Customs House Museum and Cultural Center
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is Tennessee's second largest general-interest museum. The signature exhibit, "Becoming Clarksville: Honoring Legacies of Leadership," provides a chronological tour of social, political, and economic history. Exhibits are not only dedicated to the history of the region, but also art, science, and culture. The Customs House Museum is well-known for holding one of the largest model railroad layouts in the region, as well as its outdoor displays of historic locomotives and railroad cars.
Images
One of the distinguishing features of the old customs house is the use of five dormers on each side of the building.
Bubble Cave is one of many exhibits built especially for children and their parents.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The building was designed by Federal Treasury Supervising Architect William Martin Aiken. Some of the galleries are located in a historic post office and customs house built in 1898. This building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Other exhibits are dedicated to learning for children and parents, such as the Explorer's Gallery and Bubble Cave.