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davecallahan Says: Just north of Norris Dam is a nice state park where you can spend a restful afternoon contemplating your navel.The park facilities include public restrooms and water fountains, camping area (under 50 sites), picnic areas, cabins, boating marina (with launch dock), pavillions...
davecallahan Says: About 1900 ft long and 250 ft high, this dam holds back the Cinch River to form Norris Lake and prevents seasonal river floods down stream. The Tennessee Valley Authority had this constructed (with much controversy) in the 1930's.I wasn't much impressed with the dam. We have...
davecallahan Says: This outdoor museum was nicely landscaped and had good access path/sidewalks. They did not advertise handicap access but most of the areas were easily approached on paved/cemented walks.The day we were there was early in the tourist season and we were self-guided. Groups can...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: The Hacker Martin Gristmill is the newest addition to the Museum of Appalachia. It is an authentic water-powered corn and wheat mill that was originally located in the community of Boone's Creek, a few miles from Johnson City in northeast Tennessee. The Mill is still...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: In the Arnwine Cabin, in the early to mid 1800's, old Wes Arnwine and his wife reared a large family, and many hundreds of descendents still live in the East Tennessee region. The last occupants of the cabin were "old Aunt Julie and Polly Ann" Arnwine. The cabin was built...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: This one-room, dirt-floored structure was used by 20th Century Fox as the frontier home of Daniel Boone in the TV series for CBS called Young Dan'l Boone. It is an authentic pioneer log cabin, built in the New River Section of Anderson County, Tennessee, in the early 1800's....
Stephen-KarenConn Says: Broomcorn was grown by almost every early family and made into round brooms, consisting of a few bunches of broomstraw tied on a stick. The wooden "geared and cogged" rope making machine housed in this old log buiding enabled one to make any size rope desired by twisting...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: The McClung House was built a few miles southwest of Knoxville on the wagon path that later came to be known as Kingston Pike and U.S. Hwy. 70. It is thought to have been built in the 1790's, by the McClungs who later became one of East Tennessee's most prominent families....
Stephen-KarenConn Says: This Overhang or Cantilever Barn was moved from its original location near Seymour in Sevier County, Tennessee. The extreme eastern part of Tennessee, in and near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is one of the few regions in the country where this type of barn is...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: The Peters House and Homestead was moved from its original location in adjoining Union County near the village of Lutrell. The first known occupant was Nathaniel Peters who lived here about 1840. His oldest daughter, Cordelia, was born here and raised her own nine children...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: This bark grinder was used by pioneer settlers for crushing the bark of trees to obtain tannin, a necessary ingredient in the tanning of animal hides. A mule would be used to power the grinder, walking around in circles to turn the heavy stone.
Helpfulness
In one corner of the Museum of Appalachia's barnlike Entrance Building was the Cafe. It is a simple place, with no servers. You order and pick up your meal from the counter and it will be served on a styrofoam plate with plastic eating utensils. However, the prices were correspondingly low. Large windows offer a beautiful view across the museum village grounds. Sandwiches or complete plate lunches are available.
Favorite Dish: Karen and I were here on a recent Sunday noon and enjoyed an absolutely wonderful plate lunch for only $5.95 each. I had the pork roast and Karen the chicken-and-dumplings, both with a choice of vegetables. We shared our meals with each other and found both to be absolutely delicious.
We had the Mounds Cake for desert and it was to die for. Named for the Mounds candy bar, it is a moist dark chocolate layer cake with a fabulous coconut icing - fantastic!
Updated Nov 23, 2004
Phone: 865-494-7680
Website: www.museumofappalachia.com
Helpfulness
One of the most delightful aspects of a visit to the Museum of Appalachia is that you will find a few of the buildings occupied by local entertainers who are there to share their stories, or their music. On our most recent visit, at the Prater's Homestead House, we found two musicians, Judy Carson on the autoharp and "Cuzin" Raye Rutherford on the guitar. We had a seat in ladderback cane-bottom chairs and enjoyed their singing and playing of several old time mountain tunes.
On a previous visit to the Museum, at the McClung House, I sat for a half hour and was enthralled at the stories of an old-timer who had grown up in the area.
Updated Nov 21, 2004
Phone: 865-494-7680
Website: www.museumofappalachia.com
Helpfulness
In Norris, there have been only 1 murder, 3 car thefts and 1 robbery in over 6 years.
There are no registered sex offenders; annually there are only two fights/assaults.
That makes Norris a really safe place to live and visit.
If you use common sense and don't act like a silly tourist, then you should have a nice, safe vacation in this town.
Updated Mar 8, 2007
Stephen-KarenConn Says: This old salt kettle was used to make salt by boiling salt laden water at Saltville, Virginia. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln ordered this "salt works" and others like it destroyed, and four generals carried out his orders. After capturing the salt kettle...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: Wire, nails and other hardware were expensive and difficult to obtain for the pioneer homesteader, but there were an abundance of trees, many of which needed to be cleared to make room for pastures, gardens, etc. Therefore it was a natural to build fences of split rails. You...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: Near the center of the Museum of Appalachia you will see this authentic working cane mill and hay stack, both of which are still in use.Visitors who come to the Museum in early fall may see a mule slowly turning the mill as it presses the sweet juices of sorghum cane which...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: Sun dials such as this one were used for thousands of years to accurately tell the time of day. This sun dial, now found near the center of the Museum of Appalachia Village, once stood in the sunken garden of playwrite Tennessee Williams' great grandfather's home in...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: Pioneer farmers built houses of gourds to encourage flocks of purple martins to nest and raise their young on their homesteads. The purple martin, a large dark member of the swallow family, is desirable because of their enormous appetite for flying insects, including the...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: These White Silkies were among the rare breeds of poultry we saw at the Museum of Appalachia. The birds have free range over the entire 65 acres so you may see them anywhere. I particularly enjoyed this since I used to raise rare breeds of poultry as a hobby.These peculiar...
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Museum of Appalachia: Norris, Tennessee
Normally I would not devote a complete set of pages to a single museum, but the Museum of Appalachia is no ordinary place. It is a wondrous 60 acre living mountain village, which has earned rave...
The 1500 residents of Norris, TN are 99% caucasian. 200 families live in the area. The average household income is surprisingly high for such a small town ($50000). Much of the work is government,...
A little town off I-75 that offered a convenient stopping point to eat and stretch our legs between Carterville, GA & Cincinnati, OH. If you follow the signs to the "Museum of Appalachia", you will...
Build your own Norris page
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