Established in 2003, The Museum of Scott County is the only museum in the country that is built and operated by students on school campus. JUNE 2, 2022 UPDATED ANNOUNCEMENT
Unfortunately, the Learning Lodge STEM center is still under repair. We will not be taking any reservations at this time. We hope to bring an exciting refreshment to the facility and create a higher level of engagement for th
e students in our school system. Please check our social media accounts and websites for updates as we progress. If you have any further questions, please call me at 423-701-0168. Chad Patton
Museum of Scott County Director
After much consideration and evaluation, we regret to announce that the Museum of Scott County facility will be temporarily closing to the public for repairs. We will be taking this time to address structural, safety, and maintenance issues in buildings and on the grounds. In the 20+ years since the first museum was built, the project has grown into an entire campus of structures that have been well used and enjoyed. It is our purpose and objective to keep the Museum Project developing and operating for another 20 years. While we hope to complete these projects as quickly as possible, we hesitate to put an exact date on reopening. We do not want to sacrifice quality and care simply to meet a deadline. Our goal is to keep the public updated as we are better able to project a re-opening date. Thank you for your understanding! Melissa Rector
Scott High School
Principal
So how exactly does one decide to build a full-scale museum on the campus of a rural, East Tennessee high school? Well…it began in late 1990’s when Anthropology teacher Gary Sexton began taking his classes on archeological digs throughout the county. The digs were so successful that Mr. Sexton asked for a display case within the school to feature the unique findings. It wasn’t long until the prehistoric artifacts such as arrowheads, scrapers, knives, and pottery became so numerous that the small display case was overflowing. Thus began the idea of creating a larger, more permanent structure to exhibit students’ finds. Sexton developed the museum idea, his goal was to dovetail the academic curriculum taught within the traditional classroom, such as math, science, English, and social studies, with other application-based areas such as fine arts, technology, Business, and Trades & Industry. In 2003, the Museum of Scott County opened, and the rest is as they say “history”. Today, the Museum of Scott County has developed from a one building display to a true historical complex with 10+ buildings, each housing a unique element or focus. Most notably, the USS Tennessee Museum features authentic battleship archives and memorabilia from the original WWII naval unit. The pristine condition and global significance of these pieces are indescribable – it is definitely a “must see”! The museum complex also includes a Frontier Village, General Store, Barn complete with livestock, a children’s museum called the Learning Lodge, and a replica of the original Baker Law Office. The Museum of Scott County is the only museum in the nation that is not only built on a school campus, but also operated and maintained by students.
