Historical Society
Annual Conventions

Since its inception in 1989 the Historical Society has hosted a yearly convention to conduct our business, promote the sharing of knowledge and to explore and enjoy the ET&WNC Railroad area. The convention is usually held in June in the ET&WNC area and for the last few years has been headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee. The convention has also been located in Boone and Banner Elk, NC in past years. Photos and activities from many of the early conventions can be found here.

The 34th Annual Convention of the Historical Society was held May 24-26, 2024 at the beautiful Carnegie Hotel in downtown Johnson City. Our guest speaker at the Society Business Meeting was Johnny Graybeal who gave a presentation on soon to be released book on the precursor to the Tweetsie Railroad....the Shenandoah Central. The annual train rides at Tweetsie Railroad and at Doe River Gorge along with a visit to the brand new Johnson City Railroad Experience, the new home of the former G.L. Carter Museum HO Scale ET&WNC layout, rounded out the group's weekend activities.

Out of an abundance of caution, and in an effort to protect the health and safety of our Society members and members of the community, we followed
the lead of other organizations and cancelled our Annual Conventions that had been scheduled for 2020 and 2021 in Johnson City at the Carnegie Hotel.
We will continue to monitor conditons and make our plans for the future accordingly. Suggestions are always welcomed. Please check for new schedules and updates in our newsletters.

Our next Annual Convention is scheduled in Johnson City for May 30-June 1, 2025, and we will again be following our usual format!

 

Contact our Vice President Chris Jessee for more information about future Society conventions.