Christmas at the Carter Mansion

Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5

6 to 9 pm

The Historic John and Landon Carter Mansion

1031 Broad Street     Elizabethton, Tennessee

Christmas Tours are by Reservation Only -Please call:  423-543-5808

$5.00 for Adults – non refundable/ 17 and under free

Are you tired of the hustle and bustle that always accompanies this time of year? If so, step back in time to the 18^th century and enjoy a colonial Christmas at the beautiful Carter Mansion. Join Colonel John Carter, the Carter family, and all their friends for a glimpse into simpler time, when Christmas was the grandest celebration of the entire year. In colonial America the Christmas season was celebrated as month long array of merriment and festivities signaled by caroling, feasting, dances, foxhunts, and the firing of Christmas guns. Christmas on the colonial frontier would have been much different though, with only the simplest of pleasures being offered by the humble backwoods settlers. However, in contrast, the Carters would have displayed an opulence only seen in the finest homes of Williamsburg or Philadelphia.

Spend a candlelit evening in the oldest frame house in Tennessee, decorated with bright greenery for the holidays. Enjoy music, hot cider, and 18^th century interpreters as they transport you to a Colonial American Christmas.

Christmas tours are available by reservation only. Tours begin at 6:00pm and a new tour starts every twenty minutes until 8:40pm. Please contact the park to reserve your tour time. Admission is $5.00 for Adults 18 years of age and above and is nonrefundable. Young people 17 years of age and under are free of charge, however a reservation must be made.

All donations are graciously accepted and will go to support future programming at the Carter Mansion. We look forward to your visit for this one-of-a-kind holiday gathering! The Carter Mansion is located at 1031 Broad Street, Elizabethton, TN 37643.

For more information or to schedule your tour, contact:

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area

(423) 543-5808

NEXT FRIDAY! Fundraiser Auction at Sycamore Shoals

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area Seeks to Enhance Visitor’s Experience through Fundraiser Auction 

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area invites you to our November Auction & Fundraiser being held on Friday, November 13^th at 7 pm. Doors open at 6 pm so you may view the items to be auctioned.  

We hope you will support this event which is dedicated to raising funds to support improvements to and care of our Interpretive Exhibits and Museum which opened in June of 2013.  Since its opening, the Sycamore Shoals Exhibits have become a showcase for our community and continue to attract new visitors who travel here to experience our history. If you have not been by to check out this wonderful new addition to your State Park, we encourage you to do so!

This event will raise funds to improve the already outstanding museum to make the experiences of our visitors even more enjoyable. Additions to the museum will include enhancement of our lifelike three dimensional exhibits, display cases to showcase important and fragile artifacts, additional text panels to accompany the artifacts, and new ways to make the museum more interactive for our visitors.

Some of the items that will be included in the auction include, a beautiful hand pieced Quilt made by the Sycamore Stitchers, an autographed picture of Eli Manning holding the Super Bowl trophy, an autographed picture of Butch Jones, Autographed script and photos from the hit television show NCIS, a large Snap-on Cooler designed as a tool chest, an 18^th Century Cherokee Trade necklace made from beads that are over 150 years old, a handcrafted knife and display stand from local primitive artisan Bob Estep, a rafting trip for two with Wahoo’s Adventures, A painting of the Carter Mansion by local artist David Cramer, 216 sq. feet of western cedar laminate flooring, and numerous gift cards from area restaurants. Also, tickets to Ripley’s Aquarium, Barter Theater and The Tavern, Grandfather Mountain, and the Gray Fossil Site!

 

 

 

There will also be select items from the Sabine Hill house restoration for bid. Along with the public auction there will be many smaller items in a Silent Auction as well. Mark your calendars now for this fun and entertaining event dedicated to enhancing the Interpretive Exhibits at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area!

 

 

We would like to thank our supporters and encourage you to join the list! 

The Sycamore Stitchers,  Burgie Drug Store, Felty-Roland Florist, the Watauga Valley Art League, John Sevier-Sarah Hawkins Chapter DAR, Charlie Long III of Allstate Insurance Company, Indian Mountain State Park, Artist Kay Braswell,  Eli Manning, Gary Stevens, Butch Jones, East Tennessee Nursery Association, Citizens Bank, Larry Proffitt, Elizabethton Federal Savings and Loan, Snap-On Tools, Bob Estep, Ripley’s Aquarium, John Parrish, Grandfather Mountain, Meredith Valley Cabins, Red Lobster, Hampton Inn, Gray Fossil Site, Wahoo’s Adventures, Primo’s, Jim Bishop, Carolyn Buckles, David Cramer and Winchester Flooring

 

For questions, additional information, or to contribute an item or service to the auction, please contact Johnnie Pilk or Chad Bogart at 423-543-5808.

 

https://www.facebook.com/sycamoreshoals

http://www.friendsofsycamoreshoals.org

http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/sycamore-shoals

 

 

 

Military Timeline & Colonial Harvest Celebration

Saturday & Sunday,   November 7^th & 8^th

10:00 am – 4:00 pm 

Sycamore Shoals will soon set the stage for over two hundred years of American military history. Come out the weekend before Veteran’s Day and step back in time for A Walk In Their Boots: A Timeline of American Military History . Experience life on the front lines as an American military soldier and follow his footsteps through the earliest frontier days, the American Revolution, the War of 1812, America’s Civil War, World War I, World War II and beyond. See firsthand, how the uniforms, equipment and weapons developed over the years. Follow the path of America’s proudest tradition, that of its military veterans.

As a timeline event, re-enactors and historical interpreters will walk you through each period, displaying artifacts and conducting interactive demonstrations that will show you how these men and women contributed to securing American freedom and how they have protected it to this day. Tour the period encampments, see how soldiers lived in the field

and what resources they had to survive!

Plus, do not miss the battle skirmish presentations for four specific time periods presented both days. Do not miss this opportunity to see period equipment and weapons in action! This event is designed to not only honor the past but also recognize our present military heroes. Everyone is encouraged to attend especially our veterans.

Also in conjunction with the timeline event, the Washington County Regiment of North Carolina Militia, host living history organization for Sycamore Shoals, will present a colonial era Harvest Celebration within Fort Watauga. In Colonial America, before Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday, each colony or community observed days of thanksgiving usually after the harvest had been brought in or after a significant military victory. Join the Washington County Militia for their annual Harvest Home Activities. Harvest events throughout the weekend will include; a reading of colonial governor Richard Caswell’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, open hearth cooking, flintlock musket and rifle demonstrations, militia drill and training, and many more aspects and demonstrations of daily life on the colonial American frontier.

This is a perfect opportunity for the entire family to visit one of Tennessee’s finest state parks and enjoy a day immersed in history and fun. Admission is free so don’t miss this unique event showcasing Tennessee’s rich military and historic heritage. During your time at the park be sure to experience the new interpretive exhibits and our Eastern National Book and Gift Shop to make your visit complete.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 

Saturday, November 7th

10:00 – Event Opens

10:15 – Opening Ceremony

11:00 – World War I era battle scenario

1:00 – Revolutionary War era assault on Fort Watauga

2:00 – Civil War era field skirmish

3:00 – World War II era assault

 

Sunday, November 8^th

10:00 – Event Opens

11:00 – Church Service in the WWII camp

1:00 – Civil War era field skirmish

2:00 – World War I era battle scenario

3:00 – World War II era assault