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For Wayne Wolford Sr., founder of the Black History Museum of Warren County Tennessee, it all comes down to education. A 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army, Wolford founded the museum in March 2021 with the goal of not only preserving the history of the area’s Black community, but also educating people for the future.

“This museum is a museum for history, but also for education,” Wolford said. “I am trying to educate people. I have been around for almost 75 years, so I have lived through a whole bunch of this stuff.”

Located in McMinnville’s former hospital building at 203 W Main St., the Black History Museum of Warren County Tennessee houses a collection of artifacts ranging from a circa 1890s courtroom bench for Black citizens from upstairs in the McMinnville Courtroom to yearbooks from Bernard School—the area’s most prominent Black school, and historical sports memorabilia from community teams.

Wolford said he feels opening the museum, which is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization, was just something he was supposed to do.

“You know when you are lying in bed sometimes and your mind is going, ticking and carrying on,” he said. “Some things you think about and some things we don’t and this voice came and said, Wayne, I know you are retired, but I have one more thing I want you to do.”

Wolford said the Black History Museum has a working board of directors with 14 members, while he serves as the museum’s curator.

A native of St. Louis, Wolford spent his summers at his grandparent’s house in Warren County before finishing up high school there in 1966.

Wolford said it was a learning experience going from St. Louis to McMinnville.

 “It was a learning experience for me, because I didn’t live here,” he said. “Having all that freedom and then coming here…culture shock.”

Wolford said in creating the Black History Museum of Warren County Tennessee, he wants visitors to walk away a little more educated than when they came in.

“Living in the south and living in the north, you had your freedom one way and you didn’t have your freedom the other way. You can do here but you can’t do here,” he said. “Their mouths just fly open and I say, I didn’t read this…I lived it.”

The history of the community’s Black schools is well documented in the museum, which features a historic school-room exhibit complete with coal-fire stove. While there were several smaller school houses serving the Black community in Warren County, the most prominent of these was Bernard High School.

While the original building was opened in 1922, it was destroyed by fire in 1946, but was rebuilt. This second school building was used until integration in 1964.

Charred bricks from the McMinnville Opera House on East Main Street help the museum tell the story of William Houchin, an early Black McMinnville businessman, and one of the wealthiest men in Warren County.

Built in 1888, the building was destroyed by fire in March 2008.

Wolford said that while he is happy to see the Black History Museum become a reality, he has even bigger dreams for the museum.

“Right now we are trying to see about putting something to the legislature about getting a new museum,” he said. “This is historic, but I can’t put displays inside the walls. In a regular museum, you have everything displayed and it is roomier.”

Wolford said his ultimate dream for the Black History Museum of Warren County, Tennessee is a first-class modern facility on par with any other professional caliber museum in the nation.

Wolford said one of the things he enjoys most in his role as curator is being able to welcome school-age children to the museum and teaching them a little about the past.

“It is telling that change between, this is the way it was then and now see how it is,” he said. “The kids know what the deal is and then you start teaching them, that is the way it was in that timeframe, aren’t you glad you aren’t in that timeframe now?”

The Black History Museum of Warren County is open Noon until 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 12:30-2 p.m. Saturday as well as by special appointment. For more information, https://www.bhmwc.org.