The
Midlands Frontier Regional Studies Seminar
(MFRSS)

Change of Day & Venue!!
Beginning this Fall (2004), the MFRSS will be meeting one Wednesday a month at the downtown branch of the Nashville Public Library, 615 Church Street.


Who and What We Are
Call for Papers
Seminar Schedule
NOW AVAILABLE!!
Paper Distribution
Driving Directions
Contact Information

 


 
 
 
 

Who and What We Are

The Midlands Frontier Regional Studies Seminar (MFRSS) is the result of a partnership between the Department of History and the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  Beginning in the Fall of 2003, we will be getting together to discuss papers presented by scholars researching the early history of Tennessee, Kentucky, and related areas.  Our meetings will take place one Wednesday of each month (with some variations) during the academic year (October through April) at the downtown branch of the Nashville Public Library, 615 Church Street.

By giving researchers from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds a chance to present their work on this region's frontier era in an informal setting, we hope that the MFRSS will give participants the chance to meet with other scholars to discuss the problems and opportunities in studying this area's early history and help one another pursue and publish our research.

If you are interested in presenting a paper to the MFRSS, please read the Call for Papers, below.  If you would like to join the Seminar, check back for the paper schedule and distribution information when it is published on this site this summer.
 
 

Call for Papers

Call for Papers: The Midlands Frontier Regional Studies Seminar (MFRSS) seeks papers examining the history and interpretation of the Tennessee and Cumberland River Valleys and related areas between 1600 and 1850. Now entering its second year, the MFRSS is multidisciplinary and welcomes contributions from anthropologists, geographers, academic and public historians, and other humanists and social scientists as well as independent scholars. The MFRSS hopes to give researchers studying the region's early history the opportunity to present and discuss their work in an informal setting.  Meetings are held one Wednesday afternoon a month at the downtown branch of the Nashville Public Library, 615 Church Street, Nashville, TN. Papers will be made available electronically to participants in advance of our meetings to encourage comment and exchange. The MFRSS is sponsored by the Department of History and the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University. For more information, including meeting dates and times, consult the MFRSS website. Paper proposals should include a 200-word abstract and 1-page resume/c.v. The deadline for submissions for the 2004-2005 academic year is 30 August 2004. Address submissions via post, FAX, or by email.

Address submissions to:
Lynn A. Nelson
Department of History
Campus Box 23
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
FAX: (615) 898-5881
or by email at: lnelson@mtsu.edu
 
 
 
 
 

2004-2005 Seminar Schedule
(CHECK BACK SOON FOR 2004/2005 SCHEDULE!)

Fall 2004

November 17 "Marriage, Mayhem, and Presidential Politics: The Robards-Jackson Backcountry Scandal."
Ann Toplovich
Tennessee Historical Society


 
 
 
Spring 2005
February 9 "Incident at Duck River: The Impact of Indian Depredations in the Public Memory of
Early Tennessee." 
Tom Kanon, Tennessee State Library and Archives

March 16 "'A Civilizing Enterprise;' The Settlement of Middle Tennessee as a Crecreation of Plantation Ireland."
Michael Agee
Middle Tennessee State University

April 13 “Upon What Principles is this Contest to be Conducted?”:  Law as a Mechanism of Power on Tennessee’s Frontier.
Shaun Martin
Middle Tennessee State University


 


 
 
 

Distribution of Papers:
To facilitate comment and discussion, we will be distributing presenters' papers to Seminar participants in advance.  Details will be published this summer.
 
 

Driving Directions to the MFRSS:
From I-40, exit at Broadway, turn right, go to 7th and turn left for 1 and 1/2 blocks and park in the library parking garage.  Go to level 4N and enter the first floor on that level.  Tickets for parking can be validated for one hour free parking at the security desk at the front of the library.  The new Main Library is located on Church Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues in downtown Nashville.

Map to the Downtown Library
Parking Information
Tennessee Highway Map

 
 

If you have questions about the MFRSS, Please contact:

Lynn A. Nelson
Department of History
Campus Box 23
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN  37132
lnelson@mtsu.edu

Graphics on this page drawn from
"Maps Our Ancestors Followed."