Jerry Summers
Anyone who might want to recall the way that things were done early in the history of our country and doesn’t believe in erasing the creativity, ingenuity, and efforts of our ancestors to adjust, improvise and survive should read on.
More importantly you might take a trip to Norris, Tennessee which is 20 miles north of Knoxville. On a panoramic setting of 63 acres sits the Museum of Appalachia.
The facility is described as “A Living Mountain Village” as a pioneer farm village which contains thousands of artifacts and the preservation of stories of the people of South Appalachia.
The museum was founded in 1969 by John Rice Irwin, an East Tennessee educator and businessman who served as the superintendent of Anderson County public schools. He was born in the Big Valley area of Union County in 1930.
As a young boy his family was forced to make two involuntary moves by forced federal government actions.
When the Tennessee Valley Authority took farm land by eminent domain to build the Norris Dam on Norris Lake Irwin’s family was forced to move to the Gamble Valley community, which is now part of Oak Ridge in Anderson County.
The second forced move came when Oak Ridge was selected in the early 1940s to be part of the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb.
Early on Irwin was attracted to the community’s older citizens and their use of tools and practices from the past.
He attended the auction of an old farm in 1962 and was dismayed to observe that many of the old relics would be removed from their historical content.
Irwin believed that the items' true value lay not in its cost or present usage but was in the history of how it was used in earlier days.
After buying a few items he became committed to the collection of old relics for his entire life.
He would shortly thereafter acquire his first log structure and a lifetime of a quest to preserve the history of the area began.
For several years Irwin would travel on the weekends to remote communities in search of artifacts that he displayed in his yard and garage.
His collection grew to the point that Irwin in 1969 opened the Museum of Appalachia as a commercial and historical venture.
Over the next five decades that the museum has been in existence it has acquired more than 30 historic buildings that have been carefully restored to their original condition. They sit on 63 acres of picturesque farm land with over 250,000 artifacts.
The museums’ archives preserve the past with thousands of photographs and oral histories and recollections.
John Irwin’s philosophy and goal was to “preserve not only structures and artifacts relevant to the region’s history but also preserving each items individual history – who owned it, when and how it was created or obtained and how it was used.”
Buildings on the premises include the National Register of Historic Places – Arnwine Cabin and the cabin where it is believed that Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was conceived before his parents, John and Jane, moved to Missouri where the noted icon and author was born.
The buildings have been moved and preserved along with thousands of tools depicting all aspects of life in Southern Appalachia.
The museum is a re-creation of an actual working Appalachian farm complete with growing crops and livestock that roam the grounds.
Other than the cabins and barns on the premises other types of building that depict and would be on a typical pioneer Appalachian farm are present.
Other specific features include open-air and log buildings and a blacksmith shop.
The two story Display Barn contains one of the country’s largest collections of pioneer frontier relics including a fully stocked general store setting and a rural post office.
A separate two-story building houses the Appalachian Hall of Fame which contains items acquired from leading area persons as well as national figures such as Sgt. Alvin C. York, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, and country music legend Roy Acuff. Dozens of musical instruments are displayed such as banjos, Appalachian dulcimers and others.
In the Peoples Building several exhibits are displayed including folk arts, woodcarving, and various murals and furniture from around the region.
Throughout the year (when possible) the museum helps preserve the Appalachian history and culture by hosting several of the following events: “Sheep Shearing Days” (how pioneers used wool), “July 4 Celebration and Anvil Shoot” (firing anvils into atmosphere); “Days of the Pioneer Antique Show” (show and sale of 18th and 19th Century antiques) and “A Candlelight Christmas” (candlelight tours featuring Christmas stories, hot cider and caroling in the Irwin Chapel).
For decades the museum has hosted “Tennessee Fall Homecoming”, one of the largest and most popular authentic music and folk festivals. A few of the featured performers included Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Marty Stuart, Ralph Stanley, John Hartford, etc.
The list of restored buildings include a jail, smokehouse, corn crib, church, school and whiskey still.
Beginning around 1977 the museum began being featured in television shows such as “Young Dan’l Boone” and the Today Show and magazine articles.
Alex Haley, author of “Roots”, visited the museum and was so impressed that he bought the farm across the street from the facility and moved to East Tennessee.
The Museum of Appalachia is located at 2819 Andersonville Highway, Clinton, Tennessee 37716 (865) 494-7680.
In May 2003 the museum was converted from private ownership to a non-profit foundation and is recognized as a Smithsonian Affiliate.
John Reed Irwin at the age of 90 is no longer working at the museum and has some health issues.
Perhaps the best medicine he could receive at his advanced age would be a large influx of new fans at his historical creation?
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Jerry Summers
(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)
John Rice Irwin