The National Park Service Collections Preservation Center will hold 418,000 artifacts and 1.3 million archival records pertaining to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park — as well as Andrew Johnson National Historical Site, Big South Fork National Recreation Area, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and Obed Wild and Scenic River.

The 14,000-square-foot building cost $4.2 million, funded through a $1.9 million donation from the Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains Association, with the rest picked up by National Park Service line item construction funding. The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center donated the land. 

Park Superintendent Cassius Cash called the project a “testament about partnerships and what we can accomplish by bringing together public and private interests towards a great purpose.” 

The collection contains a wide range of items dating back 8,000 years. Items may also be temporarily loaned to facilities for display in public museum exhibits.