Boones Creek Museum

The museum was founded by the Boones Creek Historical Trust to preserve and teach about the material culture of the region. The museum is located in the historic Keebler home. This home is a registered historical site that was constructed in the mid-1800s. The original home was a two-story brick fortification with each floor divided into two large rooms. The both the interior and exterior walls of this initial structure are reinforced with layers of handmade bricks. The home was later purchased by the Keefauver family who expanded it and added modern conveniences, such as indoor plumbing and a kitchen, making it into the historic home it is today.

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One of the front parlors has been converted into a museum showcasing the history of Boones Creek and the diverse groups of people that contributed to it. Included in the main museum are displays of lithic artifacts, information about some of the areas more interesting individuals and historical events, and it currently houses the Bean Rifle; which was owned by Tennessee’s first settler.

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Like the Opry, the Museum is a community project. The entire building has recently finished renovations. Included among these was a project that converted the dining room into an interactive exhibit about the lesser known aspects of Appalachia’s genteel society. The addition of a theater and meeting hall. Here you can catch a showing of Voices of Boons Creek, the historical documentary funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission. Or get a peak at the east parlor that serves as a classroom for the museum and a green room for the Opry.

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Boones Creek Historical Trust is in the process of developing an Archive at the museum that will reinforce their commitment to scholarly research by allowing professional academics, as well as laymen scholars and genealogists, a way to research their interests involving Boones Creek and East Tennessee.