Preserving the Past, Building for the Future: Museum of Butler Awarded $55,125 State Grant
New roofing and expanded parking will help protect the museum's collections and open more of its park property to visitors and community events.
There's more exciting news to share from the Museum of Butler, Tennessee!
The Butler & Watauga Valley Heritage Association has been awarded $55,125 through the Tennessee State Museum's Capital Maintenance and Improvements Grant Program, providing funding for two important projects that will help protect the museum's historic collections and improve the visitor experience.
For an organization dedicated to preserving the history of a town that no longer exists on a map, protecting the treasures entrusted to our care is especially important. And as the museum continues to grow, so does our need to make the property more accessible and welcoming to the community.
Protecting the Stories Inside
One of the most important projects funded by this grant is the replacement of the museum's aging metal roof, installed in 1999.
The new roofing, gutters, and downspouts will help protect the building and, more importantly, the photographs, documents, artifacts, and collections that tell the story of Old Butler and the Watauga Valley.
Many of these items are irreplaceable. They represent the lives of families who called the valley home long before the construction of Watauga Dam changed the landscape forever.
Preserving those stories for future generations begins with protecting the place where they are kept.
Making Room to Grow
The second project will expand the museum's parking area and provide direct access to approximately two acres of park property.
For anyone who has attended Old Butler Day, a living history program, or one of our other special events, the need for additional parking is no secret!
But this project is about more than parking spaces.
Improved access will allow us to make better use of the museum's beautiful grounds, creating new possibilities for outdoor exhibits, educational activities, special events, and community gatherings.
As we continue to welcome more visitors, students, families, and history enthusiasts, these improvements will help us grow while maintaining the welcoming, community-centered atmosphere that makes the Museum of Butler so special.
Keeping Old Butler Alive
“We are beyond excited to receive this grant! Replacing our aging roof will help protect the treasured artifacts and history entrusted to our care, while the much-needed parking improvements will better accommodate our growing museum family and friends. They will also make more of our beautiful park property accessible for visitors and events throughout the season. I think Selma ‘Babe’ Curtis would be proud to see how far we’ve come and the progress we continue to make in keeping the history and spirit of Old Butler alive and thriving!”
— Beth Fields, Board Chair, Butler & Watauga Valley Heritage Association
Beth's reference to Selma “Babe” Curtis is especially meaningful. The museum's continued growth is a reflection of the dedication of those who believed that the history of Old Butler deserved to be remembered and shared.
Today, that commitment continues through the work of our volunteers, board members, supporters, and the many families who have entrusted us with their stories and treasured pieces of history.
A Statewide Investment in Tennessee's History
The grant is part of a $5 million appropriation by the Tennessee General Assembly for the 2026–2027 Tennessee State Museum Capital Maintenance and Improvements Grant Program.
This year's program was highly competitive, with 160 applications requesting more than $10.4 million in funding. The Tennessee State Museum awarded full or partial grants to 102 museums across 49 counties.
The Museum of Butler is honored to be among the recipients.
Projects funded through this grant program must be completed by June 30, 2027.
We are grateful to the Tennessee General Assembly and the Tennessee State Museum for recognizing the importance of preserving local history and supporting the small museums that help keep Tennessee's heritage alive.
The Next Chapter in Our Story
Over the past 25 years, the Butler & Watauga Valley Heritage Association has worked to preserve the history of Old Butler and the Watauga Valley through exhibits, collections, educational programs, and community events.
Each improvement to the museum represents another step toward ensuring that future generations can discover and understand the remarkable story of a community that refused to let its history disappear beneath the waters of Watauga Lake.
And while we are celebrating this latest grant award, we are also looking forward to the possibilities it creates.
After all, there's still a lot more history to share, more stories to tell, and more memories to make at the Museum of Butler.
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