South Jackson Civic Association was formed in 1977 to “Save South Jackson”, a grass-roots effort to halt the destruction of the South Jackson School.  Nestled in the core of the building is Tullahoma’s first public school built in 1886.  We opened our doors as the South Jackson Civic Center in January, 1979 with our first performance.  South Jackson Civic Association has operated for the past thirty years as a presenting organization, museum and community resource serving the Middle Tennessee counties of Coffee, Moore, Franklin, Bedford and Warren. The Civic Center (now known as the Performing Arts Center) contains rehearsal facilities, conference and meeting rooms, a 400-seat auditorium, full stage with proscenium arch and a local history museum.

South Jackson Civic Association maintains and operates the Performing Arts Center with a full-time Coordinator, a part-time Assistant Coordinator, a 10-member Executive Board whose job is to determine policy and finance, a 12-member Operations Committee which manages the day-to-day operations of the facility, the Mitchell Museum and the Friends of South Jackson, a volunteer group.

Each year the Performing Arts Center entertains and educates with a variety of programs for the community.