Jefferson County Materials Located at the
Reuel B. Pritchett Museum, Bridgewater, VA
Rev. Reuel B. Pritchett is remembered by Jeff Countians as an active Brethren minister, superb historian, and the founder of Jefferson County's Museum, located in the Courthouse in Dandridge. The Museum celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1995. In his quest to preserve Jefferson County's history, Rev. Pritchett collected and identified most of the items in the Museum cases.
Much of his personal artifact collection, however, was donated to Bridgewater (VA) College, which houses the Reuel B. Pritchett Museum. His documents were deposited in the Bridgewater College Library. In the photo at left, Rev. Pritchett is viewing a small part of the artifact collection. (Photo borrowed from the Pritchett Museum Web site. No copyright infringement intended.)
Billie McNamara contacted the College in 1995 and inquired about what Jefferson County-related materials were there. The Museum and Library staff kindly responded with a tremendous inventory of items identified as having a Jefferson County connection. The artifacts range from Indian relics to items identified with the following families:
| Alley | Carter | Lyle | Nead | Rodeffer | Verplank |
| Ball | Ellis | McGuire | Newman | Rugle | Williford |
| Biddle | Harris | McNabb | Phillips | Thompson | Wine |
Bridgewater's Library has files on the following Jefferson County topics and surnames:
| Biggs Family | Deeds (1830's-1910) | Jefferson County Schools | Pine Chapel Church |
| Cemeteries | Felknor Family | Morristown | Judge C. T. Rankin |
| Civil War | William Harrison | New Market Train Wreck | John Rankin |
| David Crockett | Jefferson County | Sam and Ethel Noe | Tennessee Monument in Andersonville Prison Park |
| Dandridge | Jefferson County Museum | Oak Grove Community | Turnley Family |
The Library is willing to photocopy materials upon request. Please contact the library for a cost estimate.
