A Day Way By Mike Steely
Most Tennesseans know that Huntsville is the seat of Scott County and has a historic and spooky jailhouse and the Howard Baker family home. But the little town, just about an hour northwest of Knoxville, has something that gets little attention.
If you’re a fan of East Tennessee history, you may know that Scott County refused to join the state in allying with the Confederacy in the Civil War. It declared its independence and only officially rejoined the state in 1986. The fiercely separate area takes pride in its background, its people and its rightful place in our state.
Bet you didn’t know that Scott County High School in Huntsville has a student-created museum and a reproduction of a rural village that you can visit.
The Museum of Scott County began in 1999, when a group of high school teachers asked the school administration for permission to create a museum on school grounds using only student labor. No tax dollars would be involved, local businesses would donate money and supplies, and a local log home builder would donate logs and training.
Students became involved in building, plumbing, wiring, roofing and finishing the buildings. Barna Log Homes agreed to help and the student groups visited various museums to get ideas.
By 2003, the first of fourteen buildings was completed and, over the years, the museum grounds were expanded to more than three acres and include a WWII Memorial Museum, a Learning Lodge Children’s Museum and a complete frontier village. The museum property also features the U.S.S. TN World War II Remembrance Museum.
The easiest way to get to the museum is to take I-75 north to the Royal Blue exit and follow Highway 63 west. You could return the same way or take Highway 27 South and pass through Sunbright, Wartburg and Harriman to connect with I-40 and return.
More information on the Museum of Scott County can be found on the internet or by emailing the museum director, Dacy Williams, at Dacy.Williams@scottcounty.net or calling the museum at (423)701-0168. The museum is located at 400 Scott High Drive, Huntsville, Tn. 37756.
“The museum is open by appointment at this current time, as we are a high school, and have current classes going on campus. We plan on being open 10 to 3 in the summer with an evening on Thursday 6-8 with a bluegrass jam, and hopefully classes that you can sign up for online. We are working on summer programming right now,” Williams told The Focus recently.
