Carter Mansion Tours scheduled during Old Christmas weekend!

Are you planning a visit to Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park on Saturday, January 7^th from 10am-4pm or Sunday, January 8^th from 10am-3pm for our annual Old Christmas at Fort Watauga celebration presented by the Washington County Militia?  We certainly hope so – and while you are taking in the history of the late 18th century in Elizabethton, we will also be offering a unique opportunity to tour the historic Carter Mansion on the same dates!

We will also be opening the historic Carter Mansion for Christmas tours to provide our guests the opportunity to enjoy Christmas customs and New Years traditions of the 18^th century in this beautiful historic home. Tours of the Carter Mansion will be offered on Saturday, January 7 at 11 am, Noon, 2 pm, and 3 pm; On Sunday at 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm.   The cost for tours is $5.00 for ages 13 through Adult; 12 and under are free. We can only accept cash for this event.

Please note that Old Christmas at Fort Watauga at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park is free to all ages.   The $5.00 cost applies only to tours of the Carter Mansion.

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park is located at 1651 W. Elk Avenue in Elizabethton, TN. The Carter Mansion is at 1031 Broad Street, also in Elizabethton.

For more information contact the Park at 423-543-5808.

 

 

Old Christmas is coming to Sycamore Shoals!

Old Christmas at Fort Watauga

January 7 & 8, 2017

Christmas isn’t over yet! Come to Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park and see how our colonial ancestors celebrated a holiday called “Old Christmas”. In Colonial America, Christmas was celebrated as a twelve day holiday with many traditions and customs. Does The Twelve Days of Christmas sound familiar? These twelve days of feasting, and merrymaking ended on January 6^th or “Twelfth Night” with a grand celebration.

On Saturday, January 7^th from 10am-4pm and Sunday, January 8^th from 10am-3pm the Washington County Militia will hold their monthly Militia Muster and Old Christmas Celebration. As you walk through the gates of Fort Watauga you will travel back in time to an 18^th century Old Christmas “Jollification”. Each cabin in the fort will be the setting of Christmas traditions as celebrated by the settlers of different cultures on the colonial frontier. Many of our modern Christmas customs are taken from centuries old practices such as English Christmas Guns, the Irish Holly Wreath, the German Tannenbaum, Scottish First Footing, and the Dutch Sinterklaas. See how our Christmas practices of today are steeped in these old world traditions.

Get the most out of the Holiday Season and visit Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park for a fun, entertaining, and educational family outing. Arrive ready to be filled with the spirit of Christmas. It’s an event that is sure to become a tradition with your family year after year. Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park is located at 1651 W. Elk Avenue in Elizabethton, TN. For more information contact the Park at 423-543-5808 or visit our websites at http://www.sycamoreshoalstn.org or http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/sycamore-shoals.