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Enter Jackson Purchase Bicentennial Essay Contest

Enter Jackson Purchase Bicentennial Essay Contest
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By WestKyStar & Jackson Purchase Historical Society
Oct. 25, 2017 | MURRAY, KY
By WestKyStar & Jackson Purchase Historical Society Oct. 25, 2017 | 07:47 AM | MURRAY, KY
High school history students in the Jackson Purchase region of Kentucky and Tennessee are encourage to enter an essay contest in celebration of the Bicentennial of the Jackson Purchase.

These high school students will compete for awards and cash prizes by writing essays about national, regional and family history in a contest sponsored by the Jackson Purchase Historical Society in conjunction with the Office of University Advancement and the Department of History at Murray State University.

“2018 is the beginning of the bicentennial for the treaty that established the Jackson Purchase,” said Dr. Bill Mulligan, president of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society. “Coincidentally, 2018 is also the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society, which promotes interest in the history of the twelve counties involved. We saw this as a great opportunity to extend our outreach to high school history teachers and their students.”

History students in all four grade levels at high schools in the twelve participating counties may submit essays in three categories: (1) United States history; (2) Jackson Purchase regional history, including Kentucky and Tennessee history; and (3) family history. History teachers at participating schools have been provided contest guidelines and details. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 1, 2018, and there is no cost to participate. Judges will select winners in each category for each grade level with finalists receiving medallions and certificates. From those students, the judges will then select the best overall essay in each category.

The three winners will each receive a $100 cash prize and will make a brief presentation about their essay at the April 2018 meeting of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society. All three winning essays will also be published in the 2018 edition of the  award-winning academic Journal of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society. Participating counties for the contest include Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Marshall and McCracken counties in Kentucky in addition to Henry, Lake, Obion and Weakley counties in Tennessee.

The Jackson Purchase Historical Society was founded in 1958 to promote the interest, study and preservation of regional history in the territory encompassed in the Chickasaw Purchase of 1818. The organization annually publishes the award-winning Journal of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society and is especially interested in the history of all Kentucky counties west of the Tennessee River in addition to Henry, Lake, Obion and Weakley counties in Tennessee. Meetings are held four times per year at locations throughout the region. Membership is open to the public. Information about the society, future events and membership is available at meetings or online at jacksonpurchasehistory.org.

For more information, contact Bill Mulligan, billmulligan@murray-ky.net
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