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Chester Inn Museum opens for 2024 Season

Chester Inn Museum opens for 2024 Season with new exhibit and town tour times

The Chester Inn State Historic Site & Museum is now open for its 2024 season. The museum is currently on its spring hours and is open Monday and Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Hours will increase for the summer in May.

The museum offers permanent and rotating exhibits about the history of Jonesborough and the surrounding area. Visitors can participate in a site tour, which includes two restored floors depicting what the inn might have looked like as a functioning hotel in the late 19th century.

“The Chester Inn is truly one of Jonesborough’s historic gems,” says Dr. Megan Cullen Tewell, executive director at the Heritage Alliance. “The site is a favorite for all kinds of visitors, including local residents, K-12 school groups and out-of-town guests. We love that the museum enables a wide range of people to connect with and learn more about the town’s past.”

There is no admission price for the Chester Inn Museum, but there is a suggested $2 donation per visitor. The museum is also seeking new volunteers to serve as hosts, docents, and tour guides. 

Historic Jonesborough Town Tours returns on Saturdays starting on Saturday, March 16. Town Tours are available every Saturday at 1 p.m. Tickets are $6. The tour leaves from the Chester Inn and costumed guides share the history of Tennessee’s Oldest Town and the people who called it home.

The Chester Inn State Historic Site and Museum is funded under an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Historical Commission. For more information on the Chester Inn Museum or the Heritage Alliance, call the office at 423.753.9580 or the Chester Inn Museum at 423.753.4580. Follow the Chester Inn and Heritage Alliance Facebook pages for updates about events at the Chester Inn and other Heritage Alliance programs.

Thursday Evening Town Tours Extended through July

This special, evening tour departs from the Chester Inn Museum. Costumed guides will discuss the history of the town, its people, and the lives they built as you stroll down Main Street. Tickets are $5.00 per person and can be purchased at the Chester Inn Museum. Children 8 and younger are free.   

For more information on the tours, please contact the Heritage Alliance at 423-753-9580, or the Chester Inn Museum at 423-753-4580. To schedule a tour for a larger group, or another day, please contact the Heritage Alliance directly.

Chester Inn Museum Extends Town Tours for Summer 2023

The Chester Inn State Historic Site & Museum is currently on its summer/fall hours and is open Monday and Wednesday-Saturday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and on Sunday from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

 

The Historic Jonesborough Town Tour is also expanding its hours for summer. In addition to the regular, Saturday afternoon (1:00 pm) tours, you can also take a Town Tour on Sundays at 3:00 pm starting Sunday, June 4th. Sunday Town Tours will be available every Sunday through the end of September to correspond with Brews & Tunes. Take a tour and then stick around for the music, food truck, and libations in front of the International Storytelling Center.

 

The Chester Inn Museum is also thrilled to announce the return of Thursday evening tours. These tours are perfect for a summer evening. Thursday evenings will take place at 7:00 pm on June 1st, 8th, and 22nd. All tours are $5.00 and tickets are available at the museum. Children eight and under are free.

 

The Old Jonesborough Cemetery Tours will be back, too, on Saturday, June 3rd. Cemetery Tours are available the first and third Saturdays of the month through October at 2:30 pm. Tickets for Cemetery Tours are $5.00. Proceeds from the Cemetery Tour help with the restoration of the historic tombstones. You can get a combo ticket for the Saturday Town Tour and the Cemetery Tour for only $8.00.

 

There’s not a bad time to tour Tennessee’s Oldest Town and learn about the people who built their lives here.

 

The Chester Inn State Historic Site and Museum is funded under an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Historical Commission. For more information on the Chester Inn Museum or the Heritage Alliance please call our office at 423.753.9580 or the Chester Inn Museum at 423.753.4580. You can also contact the organization via email at info@heritageall.org.  Additional information about the Heritage Alliance and its mission can be found online at http://www.heritageall.org/. Be sure to follow the Chester Inn and Heritage Alliance Facebook pages for updates about events at the Chester Inn and other Heritage Alliance programs.

 

Chester Inn Museum Opens for 2023 Season with New Exhibit and Town Tour Times

The Chester Inn State Historic Site & Museum is now open for its 2023 season! The museum is currently on its spring hours and is open Monday and Friday-Saturday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and on Sunday from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Hours will expand for the summer on Wednesday, May 3rd.

 

In addition to the museum’s permanent exhibits about the history of Jonesborough, special exhibits focus on local historian and explorer Paul Fink and his efforts to create the Appalachian Trail, the tragedy and triumph behind the Cherokee diaspora from Appalachia, and a closer look at abolitionism in Northeast Tennessee prior to the Civil War. There museum tour also includes three; restored rooms that depict what the inn might have looked like when it was a functioning hotel at the turn of the twentieth century.

 

“The State of Tennessee and the Tennessee Historical Commission completed a major, capital improvement project on the building last year,” says Heritage Alliance Executive Director Anne Mason. “Thanks to their restoration efforts, the building looks closer to its late 1800s appearance now than it ever has before, at least since the 1800s. We’re also excited to re-open the historic projecting porch this season.”

 

Site Manger Joshua Dacey explains, “Our new exhibits not only bring to light lesser-known histories of Jonesborough, but they also humanize seminal figures from Jonesborough’s past. We hope visitors can make meaningful connections to those stories and individuals.” The current special exhibits will be on display through the summer, so make sure you stop by and check them out. There is no admission price for the Chester Inn Museum, but there is a suggested $2 donation per visitor. Keep up to date with the museum by following the Chester Inn on Facebook and YouTube! The museum will also be hosting an Open House on March 9th from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. Visit the museum after hours that evening and learn how you can volunteer to be a museum host and/or a tour guide.

 

Historic Jonesborough Town Tours are also back in full swing on Saturdays starting on March 4th.  Town Tours are available every Saturday at 1:00 pm.  This year Town Tours will also be available at 3:00 pm on Sundays before Brews and Tunes from June through September. Tickets are only $5.00. The tour leaves from the Chester Inn and costumed guides share the history of Tennessee’s Oldest Town and the people who called it home.

 

The Chester Inn State Historic Site and Museum is funded under an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Historical Commission. For more information on the Chester Inn Museum or the Heritage Alliance please call our office at 423.753.9580 or the Chester Inn Museum at 423.753.4580. You can also contact the organization via email at info@heritageall.org.  Additional information about the Heritage Alliance and its mission can be found online at http://www.heritageall.org/. Be sure to follow the Chester Inn and Heritage Alliance Facebook pages for updates about events at the Chester Inn and other Heritage Alliance programs.

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