The Chester Inn State Historic Site & Museum
Located in the heart of downtown Jonesborough, the Chester Inn Museum chronicles the history of Jonesborough from its inception in 1779 to the present. The museum is located on the street level of the oldest commercial building in town. The Chester Inn is a state owned historic site operated by the Heritage Alliance.
Exhibits include information on the State of Franklin, a diorama of Jonesborough in the 1850s, the history of the Chester Inn and much more. Many of the exhibits feature Jonesborough’s extensive collection of photographs. The upstairs parlor, dining and lodging rooms of the Chester Inn, restored to the Victorian era style of the late 1800s, are also open for viewing. Kids’ activities include a museum scavenger hunt, a coloring book that features some of Jonesborough’s historic buildings, and a primary source activity with the cholera epidemic of 1873. The Chester Inn Museum also offers a wide range of activities for visitors of all ages throughout the calendar year.
Hours of Operation
January & February: by appointment only
March & April:
Monday, Friday & Saturday 11 am – 6 pm and Sunday 1 pm – 5 pm,
May – October:
Monday 11 am – 6 pm, Wednesday through Saturday 11am – 6 pm and Sunday 1 pm – 5 pm
November – December:
Monday, Friday & Saturday 11 am – 6 pm and Sunday 1 pm – 5 pm
*There are no admission fees, but donations are welcomed.
Jonesborough/Washington County History Museum
Founded in 1982, the Jonesborough/Washington County History Museum and Archives collects artifacts, documents, and photographs to help tell the stories of the land and people who constituted the “mother of Tennessee.”
Our collection of artifacts, newspapers and other ephemera focuses clocksmon the social, cultural, and economic history of Jonesborough and Washington County – creating a fascinating historical record of our region. Our extensive photographic collection spans the period from 1850 through the 1980s, and features a number of photographs from early Jonesborough photographers L.W. Keen and O.L. Hensley.
We invite you to visit our gallery space located in the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center at 117 Boone Street. Come and see Jonesborough’s very first firefighting equipment, purchased in the late 1800s, and view the clock that used to keep time in the 1847 Washington County Courthouse.
Hours of Operation: Jonesborough/Washington County History Museum
Monday – Friday: 9 am – 5 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10 am – 5 pm (April – October) and 12:30 – 5 pm (November – March)
*There are no admission fees, but donations are welcomed.
Town Tours & Cemetery Tours
The Heritage Alliance offers a regular schedule of historic walking tours of downtown Jonesborough. Available March – December at 1 pm on Saturday, these tours depart from the Chester Inn State Historic Site and Museum. There are some seasonal changes in the schedule, so please call ahead 423.753.9580 or 423.753.4580 to confirm. Costumed guides will discuss the history of the town, its people and the lives they built. Tickets are $6 per person and can be purchased at the Chester Inn Museum.
The Jonesborough Mythbusting Tour is available the second Saturday of the month, March – December at 1 pm. Think you can separate the truth from the myths? Put your detective skills to the test.
From June – the first weekend of October, the Alliance also offers tours of the Old Jonesborough Cemetery at 2:30 pm on the first and third Saturdays. Tickets for the cemetery tour are $5 per person. Purchase a combo ticket or both tours for $10 per person. Tickets are available at the Chester Inn Museum.
All tour schedules are subject to change. Please contact The Heritage Alliance at 423.753.9580 for more information
The Oak Hill School
Oak Hill School was built in 1886 to serve the community of Knob Creek. The building served local residents as a school and as a center for community events until the school was closed in the 1950s. The school building was moved seven miles from Knob Creek to Jonesborough and placed in its current location behind the Visitors Center. Once in the new location, Oak Hill School was lovingly restored to the way it may have appeared in the 1890s.
From finding the original wall color, to collecting the oral histories of living alumni, every effort was made to ensure that those who enter the doors today would see what students in Knob Creek would have seen over a century ago. Today, students experience a school day during 1892 as a part of the Oak Hill School Heritage Education Program. If you’re interested in booking a school group, or family day, please contact the Heritage Alliance
Hours of Operation
Tours of Oak Hill School are by appointment. Call us at 423.753.9580 or email us at info@heritageall.org .
Our offices are located in the Duncan House (212 East Sabin Drive), right behind the Jonesborough Visitor’s Center and in the same parking lot as the Jonesborough Library. We are normally in the office Monday – Friday from 9 am – 5 pm. Give us a call at 423.753.9580, or email us at info@heritageall.org.
Heritage Alliance Director, Anne Mason can be reached at 423.753.9580.
