Special Collections Exhibitions

Of Monkeys and Men: The Scopes Trial

The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes was a test of the Butler Act, which made it illegal to teach evolution in the public schools. William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow took opposing sides at the trial. Their participation launched a media circus in the small town of Dayton, Tennessee. The Scopes Trial began an ongoing national debate on the intersection of science and religion in education and society.

Special Collections Reading Room, Spring 2025

In Pursuit of Justice

The path to justice can be dynamic, tumultuous, and, at times, elusive. Rare books and manuscripts from UT Libraries’ Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives highlight some difficult chapters in our society’s quest to dispense justice and includes materials related to civil rights cases, regional history and early forensics.  

Elaine Altman Evans Exhibit area, Fall 2024-Spring 2025

Beauford Delaney coming Fall 2025

The Art of the Editorial Cartoon .  The exhibit spotlights the work of Paige Braddock, Charlie Daniel, and Ed Gamble whose archives are held in Special Collections. Featured illustrations commemorating the tragic 2016 Chimney Tops 2 wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains are also on display.

Smoky Mountains Hiking Club.  The club, the oldest chartered hiking club associated with the Great Smoky Mountains,  celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024.  The exhibit features some of the materials from the extensive holdings in Special Collections including the club’s handbooks dating back to 1934.

Oddities Let Loose.  A teeth mold, an advertisement for worm syrup, strands of hair are just some of the unusual items from Special Collections on view for the exhibit.

Cormac McCarthy.  The exhibit features a recently acquired collection of photos, letters, and postcards owned by Jim Long, long time friend of writer Cormac McCarthy and the inspiration for one of the memorable characters of his novel Suttree.

Tennessee’s Storyteller: Alex Haley (1921-1992).  The exhibit includes archival documents and photographs from Haley’s life from the extensive holdings in Special Collections. His Autobiography of Malcolm X and Roots: The Saga of An American Family, which was adapted into a record-breaking television miniseries, were nothing less than cultural phenomena inspiring frank discussions on racial relations in America. 

The 1982 World’s Fair 40th Anniversary Celebration.  The Knoxville International Energy Exposition (better known as the World’s Fair) was held in Knoxville from May through October in 1982. The event, held adjacent to the University of Tennessee campus, attracted over 11 million visitors. An assortment of Special Collections extensive holdings of guidebooks, exhibit brochures, photographs, and souvenirs are on display.

HBCUs of Tennessee.  The Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) designation was created as part of the Higher Education Act of 1965 which integrated colleges and universities on a national level. Seven such institutions exist in Tennessee and have been beacons of ingenuity, inspiring creativity, and activism. This exhibit features a 1923 scrapbook belonging to Lane College graduate Lessie Bell Spann from Jackson, Tenn.

Turning into Tennessee. Tennessee was admitted to the United States of America as the 16th state in 1796. To commemorate the 225th anniversary of statehood, Turning into Tennessee explores the land and people of the late 18th century that would eventually form our current state of Tennessee. Through documents, maps, illustrations, books, and other materials, this exhibition highlights just a few of the elements present in our pre-statehood and earliest years of the Volunteer State.