A community historian and descendant of two Civil War great-grandfathers will reveal the contributions of the women of that great national schism in a free public lecture set Friday, March 18.

Shirley Farris Jones

Shirley Farris Jones, who retired from MTSU’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures after more than 30 years of service, will speak about “Valor and Lace: The Amazing Women of the Civil War” at 6 p.m. March 18 at Oaklands Mansion, 900 N. Maney Ave. in Murfreesboro.

“Without a voice and without a vote, they made their presence known and proved their worth alongside their male counterparts and left no doubt in anybody’s minds that there was a lot more beneath their bonnets than just a bunch of pretty curls,” said Jones of the women in “Valor and Lace,” a chapter included in her book “The Un-Civil War in Middle Tennessee.”

Jones is the author of three other books, including “Murfreesboro in the Civil War,” which she co-authored with retired Motlow State Community College history professor Michael Bradley.

Jones also is a past president of the Rutherford County Historical Society, a member of the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities, a founding member of Friends of Stones River National Battlefield and a member of the Martha Ready Morgan Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Tickets are $15 per person. Light refreshments will be served. Reservations are required. Contact Oaklands Mansion at 615-893-0022 or by email at info@oaklandsmansion.org.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)