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Podcasts
Interview With Historian David Britton, Fort Defiance/Fort Bruce, Contraband Camp Legacy Episode 131
October 4, 2026Our friend David Britton joins us today to discuss his thesis paper on the subject of the Contraband Encampment associated with the Civil War era Union Fort in Clarksville Tennessee. This encampment had not been the subject of much scholarship until now.
David was able to uncover and explore a trove of documentary materials which reveal a great deal about the lives of African American people and their struggles and resilience during the time of war. These were the records of the Freedmen’s Bureau and also the widows pension applications filed by the widows of Colored Troops soldiers.
This encampment has had a lasting legacy in the formation of neighborhoods in Clarksville and the lives of African American citizens in that city
Recovering the Celestial City_Britton Thesis updated oct26.pdf click for pdf of thesis paper
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Interview with Kristin Hopkins, Native Plant Materials Program Manager, Southeast Grasslands Institute Episode 130
September 18, 2026
Interview With Bobby Inman, Town Crier, Town of Falmouth, Cornwall, England “Falmouth Uncovered” Episode 128
July 27, 2026
Interview With Jordan Young, TEC Chief of Field Operations, Water Quality Initiative Episode 127
June 26, 2026
Interview With Dare Bible, Tennessee State Parks Recreation Program Services, retired, Episode 126
June 5, 2026
Interview With Mark Houston, Park Manager, Cumberland Mtn State Park, Cumberland Homesteads Buildings Episode 125
April 17, 2026
Interview With Irish Author Jonathan Smyth, The Cavan Diaspora and Insights Into Irish Heritage , Episode 124
March 7, 2026
Interview with Alisha O”Dell, Wild Hearts, Home Fires and Boykin Spaniels Episode 123
February 6, 2026About Mark
Mark Thomas Fraley is a lawyer (now retired) in Nashville, Tennessee (USA). Prior to starting law practice in 1987, Mark was active in the field of Parks and Recreation. He was the first Parks and Recreation Director for the cities of Gatlinburg and Sevierville Tennessee. He was the founding program administrator for the Parks and Recreation Technical Advisory Service (PARTAS). He served as Assistant to the Commissioner for Cultural Resources and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer and was involved in the establishment of the Tennessee Mainstreet Program. He later served as Assistant Commissioner of Conservation and Director of Parks and Recreation for the State of Tennessee. In 1987 Mark was designated a “Fellow” of the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association.
Mark practiced law in Nashville Tennessee from 1987 until retirement in 2017. He had a general practice with an emphasis on Social Security Disability claims. He was a faculty member of the Nashville School of Law ( 1997-2009) teaching the course on Social Security Law.
Education
University of Cincinnati, 1974, Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy)
Nashville School of Law, 1983, Doctor of Jurisprudence
Licensure
License to Practice Law, Tennessee Supreme Court (1983) BPR# 10448
Admitted to Practice, U.S. Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (1987)
Admitted to Practice, U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, (1994)
Pictured with his wife Helen E. (Beth) Tanner.
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