Wolf Gap celebrates America 250 with support of TN250 Grants
WOLF GAP AWARDED TENNESSEE AMERICA 250 GRANTS FROM THE TENNESSEE COMMISSION FOR THE UNITED STATES SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL
GRANTS WILL BE USED FOR HISTORY FESTIVAL, YOUTH HISTORY CAMP, & ARTIFACT PRESERVATION
PULASKI, TN, MARCH 6 2026
Wolf Gap is a recipient of three grants totaling $16,089 for Tennessee America 250 initiatives from the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial. The grant awards will be used for three unique projects supporting history in Giles County.
The Giles County Jubilee, a public history festival on May 8th & 9th, is planned in conjunction with the Giles County Historical Society and supported with a $7,000 grant from TN250’s first round of granting in late 2025. The second grant, of $7,921, will fund the application of UV-protective window film in Wolf Gap’s Education Center galleries, allowing the display of historic textiles such as the Looking Back at Our Heritage Quilting Club’s Church Quilts, several woven coverlets from the Giles County Historical Society’s collection, and other textiles from the Wolf Gap collection. The third grant of $1,168 will support the purchase of specialized supplies for Wolf Gap’s History Makers day camp, planned for Fall Break of 2026 for local 5th-8th grade students.
The State of Tennessee made available funding to be administered by the Tennessee State Museum, on behalf of the Commission to support statewide America 250 activities.
The Tennessee America 250 grant program was a highly competitive process. In total, the Commission received 585 applications, totaling $10,359,999 in requests. The Commission has made full or partial awards for 274 grants across the state, representing 73 counties, for a total of $3,833,383 awarded. A complete list of Tennessee America 250 grantees, counties and amounts is posted at www.tn250.com.
“I am inspired by the excitement across the state to commemorate our nation’s 250th anniversary,” said Ashley Howell, Executive Director of the Tennessee State Museum and Chair of the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial. “This year will be filled with exhibitions, programs, festivals, and preservation of our local and state history. We hope that these projects inspire Tennesseans across the state to engage with the anniversary in 2026.”
“The TN250 Grants are making such exciting work possible in the community,” said Kelly Hamlin, Wolf Gap’s Executive Director. “The Giles County Jubilee Festival, May 8th & 9th, will be an unmatched opportunity for folks to immerse themselves in historic trades, skills, and scholarship – the grant is supporting our bringing in specialized demonstrators and reenactors to educate on the U.S. Colored Troops, the early fur trade era, historic skills such as log hewing, and even an operational 1800s cotton gin. We are so delighted to share this with our community and hope to see everyone for our field trip day May 8th or our public day May 9th!”
Hamlin added, “in addition to the Giles County Jubilee grant, a TN250 Archival Support grant has funded a long-time goal of ours to add UV-protective film to our gallery windows. This will allow us to display historic textiles without fear of their being faded from exposure to sunlight. And a third TN250 grant is supporting a special History Makers camp during Fall Break which will give students unrivaled experiences in both trying historic skills and doing the work of a historian. We are so grateful to the TN250 Commission for this support and we can’t wait to celebrate the semiquincentennial with the community.”
About Wolf Gap
Wolf Gap is a 501c3 nonprofit history & nature education center located on 50 acres on Tarpley Shop Road between Pulaski & Elkton. Wolf Gap’s Education Center features classroom space, special event rental space, and two large galleries which are currently displaying the museum collection of the Giles County Historical Society. The Education Center is open to the public at no cost on Saturdays from 10am-4pm and Sundays from 12pm-4pm. Visitors are invited to enjoy Wolf Gap’s outdoor spaces and walking paths every day of the week between dawn and dusk, free of charge. Throughout the year Wolf Gap offers public programs such as day camps, youth archery classes, special arts & crafts workshops, monthly homeschool classes, annual festivals, private field trips, and special historic programs in the two log cabins on-site.
About Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial
The Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial was legislatively established by Public Chapter 384 of the Tennessee General Assembly in 2019. The Assembly created the Commission to plan, encourage, develop, and coordinate the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, and recognize Tennessee's integral role in that event and the impact of its people on the nation's past, present, and future. For more information on Commission activities, please visit www.tn250.com.
About Tennessee State Museum
Celebrating its 88th Anniversary in 2025, the Tennessee State Museum, is the administrative attachment of the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial. The Museum is located on the corner of Rosa L Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. It is home to thousands of years of Tennessee history, art, and culture. The Museum is free and open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. For more information on exhibitions and events, please visit TNMuseum.org.