How grassroots preservation became a profession—and why local knowledge still matters Image taken from MuseumAssociation.org "...being born in a community is not a professional qualification by itself." We would not ask whether a doctor was born in our county before trusting that person to care for a patient. We would not insist that a teacher must have grown up in our town before teaching its children. We would ask whether that person is educated, ethical, attentive, and accountable—and whether they are willing to understand the people they serve. Museum work is different from medicine and teaching in important ways. Museum professionals are not generally licensed by the state, and local knowledge holds a particularly important place in the study of community history. Still, these fields share a broad pattern. Each began long before today’s systems of formal education and professional standards. As the work became more complex and its responsibilities to the public became clearer, training, professional associations, ethical expectations, and accepted practices developed around it. Museums followed that path, too. Many local institutions began with community members who cared enough to save what was being lost. That grassroots work remains essential, but good intentions alone cannot answer every question about research, ownership, preservation, interpretation, safety, or public trust. Professionalization did not replace community knowledge. It gave museums stronger tools for protecting that knowledge and using it responsibly. Most visitors see only the public side of this work: an exhibit, a program, a tour, a social media post, or a conversation at the front desk. Behind it are research, documentation, planning, collections care, and ethical decisions that may remain entirely invisible. Perhaps that is one reason museum work is still sometimes mistaken for a hobby rather than recognized as a profession. To understand why the work requires more than simply knowing local stories—or having grown up nearby—we first need to consider what history actually is and how historians produce it. First, A Quick Lesson in Historiography That begins with a distinction that sounds simple but matters: the past and history are not exactly the same thing. The past is everything that happened before now. History is our effort to study, explain, and interpret that past using the evidence that survives. That evidence can include letters, government records, newspapers, photographs, objects, buildings, oral histories, family records, archaeological materials, and much more. Every type of evidence has limits. A newspaper can contain errors or bias. A photograph shows only what was inside the frame. A government document reflects the purpose and viewpoint of the office that created it. A personal memory may preserve details found nowhere else, but memory can also change over time. Historians do not simply collect facts and repeat them. We ask who created a source, why it was created, what it tells us, what it leaves out, and how it compares with other evidence. We build interpretations that must remain grounded in verifiable information. Historiography is the study of how history has been written and interpreted. It asks how different historians have approached the same subject, what evidence they used, what questions they considered important, and how their conclusions changed over time. Interpretations can change when new sources are discovered, when old sources are reconsidered, or when researchers finally ask about people whose experiences earlier historians ignored. That does not mean history is merely a matter of opinion. The American Historical Association distinguishes historical interpretation from unsupported opinion: historical claims must be tested against evidence and debated through accepted methods. More than one interpretation may fit the available evidence, but not every claim is equally well supported. This matters in a museum because museums do not simply display the past. We make choices about what to collect, what to preserve, what to exhibit, and how to explain it. Those choices shape the histories visitors encounter. Responsible museum work makes that process evidence-based, transparent, and open to correction. Museums Began with People who Cared Many local museums and historical societies began because ordinary people recognized that photographs, documents, buildings, objects, and stories were disappearing. Families donated collections. Volunteers opened the doors, created exhibits, led tours, and kept important pieces of community history from being lost. We still depend on that kind of care. Local history could not survive without residents, volunteers, descendants, donors, and community members willing to share what they know. As collections grew, however, the work became more complicated. Who legally owns a donated object? What information needs to be recorded when it arrives? How do you safely store paper, textiles, photographs, metal, wood, or leather? What happens when an object contains mold, lead, arsenic, or another hazardous substance? Which stories are supported by evidence, and which have simply been repeated for generations? Whose experiences were never collected in the first place? Good intentions do not answer those questions. Training, research, policy, and professional judgment do. Edward P. Alexander's Museums in Motion, first published in 1979, offers a useful way to understand this development. The book first traces the histories of different kinds of museums and then turns to their major functions: collecting, conserving, exhibiting, interpreting and engaging, serving and acting, and sustaining professional practice. That structure makes an important point. A museum is not defined only by the objects inside it. It is also defined by what it does with those objects and by the responsibilities it accepts in doing that work. The title itself is useful: museums are always in motion. Their missions, methods, audiences, technologies, and ethical responsibilities continue to develop. Professionalization is part of that movement. The Field Became Organized Museum workers began organizing nationally more than a century ago. The American Alliance of Museums traces its history to 1906, when museum leaders came together to exchange knowledge and develop better practices. The American Association for State and Local History grew from a conference established by the American Historical Association in 1904 and became an independent organization in 1940. Those organizations connected museums and historical societies that had often been working alone. They helped establish shared expectations for collections care, research, governance, education, interpretation, and public service. In 1971, the American Alliance of Museums granted its first accreditations. Museum accreditation is a peer-review process that examines whether an institution fulfills its mission and meets accepted standards. In 2009, AASLH created the Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations, better known as STEPS, to help small and mid-sized history organizations assess their work and improve over time. Professional standards were not created to separate museums from their communities. They were created to help museums serve those communities responsibly. What Museum Professionals Actually Do There is a great deal of museum work visitors may never see. Depending on their role, museum professionals may: Research and interpret local history using reliable evidence. Collect, catalog, preserve, and protect historic objects and records. Develop exhibits, educational materials, tours, classes, and public programs. Work with students, teachers, researchers, families, and community organizations. Provide outreach through traveling exhibits, presentations, festivals, and partnerships. Recruit and coordinate volunteers while building relationships with members and donors. Raise funds through memberships, grants, sponsorships, and special events. Manage communications, marketing, social media, visitor services, finances, facilities, and daily administration. Evaluate the museum’s work, respond to community feedback, and plan for its future. The International Council of Museums defines museums as institutions that research, collect, conserve, interpret, and exhibit heritage. It also states that museums should operate ethically, professionally, and with the participation of communities. The American Alliance of Museums requires interpretive content to be based on appropriate research and expects primary research to follow scholarly standards. These standards matter in very practical ways. A mislabeled photograph can give a family the wrong identification for generations. Poor storage can permanently destroy a document. An artifact with no recorded history can lose most of its research value. A dramatic story repeated without evidence can eventually be accepted as fact. An exhibit based on only one viewpoint can leave entire groups of people out of their own community's history. Professional museum practice cannot eliminate every mistake, but it gives us a responsible way to prevent, identify, and correct them. Training Matters—But So Does Humility Museum work draws from history, public history, archives, education, anthropology, archaeology, conservation, nonprofit administration, communications, exhibit design, and many other disciplines. Professionals may enter the field through graduate programs, certificates, internships, apprenticeships, or years of supervised experience. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that archivists, curators, and conservators typically need a related master's degree. Museum technicians generally need a bachelor's degree. AASLH's 2025 National Survey of History Practitioners found that more than two-thirds of respondents held either a master's degree or a doctorate. A degree does not make anyone all-knowing, and professional training should never become an excuse to dismiss the public. At its best, training teaches us how to ask better questions, evaluate evidence, document uncertainty, care for materials, recognize ethical problems, and keep learning. That last part is important. Museum work is never finished. Preservation science advances. Laws and ethical standards change. Technology changes how collections are recorded and accessed. New research challenges older conclusions. Communities ask better questions about whose stories have been saved and whose have been ignored. A good museum professional should be willing to learn from all of it. Do You Have To Be Local To Tell Local History? This question comes up more often than people may realize. Local knowledge is incredibly important. Longtime residents carry memories, relationships, family histories, language, and an understanding of place that may never appear in an official record. Museums rely on residents to identify photographs, donate collections, share oral histories, correct mistakes, and point researchers toward sources they might otherwise miss. At the same time, being born in a community is not a professional qualification by itself. Being born somewhere else does not prevent a person from researching, preserving, or interpreting that community’s history responsibly. After all, one of America’s enduring ideals is that people should not be limited by where they were born or by the circumstances of their birth. There is no major national museum-workforce study that tells us how many museum professionals were born in the county where they now work; at least, none that have been found by this author just yet. The available studies focus on education, experience, professional roles, pay, workplace conditions, and commitment to the field. AASLH's 2025 survey included nearly 3,700 history practitioners, and nine in ten said their work was meaningful. Museum professionals regularly work with histories that are not personally their own. Our responsibility is not to claim ownership of those histories. It is to research carefully, listen to the people who do have lived experience, document our sources, invite participation, acknowledge what we do not know, and remain accountable when something needs to be corrected. Local knowledge and professional expertise are not opposing sides. The strongest local history depends on both. Being a Profession Means Being Accountable Respecting museum work as a profession does not mean museum professionals should be above criticism. Actually, it means the opposite. Museums should be able to explain how they know what they claim to know. They should have policies for collections, ethics, emergencies, and institutional planning. They should document decisions, welcome credible corrections, and protect the objects and information placed in their care. They should remember that collections are held for public benefit, not personal use. Professional organizations developed standards and codes of ethics because museums hold public trust. The American Alliance of Museums explains that ethics and standards promote accountability, strengthen decision-making, and demonstrate that an institution is worthy of that trust. AASLH also describes history organizations and practitioners as working in the public trust. So, no, professional respect does not mean accepting every museum statement without question. It means recognizing that responsible museum work follows methods and obligations that can be examined, tested, and improved. We Need Each Other Local museums still depend on the grassroots energy that created them. We need volunteers, residents, descendants, donors, members, researchers, teachers, students, and visitors. We need people who remember, people who ask questions, and people willing to tell us when we have missed something. Professional staff are part of that network, whether they were born nearby or came to the community later. Their work is not simply to repeat familiar stories. It is to preserve evidence, investigate questions, care for collections, make history accessible, and sometimes complicate what we thought we knew. Done well, museum work connects memory with documentation, and community knowledge with professional responsibility. It protects what has been entrusted to us while making room for better research and a fuller understanding of the past. That is important work. It is skilled work. And it deserves to be respected as a profession. Sources and Further Reading Alexander, Edward P., Mary Alexander, and Juilee Decker. Museums in Motion: An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums. 3rd ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. American Historical Association: History Discipline Core American Historical Association: Criteria for Standards in History American Alliance of Museums: About AAM American Alliance of Museums: Core Standards for Museums American Alliance of Museums: Ethics, Standards, and Professional Practices American Alliance of Museums: Accreditation American Association for State and Local History: About AASLH American Association for State and Local History: History Workforce American Association for State and Local History: STEPS International Council of Museums: Museum Definition International Council of Museums: Code of Ethics U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Archivists, Curators, and Museum Workers

People of Greene: Lt. Col. Agnes West McAmis (1919–1997) Lt. Col. Agnes West McAmis devoted more than two decades to military service while maintaining lifelong connections to the Greene County community where she was born and educated. An accomplished student, athlete, educator, and military officer, she built a distinguished career that began during the Second World War and concluded with her retirement from the United States Air Force as a lieutenant colonel. Agnes West McAmis was born on November 16, 1919, in Greeneville, Tennessee, to James Wilson McAmis and Frances Agnes Eckelkamp McAmis. Her father, J. W. McAmis, later served as superintendent of the Greeneville Water Works following his service in the United States Navy during the First World War 1. Caption: Newspaper account reporting Agnes McAmis's childhood accident, December 8, 1922. Credit: The Greeneville Democrat-Sun, December 8, 1922. Courtesy of Newspapers.com. From an early age, McAmis distinguished herself both academically and athletically. Although she suffered a serious childhood injury that resulted in the loss of portions of two fingers on her left hand, she remained active in sports throughout her youth 2. In 1931, she won recognition in local swimming and diving competitions, an early indication of the athletic accomplishments that would follow throughout her life 3. McAmis attended Greeneville City Schools, where she consistently ranked among the school's highest-achieving students. In April 1933, she earned first place on the city-wide eighth-grade honor roll with an academic average of 95.54 4. The following month, she was selected as valedictorian of her eighth-grade graduating class, delivering an address entitled The Smoky Mountain Park 5. Caption: The Greeneville High School "Little Devils" girls' basketball team following its East Tennessee Championship victory, March 16, 1937. Agnes McAmis is pictured in the back row, center. Credit: The Greeneville Sun, March 16, 1937. Courtesy of Newspapers.com. While attending Greeneville High School, McAmis continued to excel in both academics and athletics. She served as captain and center of the undefeated girls' basketball team during the 1936–1937 season and graduated with the Class of 1938. When she was inducted into the Greeneville High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, her biography—drawing upon contemporary newspaper accounts and school yearbooks—described her as "the person who was always there to hold the team together," 6. Following graduation, McAmis enrolled at Tusculum College, where she served as president of the Women's Athletic Association, was elected to the Polity Club, and was recognized in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges 7. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1941 before continuing her studies at the University of Tennessee College of Law 8. As the United States entered the Second World War, McAmis chose military service. She enlisted in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on January 23, 1943, at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. During the following months she completed administrative training, graduated from Officer Candidate School at Des Moines, Iowa, received a commission as a Second Lieutenant, and completed the Intermediate Officers School before returning briefly to Greeneville on leave 9. By 1944, McAmis was serving as adjutant of Section D (WAC) at Gardner Field, an Army Air Forces basic pilot training installation in California. The following year, while commanding a Women's Army Corps unit at Victorville Army Air Field, she attended Purdue University's WAC School for Personnel Administration, an advanced course preparing officers for greater administrative responsibility 10. Following the conclusion of the war, McAmis was released from active duty in April 1946 and accepted a position with the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. 11. In May 1949, she received a commission as a First Lieutenant in the Regular United States Air Force and was assigned to Headquarters, Military Air Transport Service, at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland 12. Caption: Major Agnes W. McAmis following graduation from the United States Air Force Command and Staff School, 1959. Credit: The Greeneville Sun, May 11, 1959. Courtesy of Newspapers.com. During the 1950s, McAmis continued to advance through the officer ranks, serving assignments in Maryland, Germany, Texas, and Washington, D.C. In 1959, then Major McAmis graduated from the United States Air Force Command and Staff School at Maxwell Air Force Base before assuming command of the 3743rd Women in the Air Force (WAF) Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. She also served as WAF advisor to the base commander 13. Caption:Announcement of Lt. Col. Agnes W. McAmis's assignment to Torrejón Air Base, Spain, June 1962. Credit: The Greeneville Sun, June 7, 1962. Courtesy of Newspapers.com. In June 1962, McAmis was assigned to Torrejón Air Base near Madrid, Spain, where she became personnel officer for the Spanish Communications Region. By the following year, local newspapers reported that she had attained the rank of lieutenant colonel and remained stationed in Spain, where she welcomed visiting friends from Greeneville during military leave 14. Although her assignments frequently took her to California, Maryland, Germany, Texas, Spain, and Washington, D.C., McAmis maintained close ties to Greeneville. Local newspapers regularly noted her visits home to spend holidays with family, attend commencements, and visit relatives throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s 15. Following her retirement from the United States Air Force, McAmis returned to Greeneville and remained active in athletics as an accomplished golfer. She supported athletic programs at both Greeneville High School and Tusculum College, and through her estate established the Agnes West McAmis Scholarship at Tusculum University in 1998. The scholarship gives preference to members of the women's golf team and, subsequently, to other female student-athletes. Her contributions continue to be recognized through the annual Agnes McAmis Memorial golf tournament 16. Lt. Col. Agnes West McAmis died on January 11, 1997, in Johnson City, Tennessee, and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Greeneville. Her life and career are documented through military records, local newspapers, and the collections of the Greeneville-Greene County History Museum. Local Mentions of Agnes McAmis: Featured on the Greeneville Women of Influence mural, celebrating notable women from Greene County (2026). Located at 622 E. Church Street, Greeneville, TN; on the corner of E. Church Street and W. Bernard Street, Greeneville, TN. NOTE: Historical research is an ongoing process. If you have additional information or believe a correction is needed, please contact the Greeneville-Greene County History Museum. We welcome documented contributions that help ensure the accuracy of our historical record. Sources The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), obituary of James Wilson McAmis, November 14, 1951, Newspapers.com. The Greeneville Democrat-Sun (Greeneville, TN), December 8, 1922, Newspapers.com. The Greeneville Democrat-Sun (Greeneville, TN), August 11, 1931, Newspapers.com. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), April 24, 1933, Newspapers.com. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), May 27, 1933, Newspapers.com. Greeneville High School Sports Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Inductee Biography: Agnes McAmis, 2007. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), December 3, 1940, Newspapers.com. Tusculum College, student records of Agnes West McAmis. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), May 5, 1943, Newspapers.com; The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), August 11, 1943, Newspapers.com. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), May 1944, Newspapers.com; The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), September 15, 1944, Newspapers.com; The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), August 13, 1945, Newspapers.com. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), April 15, 1946, Newspapers.com. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), May 11, 1959, Newspapers.com. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), June 1953, Newspapers.com; The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), May 11, 1959, Newspapers.com; The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), June 7, 1962, Newspapers.com. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), June 7, 1962, Newspapers.com; The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), December 1963, Newspapers.com. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), December 27, 1945; May 30, 1952; June 7, 1962; and other issues, 1945–1963, Newspapers.com. Tusculum University, Agnes West McAmis Scholarship records; Greeneville High School Sports Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Inductee Biography: Agnes McAmis, 2007. Sources Consulted Greeneville-Greene County History Museum. Agnes West McAmis Collection. Greeneville High School Sports Hall of Fame. "Agnes McAmis." Inducted October 19, 2007. The Greeneville Democrat-Sun (Greeneville, Tenn.). Various issues, 1922–1931. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, Tenn.). Various issues, 1933–1963. Tusculum University. Agnes West McAmis Scholarship Records. United States Army. World War II Enlistment Records for Agnes West McAmis.

The Greeneville-Greene County History Museum is in the middle of one of the largest exhibit transformations in recent years. Thanks to funding through a Tennessee 250 grant, we have begun creating a brand-new permanent gallery that will explore the history of Greene County from pre-colonization through the Civil War. This new space will tell a more complete story of our community while creating engaging experiences for visitors of all ages. As with any major renovation, some exhibits will be temporarily relocated or reimagined while construction is underway. We appreciate your patience as we work behind the scenes to improve the museum for years to come. A New Permanent History Gallery Work has officially begun on our newest gallery. The former Veterans Gallery has been carefully dismantled to make way for a completely new exhibit that will interpret Greene County's earliest history, beginning with Indigenous communities, and continuing through settlement, statehood, and the Civil War. Although this gallery has closed, many of the veteran artifacts remain on display throughout the museum while we develop a new, dedicated veterans exhibit. Image caption: First left image is of the Veterans Gallery before closure. Additional images are of the main hallway outside of the Veterans Gallery, which will be cleared for updates. Creating space for the new exhibit requires moving several collections throughout the museum. Over the coming months, visitors may notice display cases being relocated, hallway exhibits changing, and galleries evolving as we make room for new experiences. The Pet Milk exhibit is being relocated and updated with a refreshed display upstairs, while several other collections are finding new homes throughout the museum. Image caption: First top image is of the upstairs hallway before closure. Additional images show the Pet Milk display from the main hallway being placed in its new location upstairs. Veterans Exhibits Rather than placing our military history in storage, we're creating new displays throughout the main hallway in the museum so visitors can continue to enjoy many of these important artifacts during construction. Image caption: First two images show the deconstruction of the Veterans Gallery as staff prepares to begin construction later July. Additional images show the new veteran displays in the main hallway. Updates are still in progress, and more information and narration will be applied. USS Greeneville Display One exciting addition is our new permanent exhibit highlighting the USS Greeneville. This display celebrates the unique relationship between our community and the submarine that proudly carries Greeneville's name. Image caption: First image is of the Main Hallway before renovations. Additional images are of the main gallery after updates. Last image shows the USS Greeneville 30th Reunion crowd attending the USS Greeneville display reveal on July 4th. Kids Gallery Improvements Our hands-on children's gallery continues to receive major improvements. New flooring has been completed, and we're building interactive stations, installing wall features, and creating new educational experiences designed especially for young explorers. Image caption: First left image shows the "before" of the Kids Gallery. This is intended for children to explore the lives, responsibilities, and roles of children during the early frontier era of East Tennessee. Major updates and repairs were needed in the space to ensure that kids can play safely while engaging in standard social studies. The middle image shows the process of replacing the floor. Last image shows the finished flooring. More updates will be made in the gallery over the next few months. What's Coming Next? As construction progresses, our Paleo to Pioneer gallery will eventually close so its stories and artifacts can be incorporated into the new permanent history gallery. Rather than simply replacing an exhibit, we're combining these collections into one larger, more cohesive experience that will allow visitors to follow Greene County's story from its earliest inhabitants through the Civil War in a single, connected journey. We're excited to share updates as work continues. Follow us on social media or check back here regularly to watch the museum transform!