Tucked away inside of UT Martin’s Special Collections and Archives is a box containing a hoard of letters, scraps of paper and various other pieces of ephemera, all with signatures from well-known people. There are handwritten letters from historic figures like John Sevier, a founding father and the first governor of the state of Tennessee; a document from the 5th United States Congress dated May 24, 1797, with signatures from nearly all the members, including Tennessee Senator William Blount who was also a signer of the Constitution; and a hand- drawn map of the state of Tennessee from 1825. But arguably the most interesting part of the autograph collection are the signatures from various U.S presidents. The following is a sample of the collection. For more information or to make a donation, contact Special Collections and Archives at 731-881-7094 or speccoll@utm.edu.
