A soldier’s uniform can tell you something about the person who wore it. An everyday object can open a conversation about how a family lived. But sometimes it takes someone standing in front of you—showing, explaining and answering questions—to make that history feel close.
That’s the experience behind Walk in Their Boots, coming to the Museum of Butler on October 9–10, with a Friday Education Day followed by Saturday’s public Life on the Home Front event.
At Butler, the setting gives those stories a local connection. World War II belongs to the history of this valley, too.
The War Abroad and Change at Home
Young people from Butler left their mountain community to serve during World War II. Some interrupted their education to enlist, leaving classrooms and familiar surroundings for an uncertain future.
Meanwhile, the Watauga Dam project would transform the place they called home. The relocation of Butler meant moving families, dismantling buildings and leaving behind places woven into generations of memories.
Military service and the loss of the original town are distinct parts of Butler’s history, but considering them together raises a question: What does coming home mean when home itself has changed?
That connection gives the weekend a purpose beyond displaying uniforms and equipment. It invites visitors to think about the people who used those objects—their families, their responsibilities and the lives they hoped to return to.
Friday Brings History Within Reach of Students
Friday morning will welcome 158 students from area elementary schools. They’ll explore eight stations covering Infantry, Airborne, Navy, WAVES/WACs and Civilian Life, along with both floors of the Museum and the W.S. Stout Store. The afternoon has been reserved for homeschool students and groups.
The opportunity is in those small moments of discovery: noticing an unfamiliar piece of equipment, asking what someone carried or imagining an ordinary day in another era.
School groups attend 9 a.m.–noon, with a separate session for homeschool students and families 1–3 p.m. Registration is required. Admission is free for participating students, educators and chaperones, and sack lunches may be enjoyed in the picnic areas.
Saturday Invites Everyone Into the Story
On Saturday, Life on the Home Front: A 1940s Living History Event and the Walk in Their Boots opens to the public 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Living historians and displays will explore Victory Gardens, scrap drives, civilian defense, women’s factory work and military equipment. This is the final Living History Saturday program of the Museum’s 2026 season.
Bring the family, take time to ask questions and see what sparks a conversation. A visit might prompt a child’s first question about World War II—or bring an older relative’s story back into the discussion.
The Museum of Butler TN is located at 123 Selma Curtis Road in Butler. Regular admission is $5, children under 12 are free, and parking is free. The programs are included with admission.
For registration and details, visit the Museum’s event page.
This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.
