The Warden Equestrian Collection, one of the premier collections for the study of equestrian sports and businesses, is now open for researchers to use. Jennifer Beisel, a graduate student in Public History at MTSU and knowledgeable horse enthusiast, has finished processing this large and diverse body of research materials. Margaret Lindsley Warden, a former reporter for the Nashville Tennessean, donated her hand-written notes, rare books and newspaper clippings to the Gore Center in 1998. Her column, "Horse Sense," ran in the Tennessean from 1939 to 1994. In addition to 900 monographs (some dating back to the 16th century), 3000 volumes of serial publications, and 2500 photographs, the collection includes 30 linear feet of Miss Warden’s own research files. Those files contain newspaper clippings, brochures and flyers, correspondence, stud records, and much information about farms and plantations in the Middle Tennessee region.
For more information about Jennifer Beisel and her work on the Warden project, see MTSU Record article, September 17, 2001.