How to Tour the Museum of Appalachia

East Tennessee’s John Rice Irwin knows when it comes to Appalachian antiques, it’s not the monetary value of each item but the personal stories they reflect that matter most.

For nearly half a century, East Tennessee’s John Rice Irwin has traveled to remote Southern Appalachian villages trying to preserve a way of life that is quickly fading away. His family called him a bit of a pack rat, as his collection of original mountain tools, furniture, weapons, quilts, instruments and even buildings slowly outgrew their garage and made its way into the yard and later into a storage unit. Now the founder of the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tennessee, Irwin is able to display his antiques and preserve the personal stories behind each item. Featured in "National Geographic Traveler," "Southern Living" and the "Smithsonian" magazine, the museum consists of 30 historic log buildings on 63 acres roaming with peacocks, sheep, chickens and other animals. Hit the following highlights to make the most of your trip.

Instructions

1. Start in the gift shop just off the parking lot, and get acquainted with Irwin and his daughter, Elaine, if they are available. After browsing crafts made by more than 200 local artists, staff will give you a map of the property and rundown of the history behind Irwin’s collection.

2. Exit the side door of the gift shop and follow signs to The Appalachian Hall of Fame, which houses dozens of displays devoted to relics that belonged to historic, famous, colorful and unusual people from the surrounding region. With baskets, banjos, fiddles, wooden toys, eyeglasses, furniture, an original medicine house and an extensive American Indian artifact collection, the building is also covered in photographs and first-person stories Irwin recorded from the mountain folk who used to own many of the items.

3. Follow your map to the Jail Cells, made in 1874 and taken from the old jail in Madisonville, Tennessee, and the Display Barn, which houses one of the United States’ largest collections of frontier and pioneer memorabilia including Indian war axes, a wheat mill, powder horns, rifles, pistols, a wine press, a mixing machine and a cobbler station.

4. Follow the signs out the back of the Display Barn to The People’s Building. Although it does not require more than a few minutes of browsing, this collection honors coal miner Harrison Mayes, who traveled the country preaching the Christian Gospel and erecting huge concrete crosses.

5. Continue to Mark Twain’s Family Cabin, arguably one of the most interesting buildings on Irwin’s property. Purchased from its current owner in near Jamestown, Tennessee, the building is the same one Twain lived in with his parents as a child. Irwin had a team break it down, transport the wood to the Museum of Appalachia, then rebuild it on site. Today it is decorated with period furniture, an original hand-sketched blueprint and photos of the cabin before, during and after its reconstruction.

6. Continue by following the map, browsing each building and its history until you reach Irwin’s Chapel Log Church. Another highlight of the property, this building was constructed in 1840 near the city of Hamburg in the North Carolina mountains. Thomas Tweed of Woodfin, North Carolina bought it off of a farm owner for $35 and a cowboy hat. Irwin bought it from Tweed’s widow with all the contents--the original pews, desk and pieces of furniture--in 1976. During special events on site, like the annual Tennessee Fall Homecoming or Fourth of July anvil Shoot, visitors can join volunteers dressed in period garb to sing traditional mountain hymns in the church.

7. If weather permits, stop and pet the animals. On a sunny day, the acres of green grass in the center of Irwin’s circle of buildings is a perfect spot for a picnic. The land is often speckled with roaming farm animals like turkeys, guineas, ducks, sheep and peacocks.

Tips & Warnings

• The Museum of Appalachia is located just 15 minutes from Knoxville and an hour from Pigeon Forge. The stops mentioned above cover only a small portion of the historic cabins, barns and artifacts scattered about Irwin’s loop of property at the Museum of Appalachia. To see it all, you’ll need an entire day! Highlights not mentioned above include the Parkey Blacksmith Shop, the Hacker Martin Gritsmill, the Underground Dairy, the Hog House, the Big Tater Valley Schoolhouse and the Arnwine Cabine, which is included in the National Register of Historic Places.