Holiday Office Hours

The offices of the Heritage Alliance will be closed starting Monday, December 22nd.  We will reopen on Monday, January 5th at 9:00 a.m.  Town Tours will casino still take place on 12/22, 12/26, 12/27, and 12/29 at 11:00 p.m., depart from the International Storytelling Center.  The Chester Inn museum will also be open the next two weekends from 11:00-6:00 on Friday and Saturday and on Sunday from 1:00-5:00.  We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Jonesborough Town Tour Schedule through Dec 31st

Town Tour schedule for the rest of 2014, all tours depart from the International Storytelling Center. After December 29th, Town Tours will be available by request. We’ll start back up with a regular schedule in Spring 2015. All dates below are subject to change in cases of inclement weather.


12/13 – 11:00
12/15 – 11:00
12/17 – 11:00
12/19 – 11:00
12/20 – 11:00
12/22 – 11:00
12/24 – No Tour
12/26 – 11:00
12/27 – 11:00
12/29 – 11:00
12/31 – No Tour

Chester Inn Museum Open Dec 26-28

By popular demand, the Chester Inn Museum will be open after Christmas on Friday, December 26th and Saturday, December 27th from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., and on Sunday, December 28th from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.  The museum will close for the season on the 28th.  Bring your friends and family to visit.  Learn about the oldest commercial building in Tennessee’s oldest town, and view a Victorian Christmas in the upstairs parlor and dining room.

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Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee project in Hawkins and Carter Counties

Folks from TSLA will be in Rogersville and Elizabethton next week for the Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee project (www.tncivilwar150.org). This may be their last trip to the northeastern corner of Tennessee, other than the final “signature event” in Knoxville April 30-May 1, 2015.  Items will be digitized and not taken from the owners.  TSLA will protect identities of the owners, and will send them copies of the digital images they use.

Dec. 3, 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (eastern) – Hawkins County Archives, Rogersville.  Press release: http://tnsos.org/Press/story.php?item=926

Dec. 4, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (eastern) – Elizabethton-Carter County Public Library. Press release: http://tnsos.org/Press/story.php?item=927

Attached are the registration forms for each event, found online here: http://www.tennessee.gov/tsla/cwtn/events.htm. You can also access the online casino Carter County form by clicking here and the Hawkins County form by clicking here.  Generally, it’s best if people call or email their reservations, and do it by Tuesday, Dec. 2, since the team will be on the road on Wednesday and Thursday. Walk-ins are welcome, but they”ll see folks with appointments first.

Just a note about what’s eligible for the project . . . TSLA asks that people bring in original items. Photocopies of their research, including Civil War Service Records, cannot be scanned for the project.  They can make photocopies for vertical files. Items do not have to be Tennessee-related, though we do focus on Tennessee. They’ve had a lot of interesting items from other states, brought in by people whose descendants now live in Tennessee.

Share your history today!

Progressive Dinner: Focus on the Volunteers

Plans Underway for Sold Out Jonesborough Progressive Dinner

All  seating times are now sold out including 3 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 5:20 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:40 p.m.

The magic of Tennessee’s oldest town comes alive during the annual Progressive Dinner hosted by the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. This year’s dinner takes place on the evening of Sat., Dec. 6 with a variety of seating times including 3 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 5:20 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:40 p.m.  However, all seating times are now sold out due to an overwhelming response from folks across the region.

Now in its 37th year, the Progressive Dinner provides an enchanting evening of great food, good friends, holiday music and an insider’s look at some of Jonesborough’s spectacular historic structures. Begun as a way to celebrate Tennessee’s Oldest Town’s historic preservation efforts, the event is still the main fundraiser for the Heritage Alliance, this region’s local partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Jonesborough’s preservation specialists.

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Guests will be escorted to five historic structures during the evening as each location features a different course, live holiday music and the signature warmth and hospitality of Jonesborough. Structures are chosen to highlight the diverse architectural styles and periods represented by Jonesborough’s beautifully preserved Historic District. Three of the structures include private homes. By combining public and private buildings with various styles and periods, the Progressive Dinner takes you back to holidays past and offers a calming atmosphere from the hustle and bustle of today’s holiday season.

The main event begins at the state owned Chester Inn Museum and ends at a private home located in Jonesborough.  The meal is provided by locally owned Main Street Café & Catering with the dessert by Embree House Wedding Cakes, Patricia nbso online casino reviews Stern and Ginine Argueta.

The Progressive dinner has become a traditional start to the holidays for many people throughout East Tennessee and surrounding states. Seasonal music by several of our area’s finest musicians, including the ever popular Jonesborough Novelty Band, gourmet food, memorable camaraderie and great fun are the hallmarks of this popular event.

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Another aspect that makes Jonesborough’s Progressive Dinner a memorable tradition is the volunteers.  Executive Director of the Heritage Alliance Deborah Montanti estimates that in order for the event to run smoothly, nearly 80 volunteers are needed in a variety of forms.

“We are so grateful for the support that comes from the community as they step forward to assist in numerous roles,” Montanti said. “Volunteers are what really make the Progressive Dinner personal and fun for the guests.  They assist in decorations, food preparation and presentation, serving and in many other ways.”

“I’ve been involved with the Progressive Dinner since 1988,” Marcy Hawley said.  “It’s just wonderful, and I look forward to assisting with the event each year.”

Hawley has been involved with the Progressive Dinner in a variety of capacities, including hosting the dinner in her home, washing dishes, serving food and cooking several of the courses.

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“I love sharing Jonesborough with people, it is so special and many folks from the area are not familiar with the Progressive Dinner and what Jonesborough has to offer,” Hawley said. “The Christmas season showcases Jonesborough at its best; there have been some of the same groups attending the Progressive Dinner for nearly 25 years.”

Volunteers are still needed for the 37th Annual Progressive Dinner on Dec. 6.  Anyone interested in supporting the event may contact the Heritage Alliance at 423-753-9580.  2015 Progressive Dinner tickets will become available to the public in late August 2015. To be added to a contact list for Progressive Dinner ticket sales, contact the Heritage Alliance at 423-753-9580 or email info@heritageall.org.

"Things Are Changing" at ETSU November 14

The History Department at East Tennessee State University with support from the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, invites alumni, students, and community members to a performance of 2013 graduate Anne G’Fellers-Mason’s play “Things Are Changing’: A One-Act Historical Play about Gender, Race, and Education.” Set in late nineteenth-century Jonesborough, Tennessee, and based on newspapers and primary documents of the era, the play conveys the real-life controversy that arose over Yardley Warner”s Freedmen”s Normal School, known as the Warner Institute. Despite strong criticism from the editorial staff of The Jonesboro Journal, Julia Bullard Nelson, a spirited, young schoolteacher for Warner Institute, and Yardley Warner, founder and principle of the institute, online casino remained steadfast in their challenge against long-held stereotypes about gender, race, and education in late nineteenth-century America.

The performance will be held in 118 Rogers-Stout Hall at 7:00 pm on Friday, November 14. A question-and-answer session and a reception with light refreshments will follow the production.  This event is free and open to the public, but anyone wishing to attend should contact the History Department at (423) 439-4222 or email the department at historyofu@etsu.edu to ensure that seats remain available.  To view the flyer, please click here.

Things Are Changing

A Spot On the Hill – Nov 1 Performances Moved Inside!

Due to the bitter cold and rain/snow mix this Saturday, the 3:30 and 5:00 performances of A Spot On the Hill have been moved inside to the Jonesborough/Washington County History Museum located inside the Historic Jonesborough Visitor’s Center on Boone Street as you enter downtown. The light will be low and the spirits of the Old Jonesborough Cemetery will still be ready to share.

 

Progressive Dinner SOLD OUT

The 37th Annual Progressive Dinner is SOLD OUT!  We look forward to seeing our ticket holders for a night of merriment and delicious food online casino on December 6th.  Thanks to you all for helping to keep this wonderful tradition alive.

New Show Added to A Spot On the Hill!

Due to weather readjustments, we”ve added a new show to A Spot On the Hill for 3:30 on Saturday, November 1st.  We also still have tickets available for the best online casino 4:00 show on October 25th.  To order tickets, please call the Heritage Alliance at 423.753.9580 or the Jonesborough Visitor”s Center at 423.753.1010.

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Historic Preservation Panel Discussion – Preserving the Heart of a Place: “Changeable… rain at night…”

A historic preservation effort and panel discussion will take place at the Jonesborough Visitors Center on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. entitled Preserving the Heart of a Place: “Changeable… rain at night.”

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The program’s title comes from a DeVault daybook that includes several weather journals. The moderator will be Deborah Montanti, Director of the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Montanti will be joined in discussion by Dr. Carroll Van West, Professor and Director of the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University, Dr. Tom Lee, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at East Tennessee State University, and Dr. William “Bill” Kennedy, Chair of the Jonesborough nbso online casino reviews Historic Zoning Commission.

The discussion is a programming event associated with a current exhibition at the Reece Museum located on the campus at East Tennessee State University entitled The DeVault Tavern. The exhibition will take place at the Reece Museum September 11 through December 12 and showcases the photography of guest curator Paul Kennedy.

For additional information on Preserving the Heart of a Place: “Changeable… rain at night…” contact the Heritage Alliance at 423-753-9580 or email dmontanti@heritageall.org.