East Tennessee Historical Society and Museum — Attraction in Knoxville

The exhibit was clean, and well taken care of. The staff was nice. The old timey pharmacy was pretty neat.

I am concerned about how the history of Native Americans and African Americans are being portrayed by the undoubtedly well-educated people who put these exhibits together. There were two sections that really stood out to me:

In the Native American section there was a part that talked about how kind it was to educate the Native Americans. They didn't mention it was forced, it was part of a systemic effort to take tribal lands and destroy native culture. They didn't mention that hundreds of native children died in those schools or that many more were physically harmed. They didn't mention that they were all psychologically harmed from teaching them to hate themselves.

In the section talking about slavery there was a story of unlikely friendships. Talking about how some slave owners were so kind and treated their slaves so well that they developed life long friendships. I believe this is the very definition of Stockholm syndrome when you bond with your captor in order to survive.

There were more instances where the history was told from a rather rosey perspective, but those were the ones that really jumped out at me.

I completely understand wanting to believe things could never have been that bad. That our ancestors would not have done such horrible things. But the truth of the past is what will hopefully keep us from repeating it.

I'm happy to update my review in the future as exhibits are updated. I...

The exhibits here are well-designed, historically significant, and locally-relevant. The museum is one of the smaller but more focused types. In this case, the focus is on Tennessee history. That being said, the museum is hardly small, as it takes up most of a city block.

You can view the whole thing in an afternoon if you aren't going to interact with everything. If you are the sort of person who has to 100% every museum you visit (like me!), then this one can keep you occupied for an entire day.

A museum is an odd sell for a review. If you are big on museums, then you'll love this one. If you aren't, then this one won't change your mind. Ultimately, I decided to give it a five-star rating because it is an excellent specimen of what it sets out to be. Did I like it better than the Smithsonian or the British Museum? No, but that doesn't mean that it deserves any less than a perfect score because it treats its' chosen subject with reverence, respect, and thoroughness.

In short, I would recommend it to anyone interested in what this place...

Came here on a Sunday and was pleasantly surprised that entrance was by donation only - I really appreciate that a number of attractions in Knoxville take this approach. It makes visiting so seamless and easy!

I likely could have spent more time here, as this museum is a wealth of information - the museum charts Tennessee history all the way from the earliest indigenous peoples up to the modern era. There's even a little section talking about the rich history of country music and the prominent artists that hailed from Tennessee - you can even hear some clips of songs! Really terrific stuff.

A must see if you're in the area. The museum is right in the middle of the charming downtown Knoxville area, as well, so you'll have plenty more to do within walking distance once...