Alex Haley House Interpretive Center Dedication August 13
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 | 10:06am
Ribbon-cutting ceremony and weekend events commemorate Haley’s 89th birthday
HENNING, Tenn. – Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke and Tennessee Historical Commission Director Patrick McIntyre will join elected officials and members of the community on Friday, August 13, for the official dedication of the Alex Haley House and Museum Interpretive Center.
The 6,500-square-foot Interpretive Center, owned by the Tennessee Historical Commission, features interactive exhibits, interpretive education, artifacts from Haley’s life and mementos from his career. Located behind the Alex Haley House and Museum, the new center will welcome visitors to Haley’s boyhood home and final resting place.
WHO:
Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke
Tennessee Historical Commission Director Patrick McIntyre
Representative Craig Fitzhugh
Michael Bursey, Mayor of Henning
Rod Schuh, Lauderdale County Mayor
George Haley, Brother and Former U.S. Ambassador to Gambia
Dr. Jamie Frakes, Jimmy Naifeh Center / Dyersburg State College
Joseph Matthews, III, Senior at White Station High School
Bishop William H. Graves
WHAT:
Ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by guided tours and a reception
WHEN:
Friday, August 13, 2010, at 10 a.m. (CDT)
WHERE:
Alex Haley House and Museum
200 South Church Street, Henning, Tennessee38041
Originally known as the Palmer House, the Alex Haley House is a 10-room, turn-of-the-century bungalow built in 1919 by Will E. Palmer, the maternal grandfather of Alex Haley (1921-92). From 1921 to 1929, and during subsequent summers, Haley lived here with his grandparents.
The front porch was often the place where young Haley heard the oral accounts of family history, including stories of Kunta Kinte, the young Mandingo man captured near his West African home. These stories inspired Haley to write about his ancestry in a book called Roots: The Saga of An American Family. This 1976 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has been translated into more than 30 languages and has had great influence in stimulating the study of genealogy. Roots was adapted for an eight-part television series, which became one of the most popular programs in television history.
On December 14, 1978, the Alex Haley House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It has attracted scholars and other visitors from around the world. Haley is buried on the grounds.
The Alex Haley Museum and Interpretative Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. Sunday visits are by appointment only, which can be made by contacting (731) 738-2240. The museum is closed on Mondays.
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