When

Friday, November 16, 2018 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM EST
Add to Calendar 

Where

NPS Collections and Preservation Center 
8440 state Highway 73
Townsend, TN 37882  

 
Driving Directions 

Event Contact

Dana Murphy 
Great Smoky Mountains Association 
865-436-7318 Ext. 349 
dana@gsmassoc.org 

Membership Contact

Peyton Proffitt 
Great Smoky Mountains Association 
865-436-7318 Ext. 222 
peyton@gsmassoc.org 

Social Media Contact

Sarah Kirkland 
Great Smoky Mountains Association 
865-436-7318 Ext. 254
sarah@gsmassoc.org  

 

 

Join us for a tour of the National Park Service Collections and Preservation Center. Take a look inside the modern facility where irreplaceable materials are preserved and studied by NPS staff and visiting researchers.

  
NPS Museum Curator Baird Todd and Librarian-Archivist Mike Aday will provide an up-close view of items worn, worked with and written by the people of Appalachia and the Great Smokies.

Among the many items we'll see and learn about are the custom-fitted leather saddlebags worn by Smoky Jack, a retired police dog and companion of Paul Adams, the first caretaker at LeConte Lodge. Click the image on the left to purchase Smoky Jack: The Adventures of a Dog and His Master on Mt Le Conte written by Paul Adams.

As our tour of the 14,000 square-foot facility continues, we will begin to understand how experts care for and house more than one million documents, maps, photgraphs, tools, furniture and more for the generations to come.

Activity Rating: Easy. Prepare to stand for the majority of the tour.

Mileage: Zero

Location: National Park Service Collections Preservation Center (CPC) - 8440 State Highway 73 Townsed, TN 37882. Restrooms available.

*Special parking instructions: Turn into the main entrance for Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center - 123 Cromwell Dr, Townsend, TN 37882. Continue past the Heritage Center main building and down the gravel drive to the left. Park in the gravel area adjacent to the CPC. If handicap parking is required, there will be one spot directly in front of the CPC.
 

What To Bring: A notebook and writing utensil may be helpful. Photography without the use of a flash is permitted. However, bags, totes, backpacks and purses are not. Please, no food or beverages.

Know Before You Go: Great Smoky Mountains Association events occur rain or shine and follow Great Smoky Mountains National Park Service policies for weather conditions. Cancellations due to road closures and inclement weather can often happen at the last minute. GSMA strives to offer up-to-the-minute information and will notify you via email of any known issues that may affect the scheduled event.

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Smokies Life Magazine

To learn more about the items housed in this facility, read Mike Aday’s article titled “These are a few of my favorite things at the Collections Preservation Center” in the latest Smokies Life Magazine, Fall 2018 Volume 12 #2.

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heirlooms book        Heirlooms & Artifacts of the Smokies

This book features a wonderful look at items housed at the Collections Preservation Center in Townsend, TN. This coffee table book serves as a museum on paper. Razor sharp photgraphs of over 1,000 artifacts with captions and text written by Ed Trout, the park's offiical historian from 1975 - 1994. This is the paperback edition, 240 pages. This soft cover has a sewn binding for extra durability and quality. Heirlooms & Artifacts of the Smokies by Paul Adams

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Your enjoyment of these programs supports the Smokies.
Participation fees are essential for Great Smoky Mountains Association to secure the services of some of the most knowledgeable guides to help strengthen your knowledge and appreciation of the Smokies.

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