Ken Fieth: holding history
Chris Pepple |
With elections looming before us and budgets to be hammered out, politicians and residents look forward to where we would like our state, our county, our city to be in the years ahead. We predict which projects will need funding and what needs will be created by population growth or decline. Recognizing the trend toward globalization, we look outward to build relationships that will help us survive in the ever-changing political and corporate worlds.
When Ken Fieth (’80) steps into his office every day, he looks backward to see where we have been and looks inside local documents to find the foundation of our identity as citizens of Nashville, of Davidson County and of Tennessee. As the Metropolitan Archivist for Nashville and Davidson County, Fieth assists with the collection and preservation of historically valuable records relating to the city and county. The Metropolitan Government Archives, a division of the Nashville Public Library, collects records valuable to historic research such as, photographs, maps, sound recordings and manuscripts. Government records held by the archives include county government records beginning in 1783, city of Nashville records beginning in 1806, original wills dating back to 1780, marriage records, naturalization records, chancery court case files, land deed records, photographs, Motion Picture Film of Nashville events, birth records, death records and cemetery records.
“The interesting thing about this position is that you see how history evolves,” states Fieth, who majored in American history at Lipscomb and received a master of art in history with a concentration in public history from Middle Tennessee State University. “I see daily how things have changed and how they have stayed the same. I hold the records that show how Nashville and Davidson County have become the thriving areas that they are today.”
Fieth knows that many historical documents can be valuable teaching tools as we learn from both the triumphs and the failures in history. “We have many records stored here that relate to the civil rights decisions in the courts and in public policy decisions. We also have the records that relate to the 1963 unifying of the Davidson County and Nashville city governments into a consolidated metropolitan government. We have had people use these records as research to aid their decisions regarding government unification.
“Many individuals also come to use our records for genealogical research. Some things we have are just interesting to come and see. We have a diploma from the University of Nashville signed by Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk. People can come to us to learn fun historical trivia like the fact that the world’s first airmail was flown from Nashville to Gallatin by balloon.”
In addition to his work with the Metropolitan Government Archives, Fieth also helps bring history to life through World War II reenactments. “I used to participate in Civil War reenactments, but now I devote my time to World War II,” he states. “I work with a group that has recreated a British Airborne unit. We base our reenactments on the work of the 7th Battalion. We have been fortunate to be able to connect with some of the original members of the group.”
Fieth hopes to use the reenactments as an educational tool. “Our work lets people talk about the how’s and why’s of the 1940s. People have seen the movies about World War II, but we add another dimension to the story. It is very fulfilling.”
Historical archives and reenactments remind us that history can be thrilling to research and read about and can be a valuable tool to teach us a few things about going forward in this fast-paced, ever-changing world of ours.