NORRIS, Tenn. — Former U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander recalled traveling with Museum of Appalachia founder John Rice Irwin on his trips through East Tennessee, stopping at people's homes and trying to buy old items from the women of the households for the museum that would chronicle the lives of the Appalachian people. He said several back-and-forth exchanges would result with the women contending that Granny or Momma would be be upset if the items were sold — until Irwin's money offer would increase to a level that they felt certain would be OK with their late Granny or Momma.
Now a new exhibit has opened at the museum chronicling the lives of many of those women and their families whose lives were impacted by the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority and Norris Dam.
The Museum of Appalachia recently unveiled the newly restored Arnwine Cabin as part of a new exhibit about the construction of TVA’s Norris Dam and the people that were forced to relocate from the area because of the dam's creation. Alexander, former Tennessee governor and University of Tennessee president, was among the speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, that was also attended by Lt. Gov. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge.
The exhibit is titled “The Mountaineers’ Sacrifice & Renewal.” It features historic photographs and an interactive map of the region before and after the construction of Norris Dam, highlighting the locations of homes, farms, churches and schools that now sit at the bottom of Norris Lake. The newly built cabin — next to the Arnwine Cabin — where the map is located includes photos of the people of the area, including one of John Rice Irwin and his brother David on the front row of a one-room school in Morgan County. Both men live near the museum.
This exhibit is the first phase of this telling of the story of TVA and those it impacted through the construction of Norris Dam and the introduction of electricity to people who were a "little late getting into the 20th century," said Stephen W. Dean, vice chair of the museum's board of directors.
"We need to share their story, said Dean, a producer, writer and director for "The Heartland Series" that aired and continues to air in reruns on WBIR-TV Channel 10.
"We have to tell that story over and over again," he said.
"It was not without cost," said Justin Maierhofer, TVA vice president for government relations. He spoke of the relocation of the people, their cemeteries and more. One of those families affected by this was the Arnwine family.
The Arnwine family
In the early 1800s, according to museum information, Wes Arnwine built the log home on the south bank of the Clinch River, a few miles from Liberty Hill in Grainger County. Around 1930, TVA acquired the land for the construction of Norris Lake, and the family moved their cabin a short distance. The family called the cabin home for more than a 100 years. Polly Anne and Eliza Jane Arnwine, who lived in the cabin their entire lives, were its last known inhabitants. After Eliza Jane’s death in 1936, the cabin lay dormant, until it was acquired by Irwin in 1964. The U.S. Department of Interior later chose it for the National Register of Historic Places because of its unique and realistic portrayal of frontier living conditions.
“This exhibit is a testament to the diligent and industrious people that built this incredible dam, and also to the sacrifice of a people who left their lives behind for the promise of progress,” Museum President Elaine Meyer stated in a museum news release. She's the daughter of Irwin and his wife, the late Elizabeth Irwin. “We’re elated to be able to share this story with visitors from around the world.”
In a side note, Meyer called attention during the ceremony to the heavy machinery that had moved dirt in the east field on the museum property. She said Charles Blaylock & Sons of Sevierville are involved in a project with the museum to to provide an area for camping and "glamping" on the property. Glamping is the term used for more comfortable camping with amenities provided.
That company is also the main contractor for the new Clinton bridge project a few miles away.
Donna Smith is The Oak Ridger's news editor. Contact her by email at dsmith@oakridger.com or by phone at (865) 220-5514. Follow her on Twitter @ridgernewsed.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: New exhibit chronicles lives of those impacted by Norris Dam, TVA
