Frontier
Spanish conquistadors were the first Europeans to reach Tennessee, followed by the French and English explorers, and then by the first white settlers. Armor and weapons from the Europeans and Daniel Boone's musket highlight this era.
A frontier cabin, 200-year-old dugout canoe, a grist mill, and a Conestoga wagon all give testimony to life on the frontier. Handmade furniture, a woodworking shop, and a working printing press show the skill of early Tennessee craftspeople.
Other artifacts of note include:
- Sword surrendered by the British at the Battle of King's Mountain during the Revolutionary War;
- Original die of the seal of Davidson County used at Nashborough in 1783;
- Perhaps the finest piece of known Tennessee furniture, a desk by William Patton, made about 1815;
- Portrait painting of John Sevier by Charles Willson Peale;
-
Moccasins presented to James Robertson during treaty ceremonies with the Chickasaw Indians.