Pavilion to be enclosed, law office roof repaired

CELINA-Work will soon continue here at the Clay County Museum thanks to a new $93,500 grant the organization received from the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee State Museum.

“The grant award will be used for enclosing the pavilion that houses historical artifacts that need to be protected from the weather,” local museum officials said.  “Additionally, the enclosure will allow additional displays of farm equipment.

“Funds will also allow repair of the roof on the Cordell Hull Law Office, further protecting artifacts inside.  A deck at the entrance will be built creating a comfortable space for visitors to sit and additional shelving will be added inside to provide more space to appropriately display beautiful items from Clay County.”

The Clay County Museum is a non-profit corporation governed by a seven-member board of directors, all of which are volunteers with a passion for history and a love for Clay County.

“This grant will enable us to continue to discover, procure, and preserve the history of Clay County and display it in a way that is meaningful, easy to access and tells the story of our beautiful county,” museum officials said.

The money awarded to the local museum comes as a part of $5 million made available by the Tennessee General Assembly from the 2025-2026 Appropriations Act “for the sole purpose of providing grants to museums with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or affiliated with a governmental entity for capital maintenance and improvements.”

In the third year of the grant program, it remains a highly competitive process.  In total, the Tennessee State Museum received 178 applications, totaling $12,031,874 in requests.  The Museum has made full or partial awards to 99 museums across the state, representing 45 counties.  In the three years the Museum has administered the grant program, it has served museums in 73 counties across the state.

The Capital Maintenance and Improvements grant had a minimum request amount of $5,000 and a maximum request amount of $100,000.  All projects must be completed by June 30, 2026.

“The Tennessee Capital Improvement Grants continue to support and strengthen the infrastructure of institutions preserving our state and local history and culture,” said Ashley Howell, Tennessee State Museum Executive Director.  “We are honored to help support the commitment of those institutions to better serve their communities and visitors through collection care and visitor accessibility these last three years.

“We are inspired by the dedication of their staff and volunteers.  None of it would be possible, of course, without the State of Tennessee’s unwavering support for Tennessee history.”

For more information about the Tennessee State Museum, visit TNMuseum.org.  For more information about the Clay County Museum, visit www.claycotnmuseum.com.