The ETHS collections, dating from 1991 and consisting of some 9,300 artifacts, provides a foundation for fulfilling the Society's mission of preserving, interpreting, and promoting the history of the region. Items of material culture collected by the museum must pass the test of being made or used in East Tennessee, or somehow illustrate East Tennessee life and experience in a significant way. Particular strengths include the decorative arts (especially furniture and paintings), textiles (especially quilts), and Civil War artifacts from both Union and Confederate armies, representing the "divided loyalties" characteristic of East Tennessee. When the museum opened, ETHS made the decision not to agressively acquire archeological artifacts because of the world-class Native American collection at the Frank H. McClung Museum on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus.

The Society is indebted to donors for growth of the museum collections, and this is especially important during this time of planning for the expanded facility. The following have been identified as categories of special interest:
  • African American history
    Artifacts and photographs
  • Appliances
    Cast-iron stoves made in East Tennessee and early stoves and refrigerators (such as Magic Chef from Cleveland)
  • Children's clothing and accessories from early 20th century and before
  • Firearms, including rifles and pistols
    All types made in East Tennessee as well as those marketed in the region, with markings of the seller (such as C.M. McClung & Co.); 18th or 19th century gun-making tools are also desired.
  • Folk art
  • Furniture (with clear East Tennessee maker or provenance)
    Beds: cannonball, primitive Chairs: Windsor, Wilder, mule-ear
    Cupboards and Chests: corner cupboard, chest of drawers from early to late 19th century
    Pie Safes, circa 1900
    Sideboards
    Tables: banquet, side, ordinary kitchen
    20th-Century Manufactured East Tennessee Furniture: High Victorian parlor and decorative furniture
  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  • Ku Klux Klan memorabilia and artifacts
  • Medical artifacts
  • Musical instruments
    Authentic instruments and artifacts of popular musicians, sound recordings
  • Political memorabilia of noteable East Tennessee political figures
  • Pottery
    A cross-section through time of typical examples of East Tennessee potters as well as some more unusal pieces.
  • Quilts and coverlets, from 1780-1920
    Each should be accompanied by identity of maker, place, date, pattern name, story behind the quilt, and if possible, photograph of the maker.
  • Railroads, 1850s and after
    Small artifacts, photographs, maps, and ephemera, such as timetables
  • Sewing machines, early
  • Tennessee Valley Authority
    Removal documentation, electrical objects, photographs, and pottery
  • Tools
  • Toys
  • Wartime memorabilia
    Authentic uniforms, weapons, portraits, artifacts from each conflict: War of 1812 (1812-1815), Cherokee Removal (1838), Mexican War (1846-1848), Civil War (1861-1865), including "Sultana" artifacts or photographs, Spanish-American War (1898), World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and other conflicts
If you are interested in donating items to the ETHS collections, please send information to Michele MacDonald, Curator of Collections, P.O. Box 1629, Knoxville, TN 37901, (865)215-8829, or . Include pertinent information such as object history (how an item has descended within a family or how it has passed from person to person), dimensions, condition, and a photograph. All prospective donations will be reviewed by the ETHS Acquisitions Committee.