CLARKSVILLE, TN – Austin Peay State University and the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center have received a 2026 Award of Excellence from the Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM) for a student-led walking tour project developed and directed by Dr. Cate LiaBraaten, assistant professor of history.
The project was launched in her Spring 2025 Public History course and asked each student to research, design, and deliver an original tour in historic downtown Clarksville—merging archival research with public engagement. Using the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center’s ticketing platform, the free tours drew 150 attendees. Approximately 20 students participated, each leading a unique route, and the class included a mix of undergraduate and graduate students from across disciplines.
“This was about doing the research and also about the experience of giving a tour and how you interact with people while moving through space,” LiaBraaten said. “Public history isn’t just a classroom presentation. You’re communicating, reading the group, and managing the flow on a city street.”
All tours were kept under a mile and within the historic downtown. Topics reflected the breadth of Clarksville’s past, including Black history, Jewish American history, women’s history, natural disasters, and public art and monuments. Many students conducted original research at the Montgomery County Archives; one published an article based on her tour in a museum publication.
Throughout the semester, students walked routes while refining themes and interpretive goals. They also planned for accessibility by assessing terrain, identifying rest points, and pacing groups.
“We talked about connecting tangible things, the buildings, the streets, a lamp on a corner, to intangible meanings and stories,” LiaBraaten said. “How do you make something not just informational, but meaningful?”
LiaBraaten said that engagement ultimately serves the students and Clarksville.
“One of the things that a community like Clarksville needs is local history,” LiaBraaten said. “Given how fast Clarksville is growing, it’s easy to forget where it came from. But this is a place with a long past, and telling those stories in the spaces where they happened helps people feel what makes Clarksville distinct.”
The collaboration is already yielding professional outcomes: two museum internships came directly from the walking tours, and one former student is now on staff at the museum. The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center nominated the project for TAM recognition and will host the TAM conference in Clarksville next year, opening the door to further partnerships.