Crossville’s Military Memorial Museum the recipient of some $500,000 from House Speaker Cameron Sexton.
Museum President Mark Pfaffenroth (Pawf in roth) said the funding opportunity came about after Sexton visited the museum last winter. Pfaffenroth said the funding will be used toward renovations on the museum’s second floor.
“Right now we’re not able to use the upstairs, we’re not able to open it to the public because of structural issues,” Pfaffenroth said. “And so he was gracious enough to put money into the budget this year which will help us refurbish the building and allow to be able to use both the first and second floor.”
Pfaffenroth said the museum is home to artifacts ranging from the Civil War to more recent conflicts like Afghanistan and Iraq. He said by being able to open up the second floor to visitors, the museum will be able to expand operations and display more items.
Eventually, Pfaffenroth said they hope to be able to recreate the German POW camps that used to have a home in Crossville. He said the first step in the renovation process will be to complete a structural study, since the last one was completed in 2003 when the museum opened.