(Scroll Down for Photos) Step back to yesterday and see the common threads that weave together the lives of women through the past decades in middle Tennessee and across the country.   Enjoy traveling in time from the brocade and satin of the 1870s to the stories and suits of the wartime brides in the 1940s at the “Wedding Dresses Through the Decades” exhibit at Oaklands Historic House Museum presented in partnership with the Human Sciences Department of Middle Tennessee State University.

WGNS' Truman Jones talked to Mary Beth Nevills and Nila Gober about the exhibit at Oakland's Mansion...

Wedding dresses from many decades will be on display in Maney Hall and can be viewed by the public at Oaklands Historic House Museum from January 13 through March 3, 2013.  During this exhibit, grandmothers, mothers and daughters will have the rare opportunity to view items from not only the museum collection, but also elegant and fashionable wedding dresses worn by ladies from both Murfreesboro and around the country.

“The clothing and textiles are now very fragile and delicate,” said Nila Gober, curator of Oaklands. “We look forward to sharing the hidden collections of Oaklands and others in the community with our visitors.”

 This is an excellent way to walk through the past and see the changes in fashions from the different areas, times and cultures. The exhibit will be open during regular visiting hours, Monday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sundays 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  Admission to the exhibit is $5.00 per person and open to the public. Museum tours are available at regular rates and normal museum hours.

An open house will take place on January 13, 2013 from 2:00-4:00 pm in Maney Hall at Oaklands Historic House Museum. The open house is $5.00 per person.

“Wedding Dresses Through the Decades” exhibit is in conjunction with “Language of Love and Courtship” tours that will also take place through March 3, 2013, which is included with regular admission to the museum.

Oaklands Historic House Museum, located at 900 North Maney Avenue in Murfreesboro, Tennessee is a nationally registered historic landmark that reflects a time of prosperity in the Old South, as well as the hardships suffered during the Civil War.