Historic Tours Return to Weekly Activity Schedule in Jonesborough
Jonesborough’s Historic Walking Tours will resume on Friday, March 4 at 1 p.m., and there are some exciting changes coming this season.
Implemented in the fall of 2014 by the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia and Main Street Jonesborough, these tours have shared Jonesborough’s rich history and heritage with more than 1,000 people thus far.
This season, guests can purchase their tickets, still only $5 per person, directly at the Chester Inn State Historic Site and Museum located on Main Street in downtown Jonesborough. Tours will depart from the Museum and costumed guides will lead guests on an hour long journey through Jonesborough’s storied past.
Historic Walking Tours will be available Monday, Friday and Saturday from March through April. The schedule will change to include Wednesday beginning the first of May and run through the end of October.
All tours start at 1 p.m. and last approximately an hour to accommodate guests partaking in the International Storytelling Center’s Teller in Residence program that begins at 2 p.m.
For more information on Jonesborough’s Historic Walking Tours, please contact the Chester Inn Museum at 423.753.4580. To schedule a tour for a larger group, or another day/time, please contact the Heritage Alliance directly at 423.753.9580.
Third Annual Constitution Week Bell Ringing
This Sunday, September 18th, at 2:00 in the afternoon, the State of Franklin Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), are hosting their Third Annual Bell Ringing in honor of Constitution Week. The event will take place at Oak Hill School, located at 214 East Sabin Drive in Jonesborough across from the Washington County/Jonesborough Public Library. Since the event is taking place at an historic schoolhouse, there will be plenty of history. The program includes theatrical presentations on the fight for the 19th amendment in Tennessee, the David Crockett High School chorus, and the Over Mountain Men. Bring your bells on Sunday and “make a joyful noise” as America celebrates the Constitution.
The Daughters of the American Revolution began the tradition of celebrating the Constitution. In 1955, the DAR petitioned Congress to set aside September 17-23 annually to be dedicated for the observance of Constitution Week. The resolution was adopted by Congress and signed into law on August 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The State of Franklin Chapter of the NSDAR has been based in Jonesborough since 1929.
Old Jonesborough Cemetery Tours Return on Sept 10
Old Jonesborough Cemetery tours will resume on Saturday, September 10 and run through the end of October. Every Saturday at 2:30, take a tour of Jonesborough’s historic cemeteries. Learn about the history of the burial grounds, their evolution, and the lives of some of the people buried there. Tickets are $3.00 at the Chester Inn Museum. Purchase a combo ticket for the 1:00 Town Tour and 2:30 Cemetery Tour for only $7.00.
Jonesborough Days 2016
Jonesborough Days is here again! The Festival will be Thursday, June 30 – Saturday, July 2. For an entire weekend schedule, click here. The Chester Inn State Historic Site & Museum will be open extended hours from 11-7 on Thursday, and 10-7 on Friday and Saturday. We’ll have Historic Walking Tours with our costumed guides on Friday at 11:00 and 1:00 and Saturday at 1:00. Tours are $5.00. Tickets are available in the Museum.
In addition to all that, we’ll have activities for kids in the #OnlyInJonesborough Discovery Park behind the International Storytelling Center. Oak Hill School will move outside, complete with desks and quill pens. Join our Schoolmarm on Friday and Saturday at 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, and 1:30 for quill pen lessons. We’ll also have Heritage Games from 12:00-8:00 in the park. Learn to play a game of Graces, skip a rope, engage in a round of Nine Pins, and so much more!
Summer Events at Oak Hill School
Come back to school this summer at Oak Hill School! Built in 1886 by the Knob Creek Community, Oak Hill School housed first through eighth grade students until 1952. It was relocated to Jonesborough and preserved, and today it continues to welcome students. Guests will step back in time, hear the stories, write with a quill pen and experience history this summer with Oak Hill School’s summer programs for children and adults.
The Heritage Alliance is hosting two special events in the historic schoolhouse this July. On Saturday, July 16, from 1 to 3 p.m., kids of all ages are welcome to come hear stories from the Jonesborough Storytellers Guild. These stories are perfect for families and the event will be led by Mother Goose herself. The concert is free, and any donations will go to the continued care and maintenance of Oak Hill School.
Why should kids have all the fun, though? On Friday, July 22, the schoolhouse will be open for a Big Kid Day, where students 18 and older are welcome to come and experience a school day in 1893. The day will start at 9 a.m. and end at 1 p.m. and will include lessons in arithmetic, reading, penmanship using quill pens, history, geography and much more. There will be recess, of course. The cost for the day is $5 per student and reservations are required as space is limited. The money will assist with the continued maintenance of the building and help support the Oak Hill School Heritage Education Program. Through this program, students from across the region visit Oak Hill School for an experiential, hands-on learning experience.
Registration is required for both events by contacting the Heritage Alliance at info@heritageall.org or calling 423-753-9580.
Chester Inn Museum Reopens May 18
The Chester Inn State Historic Site and Museum will reopen to the public on Wednesday, May 18. The Museum will be on its summer hours.
Mon, Wed-Sat 11:00-6:00
Sun 1:00-5:00
If you have any questions about the Museum, please call 423-753-4580, or 423-753-9580.
Chester Inn Museum Closed for New Lighting System
The Chester Inn State Historic Site and Museum is temporarily closed to install and test a new lighting system. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. In the meantime, stay tuned for Pop-Up Museums! We’ll post updates about our Pop-Up Museums and status reports on the Chester Inn.
Now Hiring: Lead Docent for Chester Inn Museum
The Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia is now hiring for the position of Lead Docent at the Chester Inn State Historic Site and Museum. This position offers a wide variety of museum related responsibilities, including visitor services, exhibition planning, installation, maintenance and interpretation. Museum related experience is required, course work in museum studies and public history is desirable. For a job description and info on how to apply, please click here.
The Heritage Alliance is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.
Historic Town Tours Resume March 4
Historic Tours Return to Weekly Activity Schedule in Jonesborough
Jonesborough’s Historic Walking Tours will resume on Friday, March 4 at 1 p.m., and there are some exciting changes coming this season.
Implemented in the fall of 2014 by the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia and Main Street Jonesborough, these tours have shared Jonesborough’s rich history and heritage with more than 1,000 people thus far.
This season, guests can purchase their tickets, still only $5 per person, directly at the Chester Inn State Historic Site and Museum located on Main Street in downtown Jonesborough. Tours will depart from the Museum and costumed guides will lead guests on an hour long journey through Jonesborough’s storied past.
Historic Walking Tours will be available Monday, Friday and Saturday from March through April. The schedule will change to include Wednesday beginning the first of May and run through the end of October.
All tours start at 1 p.m. and last approximately an hour to accommodate guests partaking in the International Storytelling Center’s Teller in Residence program that begins at 2 p.m.
For more information on Jonesborough’s Historic Walking Tours, please contact the Chester Inn Museum at 423.753.4580. To schedule a tour for a larger group, or another day/time, please contact the Heritage Alliance directly at 423.753.9580.
Not Your Ordinary Dinner Party – Exciting New Event!
What do you get when you mix legendary southern style bar-b-que with a historic cemetery set in Tennessee’s Oldest Town? “Not Your Ordinary Dinner Party.”
The Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia presents an outdoor drama theatre on June 11 at 6:30 p.m. outside the historic Old Jonesborough Cemetery and Carriage House Bed & Breakfast located on East Main Street in Jonesborough.
A fundraiser for the region-wide preservation organization, “Not Your Ordinary Dinner Party” will consist of Washington County Commissioner Joe Grandy’s much talked about bar-b-que as the main course, complimented with southern sides and a savory dessert as guests are treated to a production created specifically for the evening by local playwright Anne Mason. The production is entitled “With These Hands” and will only be available for public audiences during the Not Your Ordinary Dinner Party fundraiser hosted by the Heritage Alliance.
Mason describes the three act production as a “dramedy” that takes a look into the lives of several Washington County residents that are buried in some of the oldest cemeteries in the area. Stories will be portrayed by local actors in period style clothing. The stories will include tales of folks buried in Maple Lawn, Rocky Hill and College Hill Cemeteries.
Not Your Ordinary Dinner Party is a fundraising effort to benefit the preservation and heritage education work of the Heritage Alliance, a not-for-profit organization whose region-wide work includes the award winning Oak Hill School Heritage Education program, the Chester Inn State Historic Site and the Jonesborough Washington County History Museum and Archives.
The event will take place on June 11 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are offered at a pre-sale discount of $80 through April 16. Beginning April 17, tickets are $85 per person and will be offered on a first-come-first serve basis.
To purchase tickets, visit jonesboroughtn.org or call 423-753-1010.
Chester Inn Museum Open for Chocolate Fest
The Chester Inn Museum will be open for Jonesborough’s first annual Chocolate Fest on Saturday, February 13 from 11:00-6:00. We’ll have chocolatey goodness for festival ticket holders. We’ll also have a Town Tour at 1:00. Tickets for the tour are $5.00 and can be purchased at the Chester Inn Museum. Tickets for the Chocolate Fest are available online until 5:00 pm on Tuesday, February 9. After that, they’ll be available at the International Storytelling Center.
Follow this link (http://www.jonesboroughtn.org/index.php/component/k2/154-jamsa-chocolate-fest) for tickets.