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Celebration of life in April for John Rice Irwin

Posted at 5:25 pm January 27, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

John Rice Irwin, founder of the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, plays the mandolin in this photo by Linda Gunderson.

A celebration of the life of museum founder John Rice Irwin will be held in April at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris. The celebration of life is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 24.

Irwin was a cultural historian and founder of the Museum of Appalachia, among other notable achievements.

Irwin died Sunday, January 16, in Clinton. He was 91.

He was born on December 11, 1930, in Union County, Tennessee.

“While Irwin was still a toddler, his family was forced to move from their farm to make way for the flooding of Norris Lake and the construction of Norris Dam,” his obituary said. “They first settled in Robertsville (in Oak Ridge), but the Manhattan Project forced them to move yet again, this time to the Bethel Community.”

Irwin’s obituary said he was captivated by the rich cultural history of East Tennessee and its people for as long as he could remember.

“As a young boy, he would sit at the feet of his grandmother, Ibbie Jane Rice, and grandfather, Marcellus Moss ‘Sill’ Rice, and listen intently to their stories of the past,” the obituary said. “Sill took notice of his grandson’s fascination and said to him, ‘you ought to keep the old-timey things that belonged to our people and start you a little museum sometime.’ It was this advice that would ultimately inspire Irwin to create the Museum of Appalachia.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Crafts, Entertainment, Front Page News, History, Museums, Music, Top Stories Tagged With: Alex Haley, Anderson County, Appalachia pioneer history, Appalachian artifacts, Appalachian life, cultural history, East Tennessee, John Rice Irwin, Lamar Alexander, Museum of Appalachia, Southern Appalachia

Tennessee Fall Homecoming at Museum of Appalachia ending after 38 years

Posted at 12:33 pm December 8, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Tennessee Fall Homecoming Howard Tuggle

Photo courtesy Museum of Appalachia

 

The Tennessee Fall Homecoming at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris is ending after 38 years.

The festival, which started in 1980, has grown to the point that it now requires more than three thousand hours to plan, promote, and execute, a press release said.

“Homecoming was an enormous investment for a museum of our size,” said Stephen Dean, chair of the museum’s board of directors. “If we lost a day of attendance due to weather, we simply could not make it up. Even if a homecoming was successful financially, the amount of time and effort invested simply wasn’t justifiable. We have to be responsible for the entire museum’s operation.”

The festival started in 1980 as a one-time event to recognize, display, and celebrate the disappearing music and culture of the Southern Appalachians, but grew over the years into a multi-day event attended by tens of thousands of people annually, the press release said.

The 38th and final Homecoming, held this past October, was one of the museum’s most well-received events, the press release said. It introduced all-new evening concerts featuring artists like Lee Ann Womack and The SteelDrivers. As a result, this year’s Fall Homecoming boasted record-breaking attendance and attracted new visitors. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: Appalachian artifacts, Appalachian Heritage, culture, Elaine Meyer, John Rice Irwin, Museum of Appalachia, music, southern Appalachians, Stephen Dean, Tennessee Fall Homecoming

Sons of the Revolution honor Anderson mayor

Posted at 1:09 pm February 21, 2013
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Terry Frank and Sons of the Revolution

Members of the John Rice Irwin-Anderson County Chapter of Sons of the Revolution present Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank with a framed patriotic image in appreciation of her commitment to historic preservation. (Submitted photo)

The John Rice Irwin-Anderson County Chapter of Sons of the Revolution honored the county mayor earlier this month for her commitment to historic preservation, a press release said.

It said chapter members delivered a surprise token of appreciation at Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank’s office on Feb. 4.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County mayor, Claxton, David Hall Cabin, David Hall Cabin Historical Marker, historic preservation, John Rice Irwin, John Rice Irwin-Anderson County Chapter of Sons of the Revolution, Lynn Fox, Sons of the Revolution, Terry Frank

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Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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