East Tennessee Historical Society
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The East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS), located in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of East Tennessee history, the preservation of historically significant artifacts, and educating the citizens of Tennessee. The Society also operates a museum and museum shop in the East Tennessee History Center on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville. The East Tennessee Historical Society was established in 1834, only 38 years after the establishment of the state of Tennessee, to record the history of the development and settlement of the area.[1]
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[edit] Publications
The Society maintains a scholarly journal, the "Journal of East Tennessee History", that is published annually. It contains various essays and articles on a wide range of issues related to East Tennessee history, including the American Civil War, the settlement of East Tennessee, post-Civil War Reconstruction, the Great Depression, and World Wars I and II, as well as more recent events such as the 1982 World's Fair.
The Society publishes two more magazine format titles, the tri-annual "Tennessee Ancestors" and the quarterly newsletter "Newsline". Various books of local interest and history are also published by outside printers under the imprint of the East Tennessee Historical Society.[2]
[edit] East Tennessee History Center
| Museum of East Tennessee History | |
| Established | 1834 |
|---|---|
| Location | 601 South Gay Street Knoxville, Tennessee 37901 |
| Type | History museum |
| Director | Cherel Henderson |
| Curator | Adam Alfrey |
| Public transit access | KAT Bus Lines 13, 14, 20, 21, 23, 31 |
| Website | http://www.east-tennessee-history.org/index.cfm/m/5 |
The headquarters of the East Tennessee Historical Society are located in the East Tennessee History Center, a historical education building in downtown Knoxville and owned by the City of Knoxville. It is home to the Historical Society's Museum of East Tennessee History, a museum depicting cultural and historical exhibits from around the region. The History Center is located in downtown Knoxville at the southwest corner of Gay Street and Clinch Avenue in the old Federal Customs House, constructed in 1874. It has been expanded twice, first in 1910 and again in 2004. The 2004 renovation was a major re-design of the building's interior and almost doubled the interior space with an addition on the building's east side. The additions blend together almost seamlessly, maintaining the same architectural styles of the old Customs House. The interior of the building has also maintained many of the original features, converting the old Federal court room into a reading room, and maintaining the old Post Office as an exhibit hall for the Historical Society's museum.
The History Center also contains the Knox County Archives and the McClung Genealogical Collection of the Knox County Public Libraries. The McClung Collection is on of the preeminent genealogical research facilities in the Southeastern United States. Free lectures and courses designed to encourage individuals to research their family histories as well as educate them in the proper way to conduct such research are given on a regular basis.[3]
[edit] First Families of Tennessee and Civil War Families of Tennessee
The East Tennessee Historical Society maintains two honorary organizations for genealogical research. The First Families of Tennessee is an organization that an individual who is able to trace their ancestors to the original settlers of the area that became Tennessee. The Civil War Families of Tennessee is an organization of individuals who's ancestors fought in the American Civil War on either side.
