Carter Mansion Celebration!

 

Saturday, April 6, 10:00 – 4:00 

Tours of the home Saturday at 11 am, Noon, 2 pm, and 3 pm

Sunday, April 7, 10:00 – 3:00

Tours of the home Sunday at Noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm

 

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel back in time? You can do just that during the Carter Mansion Celebration. Step back to the 1780s, when the Revolutionary War was raging in the colonies and hardy frontiersmen had crossed the mountains in defiance of British law to carve out homes in the wilderness. One such man was John Carter, a wealthy trader who built his beautiful house along the banks of the Watauga River. Known as Carter’s Mansion, the elegant frame house stood in stark contrast to the log homes used by the settlers of the region. This event will celebrate that historic home and the early settlers that gave us our rich heritage and history.

Visitors will have opportunities to take a free guided tour of the mansion built ca. 1775-1780. Known as the oldest frame house in Tennessee, the Historic John and Landon Carter Mansion boasts beautiful over mantle murals, hand carved moldings and raised panels making it one of the most treasured sites in Tennessee history. The house is the only surviving link to the famed Watauga Association, the democratic government set up by the early settlers in the Watauga Valley. The home’s builder, John Carter, served as a chairman of the Association.

Guests can also enjoy visiting with 18^th century living history interpreters who will be presenting demonstrations of the daily lives of 18^th century backwoods settlers. These skills and trades will include wool processing, sewing, natural dyeing, flint knapping and much more. Also enjoy colonial militia drill and training, musket and rifle demonstrations, and 18^th century military music by the Watauga Valley Fifes & Drums.

Experience the life of early settlers, smell the campfire smoke, hear the rattle of muskets, and see the 18^th century come to life at the Carter Mansion Celebration. This event is free of charge so bring the entire family and enjoy a weekend of Living History, Education, and Family Fun!

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

For further information contact Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park at (423) 543-5808 or visit these websites:

http://www.sycamoreshoalstn.org

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

 

Overmountain Weavers’ Guild Fiber Fair

Saturday, March 19, 2016 from 10 am – 4 pm

 

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in Elizabethton will come alive once again on Saturday, March 19, 2016 for its annual Fiber Fair.  On that day many of the most talented fiber artists of the region will come together to share their talents and their wares. Weavers will throw their shuttles, spinners will ply their yarns, and botanists will transform tough plant stalks into silky fibers.

Visitors will learn how to change a yarn’s color using natural or manufactured dyes. They will also be invited to try their hand at a loom or a spinning wheel!  Knitters and crocheters will answer questions and give helpful hints about their craft.

In addition, many area vendors will be selling fine hand-made items throughout the day. Natural yarns, beautiful jewelry, hand-made scarves, house-wares, mittens, goat milk soap and roving will be for sale.

Refreshments are available all day through Powers Coffee – for breakfast, lunch or snacks.

For visitors interested in learning to weave, guild members will offer a chance to sign up for a beginning weaving classes during August 2016. The classes will be held each Saturday and Sunday in August at Exchange Place in Kingsport.  A sign-up sheet will be at the OMWG information desk at the Fiber Festival.

Fiber Fair is sponsored each year by The Overmountain Weavers’ Guild from Kingsport.  The Guild meets monthly at Exchange Place at 10 am the  3rd Wednesday of each month.

It is part of the Guild’s mission to keep alive the time-honored skills of the fiber arts.

Admission is free and all are welcome. Come and enjoy a fun and educational day with the entire family.

For more information, please contact Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park.

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park

1651 W. Elk Ave.

Elizabethton, TN 37643

423-543-5808

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

http://www.sycamoreshoalstn.org

 

Independence on the Frontier! Sat & Sun – June 27 & 28

Step back in time 239 years to a colorful revolutionary world and witness life as it was on the 18^th century frontier during a very tumultuous time. In the summer of 1776 colonial leaders met in Philadelphia to draft a document that would forever change the world. As our guest to Fort Watauga, you too can be part of the excitement as news of American Independence reaches the colonial frontier. What did the colonists think about a new nation? Walk among historical characters and hear their varied reactions to the Declaration, from fear of war to the hope of a brighter future.

The Washington County Regiment of North Carolina Militia, host living history organization at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area, will be encamped in and around Fort Watauga giving visitors a glimpse of life in 1776. A myriad of activities will unfold throughout the weekend such as militia drill and training, artillery firing demonstrations, open hearth cooking, tomahawk throwing and a special reading of the Declaration of Independence on Saturday at 1:00 followed by a short celebration.

Get an early start on your Independence celebrations and bring the entire family out for a weekend full of history, patriotism, education, and family fun. The event will run from 10:00 until 4:00 on Saturday, June 27^th and 10:00 until 3:00 on Sunday, June 28^th.

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area is located at 1651 W. Elk Ave. Elizabethton, TN 37643. For more information about this event please contact the park at 423-543-5808 or log on to these websites: http://www.sycamoreshoalstn.org or http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/sycamore-shoals

Independence on the Frontier: Schedule of Events 

Saturday, June 27^th 

10:00 – Raising the Colours: Start the day off with a bang as the militia falls in for inspection and raises the flag with a patriotic ceremony.

10:30 – Wataugan Footsteps: Join Gillian in the visitors center and learn about an important woman on the frontier, Ann Robertson, who played a crucial role during the siege of Fort Watauga in 1776.

11:00 – “Fix Bayonets”: Join Mr. Davis of the Continental Army and learn about the uses and tactics of the bayonet, one of the most feared weapons used in the Revolutionary War! Then cheer on the Militiamen as they test their skill and aim with this 18^th century weapon.

12:00 – “Echoes of Revolution”: The Watauga Valley Fifes & Drums perform martial and field music of the Revolutionary War.

1:00 – Reading of the Declaration of Independence: Join in the excitement as the document declaring our freedom from Great Britain is read publicly inside Fort Watauga. A short celebration will follow.

2:00 – Kids Militia & Rubber Band Rifle Shoot: Attention all able bodied kids! Fall in and drill with the Washington Co. Militia. Then join in the fun of an old fashioned rubber band shooting match!

3:00 – Artillery Drill and Demonstration: Learn about 18^th century artillery as the Militia fires the Fort’s Cannon.

4:00 – Militia Drill & Retiring the Colours – The Washington County Militia demonstrates the tactics and firearms used during the Revolutionary War, and then retire the flag for the day.

Camps Close to the Public: Join us tomorrow for another exciting day of 18^th centuryliving history.

 

Sunday, June 28^th  

10:00 – Raising the Colours: Start the day off with a bang as the militia falls in for inspection and raises the flag with a patriotic ceremony.

11:00 – Worship Service: Join us for Sunday Service held inside Fort Watauga.

1:00 – Kids Militia: Attention all able bodied kids! Fall in and drill with the Washington Co. Militia.

2:00 – Artillery Drill and Demonstration: Learn about 18^th century artillery as the Militia fires the Fort’s Cannon.

3:00 – Militia Drill & Retiring the Colours: The Washington County Militia demonstrates the tactics and firearms used during the Revolutionary War, then lowers the flag for the day.

 

Ongoing Activities Throughout the Weekend Include…

18^th Century Cooking Techniques and Foodways – Colonial Carpentry – Wool Spinning and Fiber Arts – Flintlock Rifle and Musket Firing Demonstrations – Colonial Woodsmen Skills And Much More!