot of hardwork and dedication to this site and the community which supports it. I have loved every minute of being here and am so thankful that the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum took the chance on me and I will work every day to ensure that they get a fine return on their investment in myself.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Clement Railroad Hotel Museum first opened its doors to the public in 2009. The museum is completely within the remains of the old Hotel Halbrook in downtown Dickson, Tennessee. First constructed in 1913, the Hotel Halbrook is one of the few remaining examples of a railroad hotel in a small Tennessee town. From 1914 to 1954, the hotel functioned as one of the premier rest stops in Middle Tennessee, winning the prestigious “silver seal certificate” three years in a row during the 1930s. Today, the museum explores the history and heritage of Dickson County, the Western Highland Rim, and the State of Tennessee through exhibits and collections relating to the railroad, Dickson County’s iron industry, commerce, the Civil War, Civil Rights, and the life and legacy of Tennessee Governor Frank G. Clement, who was born in the museum on June 02, 1920. Clement’s legacy is fully brought to life to those who enter this building. He is the second-youngest governor in state history (32 when taking office in 1952), the second longest-serving (10 years in office). He also presided over the creation of Tennessee’s interstate system, oversaw education reform, provided free textbooks to all public schools, created the southern community college system, oversaw prison reform, created Tennessee’s first Department of Mental Health, and in 1957 was the first southern governor in U.S. History to veto a segregation bill; becoming the only southern governor during the Civil Rights Movement to support the movement and integrate the first high school in the Southeastern U.S. (Clinton High in Anderson County, TN). The museum is fortunate to have many artifacts and items that once belonged to Governor Clement and his family. Clement Railroad Hotel Museum visitors can take a step back in time and follow the riveting history of the state of Tennessee from the county’s founding in the early 19th century to the liberation of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. We are proud to display what we have and educate the community on the leadership and values which created our area of the country while offering educational and social opportunities connecting the past with our present. We are open Tuesday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and on Saturdays from 9 am to 4 pm. We are closed on Sunday and Monday.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Throughout my journey as Executive Director of the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum, I have learned that its people that matter the most. As a museum, we can focus almost too much on telling the stories of artifacts as object and less as items used by individuals. As director, I’ve had to get my face out there, shake hands, talk to everyone from the Governor to the man who picks up our trash. I have to be out there because if I’m not I’m not making that human connection that a museum thrives on. We are a site telling the stories of people of the past, to people of the present, and preserving these stories for people of the future. It’s the people I’m here for. It’s the people that this museum is here for and my job would be nothing without people.
Pricing:
- $6 admission for Adults
- $4 admission for Seniors (60+)
- $4 admission for Children (6-12)
- $4 admission for Veterans & Active Military
- Free for children under 5 years of age
Contact Info:
- Website: https://clementrailroadmuseum.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crhm_dickson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crhmdickson
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CRHM_Dickson
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeV4QSBbYGAD3Hs09E7-U3w
