REVITALIZING HERITAGE: TENNESSEE VALLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM RECEIVES SIGNIFICANT GRANT FOR EDUCATIONAL AND EXHIBIT ENHANCEMENTS
TENNESSEE VALLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM AWARDED A CAPITOL MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT GRANT FROM THE TENNESSEE STATE MUSEUM
GRANT WILL BE USED FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO EXHIBIT BUILDING CLASSROOM SPACE
CHATTANOOGA, TN 11.21.23: TENNESSE VALLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM is a recipient of a $92,500 grant for Capital Maintenance and Improvement from the State of Tennessee as administered through the Tennessee State Museum. The grant award will be used for access improvements to classroom space in Exhibit Building.
The Tennessee General Assembly made available $5 million in funding from the 2023-2024 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.”
It was a highly competitive process. In total, the Tennessee State Museum received 170 applications, totaling $12.5M in funding requests for the $5M appropriation. The Museum made full or partial awards to 108 museums across the state, representing 58 counties.
“The Tennessee State Museum serves the State of Tennessee through history, art, and culture,” said Ashley Howell, Tennessee State Museum Executive Director. “There is incredible work being done throughout the state by our strong network of Tennessee museums and historic homes. This grant is an extension of how we can further support their efforts and the preservation of local and state history. We thank the Tennessee General Assembly for their support for Tennessee Museums.”
“We are thrilled to be awarded this grant and excited about making better classroom space as we expand our educational programs,” said Charles Googe, Education Coordinator
The Capital Improvement and Maintenance grant had a minimum request amount of $5,000 and a maximum request amount of $100,000. All projects must be completed by June 30, 2024.
About the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
TVRM’s passenger trains run on the historic route, which includes Missionary Ridge Tunnel, completed in 1858 and on the National Register of Historic Places. The tunnel is the primary reason TVRM runs on the 3-mile section of the former Southern Railway. As railroad equipment grew too large to pass through and the single-track tunnel became a traffic jam for an otherwise double-track railroad, Southern Railway abandoned the 3-mile portion of the line and built a new section around the end of Missionary Ridge, avoiding the tunnel altogether.
Today, TVRM preserves railroad equipment not only to preserve machines but to preserve an experience as well. In providing this historical experience, TVRM hopes to educate our visitors about the importance of this industry and how it helped create the modern world in which we live.
About Tennessee State Museum
Celebrating its 86th Anniversary in 2023, the Tennessee State Museum, located on the corner of Rosa L Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, is home to 13,000 years of Tennessee art and history. Through six permanent exhibitions titled Natural History, First Peoples, Forging a Nation, The Civil War and Reconstruction, Change and Challenge and Tennessee Transforms, the Museum takes visitors on a journey – through artifacts, films, interactive displays, events and educational and digital programing – from the state’s geological beginnings to the present day. Additional temporary exhibitions explore significant periods and individuals in history, along with art and cultural movements. The Museum is free and open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. For more information on exhibitions and events, please visit TNMuseum.org.