Friends of the Holston Heritage Museum schedules programs, events at museum

BLUFF CITY — From a 1959 passenger plane crash and other "things" on Holston Mountain to Revolutionary War weaponry and an author's/insider's look at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in Carter County, a local museum is hitting history hard this summer. And that is thanks to a new not-for-profit group. The Friends of the Holston Heritage Museum, a newly formed 501(c)(3) organization, has announced a series of summer programs and events at the Holston Heritage Museum in Bluff City. Organization leaders say the new group was created to support, promote and expand the museum's mission while helping create new educational and community opportunities centered on local history and heritage. Members of the organization are planning a variety of future programs, exhibits, activities and community events this year, which is the 250th birthday of the United States being marked nationwide as America 250. The museum, located at 337 Carter St., Suite 8, Bluff City, is open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every Saturday. It is in the river rock-faced building behind Impact Community Center, which is the former Bluff City Middle School and, before that, Bluff City High School building. Museum visitors are invited to explore exhibits highlighting local history and heritage while attending special presentations throughout the summer. The museum focuses on the history of the Holston Valley in the greater Tri-Cities area of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Bluff City's roots as a Sullivan County community date to before the Civil War, although it was not incorporated until July 1, 1887. Originally named Choate's Ford, it served as an Overmountain Men crossing during the Revolutionary War and later took the name Middletown. It names over the years have included Zollicoffer, after Confederate Gen. Felix Zollicoffer, and Union, the latter was the name before the Civil War until it was abandoned for Zollicoffer at the start of the war but readopted after the war. Parts of the city are literally on the banks of the South Fork of Holston River, which also flows through Kingsport where it merges with the North Fork out of Virginia and continues by Church Hill and Surgoinsville in Hawkins County on its way to Knoxville, where it flows into the Tennessee River. Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport and the former Holston Valley High School near Bluff City drew their names from the river valley. According to a news release from Robert Sorrell, senior vice president of the friends group, upcoming events include: • Friday, June 12 at 7 p.m. — Local historian and researcher Dean Walker will present "The Search for Planes and Things on Holston Mountain." Walker will share photographs, research and insights about the crash of the DC-3 aircraft on Holston Mountain in 1959, along with other "fascinating stories" connected to the mountain. • Saturday, July 11 at 2 p.m. — Retired Milligan University professor John Neth will present a program on Revolutionary War-era weaponry, offering historical information and demonstrations related to firearms and equipment used during the colonial period. • Saturday, Aug. 1 at 2 p.m. — Author Jennifer Bauer, former manager of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in Elizabethton, will discuss her new book, "Sycamore Shoals of the Watauga." Copies of the book will be available for purchase following the presentation. The talks are free and open to the public. In addition to guest speakers, the museum plans to host various summer activities and craft events for the community, the release said. The Friends of the Holston Heritage Museum encourages community members to visit the museum, attend programs, and follow the organization on Facebook for updates and announcements about future events and projects. For more information, contact Sorrell, also a book author, at robertsorrellwrites@gmail.com or 423-817-8098.