Beat the heat and bring your family in on July 4th to learn about our area’s rich history. The Museum of East Tennessee History, with exhibits Voices of the Land: The People of East Tennessee and Pennies for the Park: The Grassroots Campaign to Establish the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will be open on the July 4th weekend.

Special holiday hours are from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. Sunday is “family day” with free museum admission and also the last day to view the Pennies for the Park exhibit.

The 8,500 square-foot exhibition tells the story of more than three centuries of life in the region and is the only exhibition to encompass the entire history of East Tennessee. The museum features more than 500 important historical artifacts, and include more than 350 stories of individual East Tennesseans, as well as 25 media programs, including touch
screen interactives and three feature videos.

Since its opening in late-August of last year, more than 33,000 visitors have enjoyed the exhibition. The exhibit has also won more than ten awards on the state and national level.

The Campaign to Establish the Great Smoky Mountains National Park tells the story of the grass-roots efforts to establish the park as well as documents, through stories and artifacts, life in the mountain communities just prior to the establishment of the park. The exhibit covers the 20 years prior to the dedication of the park in 1940.

This exhibit is an official event of the 75th anniversary of the Smoky Mountain National Park. It is
sponsored by Friends of the Smoky Mountain National park and will be on display until July 5.

Celebrating 175 years of service in 2009, the East Tennessee Historical Society has been helping East Tennesseans hold on to our unique heritage -recording the events, collecting the artifacts, and saving the stories that comprise the history we all share. The historical society pursues its educational mission through publications, lectures, conferences, school programs, exhibits, and heritage programs such as the popular First Families of Tennessee and the new Civil War Families of Tennessee.

The East Tennessee History Center houses the staff and programs of the East Tennessee Historical Society, the Museum of East Tennessee History, the Calvin M. McClung Collection and the Knox County Archives.