Tennessee State Railroad Museum

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Adopted: 1978

Official Tennessee Railroad Museum
Photograph: Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was named the official railroad museum of Tennessee in 1978. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is located in Chattanooga.

The mission of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is to collect for preservation, operation, interpretation and display, railroad artifacts in an authentic setting to educate the public concerning the role of railroads in the history and development of our region.

--The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

In 2007, the Tennessee General Assembly named a second official state railroad museum, the Cowan Railroad Museum.

Tennessee State Railroad Museum
Photograph: Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

Tennessee Law

The following information was excerpted from the Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 1, Part 3, Section 4-1-311.

Title 4 State Government
Chapter 1 General Provisions
Part 3 State Symbols
Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-1-311 (2011)

4-1-311. Official railroad museums.

The following are designated as official railroad museums in this state:

(1) The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, located in Hamilton County, which shall be indicated by an appropriate marker erected by the state. The signs shall be placed on the property of the museum and shall not exceed five hundred dollars ($500) in cost; and

(2) The Cowan Railroad Museum, located in Franklin County, which shall be indicated by an appropriate marker erected by the state. The museum may also receive appropriations as the general assembly deems necessary, grants from state or federal agencies, and donations from private or public sources.

HISTORY: Acts 1978, ch. 547, § 1; T.C.A., § 4-127; Acts 2007, ch. 193, § 1.

Sources...

The State of Tennessee. Tennessee Code Annotated. Nashville: The State of Tennessee, 2011. Web. 18 Aug 2011.
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. For the Press. Chattanooga: Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, 2011. Web. 4 Sep 2011.
Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols: A Historical Guide Third Edition, Revised and Expanded. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 3 Sub edition, 2001.

Railroad Tracks by Ewing Galloway

Additional Information

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum: Official website of the Tennesee Valley Railroad Museum, located at 4119 Cromwell Road, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Train Photographs: RailPictures.net: The best railroad photos on the 'net'.

More symbols & emblems: Complete list of official Tennessee state symbols from NETSTATE.COM.