Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center is dedicated to preserving the history and culture of peoples who resided in Eastern Tennessee in mountain communities. In an effort to educate visitors on the history of the region, the heritage center offers a museum of permanent and temporary exhibits on topics like natural history, mountain culture, and Native American history. The Historic Village has thirteen original structures that have been furnished to replicate the lifestyles of their former inhabitants.
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Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Great Smoky Mountain Heritage
Center is dedicated to preserving the history and culture of peoples who
resided in Eastern Tennessee in mountain communities. In an effort to educate
visitors on the history of the region, the heritage center offers a museum of
permanent and temporary exhibits. The center also has a historical village,
made up of thirteen historic buildings including a log cabin, the Wilder
Chapel, and a print shop. All of the buildings in the village were renovated
and furnished to illustrate what life was like during the times periods they
represent. Several of these buildings are
The permanent exhibits in the
museum offer displays on a variety of subjects and time periods. The National
Parks Gallery explores the history of the region's natural landmarks. In the
Main Gallery of the center, there are exhibits on the region's Native American
history, focusing on pre-historic life and showcasing artifacts from the area.
Another exhibit in the Main Gallery focuses on mountain culture in East
Tennessee. This exhibit also focuses on the lifestyle of former residents of
the region by presenting a log cabin, one-room schoolhouse, and mills.
Another exhibit demonstrates the
progression of transportation practices in the region from the nineteenth to
twentieth centuries. The gallery will feature both permanent examples of
transportation and a rotating display of automobiles from collectors.