Mind Your Business: 250 Years of American History

The Heritage Alliance will open a new temporary exhibition, Mind Your Business: 250 Years of American History through Currency, on July 3 at the Jonesborough/Washington County History Museum inside the Jonesborough Visitor Center. The exhibition will remain on display through the end of 2026. Developed in partnership with a private collector, the exhibition uses coins, paper money, promissory notes, and financial artifacts to explore the story of America from the Revolutionary era to today. Through rare and historic objects, visitors will examine how money reflects power, patriotism, trust, and the changing identity of the nation. The exhibit connects national history with local stories from Tennessee and Jonesborough, highlighting the role frontier communities, banks, businesses, and everyday citizens played in shaping the American economy and the American experience. Interactive elements throughout the exhibition will invite visitors to reflect on what gives money value and what Americans choose to honor through the images and symbols carried in their pockets every day. A satellite exhibit will accompany at the Chester Inn State Historic Site. Mind Your Business is funded in part through a Tennessee America 250 grant from the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial. The Tennessee America 250 initiative supports projects across the state that preserve and interpret Tennessee’s unique stories as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. The Jonesborough/Washington County History Museum is located inside the Jonesborough Visitor Center at 117 Boone Street. Admission is free. For more information, visit or contact the Heritage Alliance at 423-753-9580.