Ms. Cheap's guide to summer
31.05.10 - The Daily News Journal
The Tennessee State Museum in the James K. Polk Building at 505 Deaderick St. houses a collection of artifacts from the 18th century and has a particularly strong showing of prehistoric Indian items and Civil War and military material. Visitors will enjoy "Tennessee History Comes Alive," which takes a look at the stories behind these rare treasures and the people whose lives they have touched. For example, you can see the Casey Jones pedal car from the early 1900s. On April 30, 1900, Jones was the engineer on the Cannonball Express headed from Memphis to Canton, Miss. Jones spotted the caboose lights of a freight train stopped on the tracks. Too late to avoid a crash, Jones told his fireman to leap from the train. In the ensuing collision, Jones died; all others aboard the train were saved.