History at Home

History at Home begins Wednesday, June 7^th

at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park!

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park would like to introduce our Seasonal Interpretive Rangers for the 2017 summer season! They will be providing a wide variety of educational and entertaining interpretive programs for all ages, sharing the inspirational history of our park and region. You can find their offerings at www.sycamoreshoalstn.org under “Monthly Interpretive Programs/History at Home.” Please make is a point to a join us for this summer series! The History at Home series is offered in addition to our already scheduled monthly programs which include workshops, music jams, the Liberty! outdoor drama, and so much more!

Jessica Newell is currently a graduate student at East Tennessee State University working towards a degree in Archival Studies. She has been fascinated by history ever since a trip to Colonial Williamsburg with her family at the age of seven. Experiences such as dressing in period clothing and holding aloft the group’s candlelit lantern during a haunted tour of the Historic Area stayed with her for years to come. She began volunteering as a historical reenactor at Fort Loudoun State Historic Area in 2008 and enjoys sharing the past with visitors in the same immediate fashion that had so captivated her as a child. She received her undergraduate degree in History from the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana in May of 2016. An internship working with county government records inspired her to pursue a career in historic archives. This summer, she looks forward to sharing her love of history with visitors as a Seasonal Interpreter at Sycamore Shoals.

Stuart Neely Shelton has a history of interpretive work. While living in Newport News, Virginia, he volunteered at the Virginia Living Museum as a trail and touch tank interpreter. When not volunteering at the Virginia Living Museum, Mr. Shelton participated in American Civil War reenactments and Living History events. After moving to Flag Pond, Tennessee during his junior year of High School, Mr. Shelton still volunteered whenever he could. During the summer, he volunteered at the Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site in Johnson City, Tennessee. There, he portrayed a Union soldier and showed what life was like for the average Civil War soldier. In addition, he took guests on tours around the Tipton-Haynes property. After graduating from East Tennessee State University in May 2017, Stuart Shelton is now working as a Seasonal Interpreter Ranger at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. Here, he intends to help make the history of Sycamore Shoals, the Carter Mansion, and Carter County come alive for guests of all ages and backgrounds.

Below you will find their programs which begin Wednesday, June 7 – 24, 2017. For additional information, please contact the park at 423-543-5808.

History at Home

Ranger Programs – June 7 – 21

Seasonal Interpretive Rangers – Jessica Newell and Stuart Shelton

Wednesday, June 7th

11:30 am: Wearing History- Join Jessica inside Fort Watauga to explore 18^th century modes of dress and how the Watauga settlers made and wore clothing on the frontier.

2:00 pm: Carter Mansion Tour- Built by Watauga settlement leaders, John and Landon Carter in 1775, a tour of Tennessee’s oldest frame home is a must! Adults – $5.00 (cash only please); 17 and under free.

3:30 pm: Lifestyles of Whites and Cherokee Indians- Come see how the Cherokee Indians and white settlers survived in the frontier wilderness. SIR Stuart Shelton will share how these two groups used the local animals for food and clothing. Also, the plants grown by both groups will be shown. The ways members of both groups armed themselves for war and hunting will also be revealed. Lastly, the impact of the Cherokees and whites interacting with each other will be shared. Please meet outside the fort, near the open gate.

Thursday, June 8th

10:30am: Games and Diversions- Join Stuart and Jessica inside Fort Watauga and try your hand at 18^th century children’s games, fun for all ages.

2:00 pm: Carter Mansion Tour- Built by Watauga settlement leaders, John and Landon Carter in 1775, a tour of Tennessee’s oldest frame home is a must! Adults – $5.00 (cash only please); 17 and under free.

3:30 pm: Nature’s Whistles: Join Stuart and Jessica by the Butterfly Garden at Sycamore Shoals to make whistles out of objects found in nature.

Friday, June 9th

11:30 am: Carter County’s American Civil War Experience: Meet a Union soldier stationed in Carter County in 1864 and hear about how the Civil War affected this area. Also see what a typical Civil War soldier would have in his haversack in order to withstand army life. If interested, meet at the Carter Mansion.

2:00 pm: Carter Mansion Tour – Built by Watauga settlement leaders, John and Landon Carter in 1775, a tour of Tennessee’s oldest frame home is a must! Adults – $5.00 (cash only please); 17 and under free.

3:30 pm: Musket Firing Demonstration– Meet Stuart at the back porch of the visitor center for a demonstration of the loading and firing of the Brown Bess musket.

Saturday, June 10th

10:30 am-1:00 pm: Life in the Fort- Join Stuart and Jessica in the fort to discover the daily occupations of settlers taking refuge in Fort Watauga during the 1770s.

2:00 pm: Carter Mansion Tour- Built by Watauga settlement leaders, John and Landon Carter in 1775, a tour of Tennessee’s oldest frame home is a must! Adults – $5.00 (cash only please); 17 and under free.

3:30 pm: Flint and Steel Fire-making Demonstration- Join Stuart in the fort for a demonstration of 18^th century flint and steel fire starting.

Sunday, June 11^th

11:30 am: Working with the Earth- Discover how the 18^th century gardener raised and tended vegetables and herbs in the Carter Mansion kitchen garden, an essential part of everyday life.

2:00 pm: Carter Mansion Tour – Built by Watauga settlement leaders, John and Landon Carter in 1775, a tour of Tennessee’s oldest frame home is a must! Adults – $5.00 (cash only please); 17 and under free.

3:30 pm: Cemetery Symbolism- Ever wonder what the artwork on historic gravestones meant? Head out across the lawn after the tour of the Carter Mansion to translate the language of cemetery symbolism in the Carter, Thomas, and community plots.

Tuesday, June 13th

9:30 am: Living in the Wilderness: The Long Hunter –

Come see how a 18^th Century Long Hunter would live while in the Appalachian Frontier. If interested, meet at the field near the park’s Butterfly Garden.

11:30 am: Rifle and Musket Comparison: Join Stuart behind the visitor center for a comparison of the two weapons which faced off during the American Revolution. Corbin will demonstrate the Brown Bess musket of the British army and the American long rifle. Discover the differences between these weapons and their different uses on the battlefield.

Wednesday, June 14^th

9:30 am: Beliefs of the Cherokee: In the coolness of the morning, gather round and hear Cherokee myths and legends that have been passed down through time. Please meet Stuart at the field near the park’s Butterfly Garden. While seating will be provided, feel free to bring your own chairs.

11:30 am: Wearing History- Join in the Visitor’s Center/ Fort Watauga to explore 18^th century modes of dress and how the Watauga settlers made and wore clothing on the frontier.

Thursday, June 15th

10:30 am: Games and Diversions- Join Stuart and Jessica inside Fort Watauga and try your hand at 18^th century children’s games, fun for all ages.

11:30 am: Carter County’s American Civil War Experience: Meet a Union soldier stationed in Carter County in 1864 and hear about how the Civil War affected this area. Also see what a typical Civil War soldier would have in his haversack in order to withstand army life. See how a Civil War soldier would load and fire his musket! If interested, meet at meet at the Carter Mansion.

2:00 pm: Carter Mansion Tour- Built by Watauga settlement leaders, John and Landon Carter in 1775, a tour of Tennessee’s oldest frame home is a must! Adults – $5.00 (cash only please); 17 and under free.

3:30 pm: Flint and Steel Fire-making Demonstration- Join Jessica in the fort for a demonstration of 18^th century flint and steel fire starting.

Friday, June 16th

9:30 am: the Colonial Laundress – Join Jessica inside Fort Watauga to experience the subtle art of doing laundry in the 18^th century. This essential task was performed by women both in the home and while following the military on campaign. Discover stain-removing and bleaching concoctions whose decendants are used for washing clothes today.

3:30 pm: Mourning Rituals of the 18^th Century- Head over to the cemetery across the lawn after the Carter Mansion tour to discover the funerary practices and mourning rituals of the 1700s.

Saturday, June 17th

10:30 am-1:00 pm: Life in the Fort- Join Stuart and Jessica in the fort to discover the daily occupations of settlers taking refuge in Fort Watauga during the 1770s.

2:00 pm: Carter Mansion Tour- Built by Watauga settlement leaders, John and Landon Carter in 1775, a tour of Tennessee’s oldest frame home is a must! Adults – $5.00 (cash only please); 17 and under free.

3:30: Weapons of the 17^th Century- Witness how soldiers in the 1600s fought and what weapons they used on battlefields in Europe. If interested, meet Stuart at the field near the park’s Butterfly Garden.

Sunday, June 18th

11:30 am: Carter County’s American Civil War Experience- Meet a Union soldier stationed in Carter County in 1864 to hear about how the Civil War affected this area. Also see what a typical Civil War soldier would have in his haversack in order to withstand army life. See how a Civil War soldier would load and fire his musket! If interested, meet at the Carter Mansion.

Tuesday, June 20th

11:30 am: Working with the Earth – Discover how the 18th century gardener raised and tended vegetables and herbs in the Carter Mansion kitchen garden, an essential part of everyday life.

Wednesday, June 21^st

9:30 am: the 18^th Century Tavern- Join Stuart and Jessica at the tavern inside the fort for a look at travel accommodations and social activities of the Watauga settlers.

2:00 pm: Carter Mansion Tour- Built by Watauga settlement leaders, John and Landon Carter in 1775, a tour of Tennessee’s oldest frame home is a must! Adults – $5.00 (cash only please); 17 and under free.

The Carter Mansion is located at 1031 Broad Street, Elizabethton,TN 37643

Take a left out of the Park. Go to the 5^th red light and bear left. Then go to the 4^th red light (Food City will be on your right) then continue across the highway. The Carter Mansion is the 4^th house on the left.

For more information contact:

http://www.sycamoreshoalstn.org

http://www.friendsofsycamoreshoals.org

http://www.facebook.com/sycamoreshoals

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

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park

1651 West Elk Avenue

Elizabethton, TN 37643

(423) 543-5808

Ranger Programs for August 20^th-August 26th

Seasonal Interpretive Ranger Gillian Roberts

The Historic John and Landon Carter Mansion, located on the Broad Street Extension at 1031 Broad St. Elizabethton, open Wednesday through Sunday for a tour at 2:00 pm.

For more information on park programs or events, please call (423) 543-5808.

Thursday, August 20^th

10:30 am Colonial Clothing- Want to know how the first settlers of our native Tennessee dressed? Gillian will be on the back porch of the Visitors Center to show some examples of men’s, women’s, and even children’s clothing from the 18^th century. Who knows, you might even get to try some things on!

2:00 pm Carter Mansion Tour- Join Gillian at the oldest frame house in Tennessee for a look inside this beautiful frontier home and hear the stories of the family who built it.

Friday, August 21^st

10:30 am Wataugan Footsteps- Fort Watauga was and still is a vital piece of history to the state of Tennessee. Gillian will be giving a tour of the Fort, sharing with you the background behind the Watauga Association, and the Overmountain Men.

2:00 pm Carter Mansion Tour- Meet Gillian at the oldest frame house in Tennessee for a look inside this beautiful frontier home and hear stories of the family who built it.

3:30 pm Musket Demonstration- Fire in the hole! Join Gillian at the Visitor’s center and see how the British, Frontiersmen, and even the Native Americans loaded the so-called “Brown Bess”. It’s history with a bang!

Saturday, August 22^nd

10:30 am Flint and Steel Fire Starting- We all enjoy a nice cozy fire now and then. Meet Gillian inside Fort Watauga to learn how the early settlers of Tennessee made fire with only a few simple items.

2:00 pm Carter Mansion Tour- Join Gillian at the oldest frame house in Tennessee for a look inside this beautiful frontier home and hear the stories of the family who built it.

3:30 pm The Music That Made America- There are so many important tunes that we sing and instruments that we play today that were also used on the early frontier. Swing by the Visitor’s Center to learn about these tunes and instruments that have been a part of our culture for centuries!

Sunday, August 23^rd

2:00 pm Carter Mansion Tour- Meet Gillian at the oldest frame house in Tennessee for a look inside this beautiful frontier home and hear stories of the family who built it.

3:30 pm Colonial Kids- Ever wonder what the children of the frontier did to have fun? Meet Gillian at the doors of Fort Watauga and learn to play some of the games the children of the Watauga settlement enjoyed in the 18^th century!

Tuesday, August 25^th

10:30 am Tomahawk Throw- Come and learn about the versatile tomahawk. Parents and children both are welcome to join Gillian in the courtyard of the fort to learn about a favorite pastime of the frontiersmen, the tomahawk throw! Only those 12 years and older are allowed to participate in the actual tomahawk throw but an alternative tomahawk throw will be set up for those younger than 12.

2:00 pm Carter Mansion Tour- Join Gillian at the oldest frame house in Tennessee for a look inside this beautiful frontier home and hear the stories of the family who built it.

Wednesday, July 26^th

2:00 pm Carter Mansion Tour- Meet Gillian at the oldest frame house in Tennessee for a look inside this beautiful frontier home and hear stories of the family who built it.

SYCAMORE SHOALS STATE HISTORIC PARK

Come Share in the Glorious Cause of Liberty!

Category Archives: History at Home

History at Home – June 7 – 21

History at Home