Grant brings new power to Pioneer Village
The Museum of Appalachia is a replica pioneer village and farm along Andersonville Highway in Norris. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
“Reliable power is essential to nearly every aspect of the museum’s work, from daily operations and caring for historic buildings to hosting demonstrations, educational programs and special events,” a Museum of Appalachia announcement said.
The improvements include replacement of aging infrastructure and expansion of the underground electrical service for much of the Pioneer Village, it said.
“This project addressed one of the Museum of Appalachia’s most-significant infrastructure needs,” said Lindsey Gallaher, president of the museum, which is on Andersonville Highway in Norris.
“Reliable power is essential to our daily operations and to the demonstrations and events held throughout the Pioneer Village,” she said. “These improvements make the system safer and more dependable, and [they] better equip us to serve visitors and care for the museum’s historic buildings.”
The state General Assembly made available $5 million in funding from the 2025-2026 Appropriations Act “for the sole purpose of providing grants to museums with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or affiliated with a governmental entity for capital maintenance and improvements,” the announcement noted.
Now in its third year, the state museum’s grant program for capital improvements received 178 applications, totaling $12,031,874 in requests.
That has resulted in the awarding of grants to 99 museums across the state, representing 45 counties.
In the three years the state museum has administered the program, it has served museums in 73 counties across the state. A complete list of 2025-26 grantees, counties and amounts is posted at tnmuseum.org/grants.
“The Tennessee Capital Improvement Grants continue to support and strengthen the infrastructure of institutions preserving our state and local history and culture,” said Ashley Howell, executive director of the Tennessee State Museum.
“We are honored to help support the commitment of those institutions to better serve their communities and visitors through collection care and visitor accessibility these last three years,” she said. “We are inspired by the dedication of their staff and volunteers. None of it would be possible, of course, without the state of Tennessee’s unwavering support for Tennessee history.”
