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Construction of the new space to house the Greenback Heritage Museum at the former McCall-Kerr Hardware building in Greenback is progressing, with a projected completion date of early summer.

The McCall-Kerr Hardware Building, next door to the current museum space at 6725 Morganton Road, was donated to the town of Greenback by the late Rachel M. Ragain’s family for museum expansion. When the new facility opens, the current facility, also owned by the town of Greenback, will be rented to another local business.

The town appropriated $250,000 for renovations to the building, which was constructed in 1917 and shares a wall with the museum. In addition, fundraisers held by the Greenback Heritage Museum and the Greenback Historical Society as well as donations to the Betty Carroll Memorial Fund have supplied additional funds. According to General Contractor Deb Rossi, another $75,000 to $100,000 is needed to finish the extensive renovations.

The museum now measures 50 by 75 feet; when completed, the new museum space will be 100 by 75 feet and will contain additional storage, a conference room and a larger display area.

Moving forward

Plans for the museum were created by East Tennessee Community Design Center, a nonprofit organization bringing professional design and planning assistance to community groups and other nonprofit organizations at an affordable cost thanks to pro bono design assistance from area architects, landscape architects, planners, and other professionals. Cindy Benefield, a member of both the Greenback Heritage Museum and Greenback Historical Society, said, “They basically provide very low cost architectural and design help. Frank Sparkman was the architect. He and Perry Childress did most of our work.”

Rossi said, “We broke ground around Oct. 10 and then poured the slab, and we started the framing on Dec. 19. By Jan. 30, we had a roof on. So, it went fast.”

HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), plumbing and electrical rough-ins are done. Windows and doors, reproduced to look like those authentic to the McCall-Kerr Building, will soon be installed, and some painting has been done outside, according to Museum Board Treasurer Sandra Tipton. Sidewalks will be poured soon, weather permitting.

Rossi, who lives in Greenback, explained how she became involved. “When I found out these walls were up and there was nobody putting anything inside them, I had to do it,” she said. “I’m glad I did — this has been a joy. … This museum is so beautiful and perfect with all these neat things in here. You just have to keep this preserved.

“We have had some very nice help, people who discounted their jobs considerably,” she said. “It’s a labor of love for most of us.”

Greenback Mayor Dewayne Birchfield said getting the new space ready has been a collaborative effort between his office, the museum board and the historical society as well as others in the community who have donated funds, materials and labor.

“We want to make this happen for the people here in our community,” he said. “There’s a lot of history here, and it’s amazing to me how many people in our little city don’t know about the museum or come in to look at it, or haven’t had the time. I want it to be here for the people and to strive to get the young ones involved. A lot of kids don’t know what was going on in the old days—this is a perfect place for those kids to learn about their heritage.”

A fundraiser, Music for the Museum, is scheduled from 5-8 p.m. April 29 at River Cove in Greenback featuring the Drift Boat Cowboys. Tickets are $75 per person and are available at the museum, the mayor’s office or by texting 615-533-9587.

Rossi said if all goes well, the new museum will be ready for occupancy by early summer.

“We need money; that will slow the job down,” she said. “But we’re working on it.”

Background

The Greenback Heritage Museum is one of three historical preservation groups in Greenback, along with the Greenback Scrapbook Committee and the Greenback Historical Society. Although the groups overlap in both goals and memberships, each is a separate entity.

The Scrapbook Committee originated in 2004 with the decision of the Greenback Community Club, which has since dissolved, to form a committee to gather photographs, documents and newspaper clippings and create scrapbooks. Three volumes of “The Heritage of Greenback, Tennessee, An Historical Scrapbook” have been completed and cover the history from 1800 to 1960. Volume IV is in process and will cover 1960-2000.

The idea was then proposed for a museum to tell the story of Greenback in both words and relics. Several interested parties approached then-Greenback Mayor Tom Peeler about the need for such a place. Peeler agreed, and the former King’s Beauty Salon building on Morganton Road adjoining the Greenback Drug Store, now Greenback Diner, was purchased. After extensive renovations and more than a year’s worth of hard labor and community donations, the Greenback Heritage Museum opened its doors on March 6, 2006, and the grand opening was March 18 and 19, 2006. Betty Carroll served as museum chairman from the opening in 2006 until her death in February 2018.

The Greenback Historical Society was chartered in October 2006 with Carolyn Peck as its first president. The society is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization and as such, donations are deductible for federal income tax purposes.

Donation checks made directly to the Greenback Heritage Museum are not deductible for federal income tax purposes, so donors who wish to have the deduction may make checks payable to the Greenback Historical Society with a notation that funds are to be used for the museum. Otherwise, checks may be made directly to the museum. Mail checks made out to either organization to The Greenback Heritage Museum, P.O. Box 165, Greenback, TN 37742.