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Chester Inn State Historic Site – Chester Inn Museum

 

The Chester Inn Museum is an enclosed space where six feet of distance cannot be guaranteed.

 

The Chester Inn is a State Owned Historic Site Operated by the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.  The operation of the Chester Inn is partially funded under an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation – Tennessee Historical Commission.

 

 

116 West Main Street

(423) 753-4580

Located in the heart of downtown Jonesborough, the Chester Inn Museum chronicles the history of Jonesborough from its inception in 1779 to the present. The museum is located on the street level of the oldest commercial building in town. Exhibits include information on the State of Franklin, a diorama of Jonesborough in the 1850s, the history of the Chester Inn, and much more. We rotate exhibits quarterly, so make sure you check back to see what’s on display! Many of the exhibits feature Jonesborough’s extensive collection of photographs. The upstairs parlor, dining, and lodging rooms of the Chester Inn, restored to the Victorian era style of the late 1800s, are also open for viewing. Kids’ activities include a museum scavenger hunt, a coloring book that features some of Jonesborough’s historic buildings, and a primary source activity with the cholera epidemic of 1873. This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee.

Hours of Operation

January – February: by appointment only

March – April: 11-6 Mon, Fri, Sat and 1-5 Sun

May – October: 11-6 Mon, Wed-Sat and 1-5 Sun – See Covid19 updates above for July 2020 hours

November – December: 11-6 Mon, Fri, Sat and 1-5 Sun

No admission fees but donations are welcomed!

 


Jonesborough/Washington County History Museum & Archives

Founded in 1982, the Jonesborough/Washington County History Museum and Archives collects artifacts, documents, and photographs to help tell the stories of the land and people who constituted the “mother of Tennessee.”

Our collection of artifacts, newspapers and other ephemera focuses on the social, cultural, and economic history of Jonesborough and Washington County – creating a fascinating historical record of our region. Our extensive photographic collection spans the period from 1850 through the 1980s, and features a number of photographs from early Jonesborough photographers L.M. Keen and O.L. Hensley.

We invite you to visit our gallery space located in the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center at 117 Boone Street. Come and see Jonesborough’s very first fire fighting equipment, purchased in the late 1800s, and view the clock that used to keep time in the 1847 Washington County Courthouse.

Hours of Operation:

Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10:00am – 5:00 pm

No admission fees but donations are welcomed!