Tennessee State Library and Archives, The Tennessee State Library and Archives is a repository of books and records of historical, documentary, and reference value
The Tennessee State Library and Archives is a public archive and library run by the state of Tennessee, located in downtown Nashville. The collection includes original state constitutions, presidential letters, Civil War soldier diaries, old newspapers, maps, and court records.
The building dates to the mid-20th century and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places not long after its completion. It grew over time into the main repository for the official records of the state of Tennessee, overseen by the Tennessee Secretary of State.
The reading room is open to the public and holds original documents such as diaries, letters, and newspapers that show how people in Tennessee lived over many generations. Visitors can sit at a table and read through materials that would otherwise be locked away in a vault.
Entry is free, and computers are available on site to view digital copies of documents in the collection. The library runs a parking garage nearby where visitors can park for free after picking up a library card at the front desk.
Among the holdings are original documents from the State of Franklin, a short-lived territory that tried to become a separate US state in the 1780s before eventually becoming part of Tennessee. These papers are among the few physical traces left of that forgotten chapter.
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