COLLECTIONS SPOTLIGHT: FUN IN THE SUN

BY KATE TALLMAN, COLLECTIONS ASSOCIATE

There is nothing quite like summer in Tennessee.

The sweet smell of honeysuckle wafts through the air and the popsicles start to melt faster than little faces can eat them. Clarksville is uniquely situated for summertime revelry with an abundance of scenic landscapes, nearby lakes and rivers, concerts, festivals and fairs. In fact, many of our seasonal traditions are rooted in the outdoors!

For close to 40 years, the Dunbar Cave swimming pool offered a brief reprieve from the omnipresent humidity of Tennessee summers.

A man dives into an earlier version of the Dunbar Cave swimming pool, prior to the 1931 concrete construction.

This black woolen women’s swimsuit from the 1920s bears the signature Catalina flying fish logo applique on the left leg.

This postcard, mailed in 1940, depicts families enjoying the Dunbar Cave swimming pool and bathing beach. The Dunbar Cave pool was touted as one of “the largest in the South and modern in every respect.”

Prior to the installation of the swimming complex in 1931, locals enjoyed hiking to Idaho Springs. These three mineral springs, consisting of red, white and black sulphur, alumand chalybeate were thought to cure all matter of maladies, and the breeze from the cave provided a lovely atmosphere for a picnic lunch.

Hikers break for refreshments at Dunbar Cave, circa 1910.

Picnic basket, circa early 1900s.

A boy fishes along the Cumberland River, circa 1900.

No childhood summer is complete without summer camp! The Camp Fire Girls were the popular predecessor of the Girl Scouts. Founded in 1910, the organization promoted wilderness skills, leadership, environmental education, child care and self-reliance. It was founded to serve as a sister organization, withsimilar goals, to the Boy Scouts of America.

Boy Scouts work on starting a fire at Camp Linger Longer.

Girls learn basket weaving at Camp Linger Longer in Montgomery County, circa 1912.

This Boy Scout uniform from Clarksville Troop 523 includes a 1963 patch from Camp Tag-A-Tay in Fort Campbell.

Campers head to the water to put their canoeing skills to the test.

Girl Scout Camp postcard, 1949-1950.

All photographs and artifacts pictured here can be found in the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center’s Archives and Collections.