KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Every day, WBIR gives viewers a chance to see reruns of The Heartland Series online — a legendary show that explored different elements of East Tennessee's history and culture. Several people across the region have fond memories of it.
The show may be dated, but the stories are timeless. John Rice Irwin founded the Museum of Appalachia in 1969 to make sure those stories had a home.
"Each cabin told a story, it did," he said on The Heartland Series.
He died in January 2022, but his family continues his legacy through the museum. Will Meyer, John Meyer and Lindsey Gallaher all help the museum keep telling the tales of East Tennessee.
"From the time he was a child, he collected artifacts and as he became an adult, he collected more and more. Eventually, my grandmother told him to get stuff out of the house because it was filling up the garage," said Will. "So now we have 36 authentic log structures and three large buildings filled with thousands and thousands of artifacts."
He said Irwin started the museum by decorating a cabin with his collection. After decorating it, the family said people began stopping by to see some of his items. The cabin grew into the Museum of Appalachia, what it's known as today.
"His collection is so vast that, but again, to me, the legacy is in the people and in their stories. It's so much bigger than the museum itself," said John Meyer. "Growing up The Heartland Series was treated with reverence. I can vividly remember if we were eating supper and The Heartland Series would come on, there was a hush."
Gallaher said growing up, the children of the family would run around the property where the Museum of Appalachia is now located. The Heartland Series shared the museum's perspective, encouraging visitors to slow down and listen to the people of East Tennessee. Both felt it was vital to share the community's stories.
"Meeting new people, playing with the animals. It was our playground. It was amazing," she said. "This is kind of our family's legacy, so to speak. I feel really lucky to get to continue it on and we're constantly trying to figure out how the best ways to do that — constant opportunities and challenges with that, but I feel really lucky."
Irwin passed the leadership of the museum to their mother, and she passed it down to them. Now, all three are continuing Irwin's legacy and are working to make sure East Tennessee's stories are told.
"The people, they're why he did this. When people come here, we want them to get a sense of just how special the people were. They didn't need all these things that we have to be happy. They didn't have a lot, but they had all they needed," said John Meyer.
The museum plans to host a "Candlelight Christmas" event this weekend, on Dec. 20 and Dec. 21, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Visitors will be able to explore the museum's pioneer village, meet Santa, shop at a holiday market and see festive pioneer demonstrations.