The Appalachian Heritage Project

With the support of a National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant and a major gift fundraising campaign, Pellissippi State Community College proposes to expand the Strawberry Plains Campus library to house the Appalachian Heritage Project. This multifaceted project, focused on regional literature, history and folklore, will create a cultural center that will educate college students, faculty, staff and community members about the traditions and narrative of this remarkable region. 

The Strawberry Plains Campus annually serves more than 1,200 students from Knox County Schools, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology and Pellissippi State. The campus does not have a fully functioning library and media services, collaborative learning spaces or a multimedia hub. 

The library expansion will complete the Strawberry Plains Campus library and establish the Appalachian Heritage Project in one of the most unique educational settings and communities in Tennessee. The project will create a repository of information, a champion of Appalachian history and a shared space that will bring together students and community members to learn about the people and the land of Strawberry Plains, East Tennessee and the Appalachian region.