Sycamore Shoals to host 250th Anniversary, Earth Day Celebration during April

Published 5:28 pm Monday, April 4, 2022

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in Elizabethton is set to host a variety of events for the public to enjoy during the month of April.

Tours of the Carter Mansion will be completely free as part of the Watauga Association’s 250th Anniversary Celebration held on April 9.

Participants will join Sycamore Shoals staff for a tour of Tennessee’s oldest frame house built by Col. John Carter between 1775 and 1780. Those in attendance will get to enjoy the detailed 18th-century interiors, hand-carved moldings, and over-mantle paintings as they visit this elegant frontier home.

“The commemoration will begin at 10 a.m. in the Fort Watauga Amphitheater with a special ceremony which will include a wreath-laying, a proclamation by the Carter County Commission, and a presentation of the Watauga Association scene from Tennessee’s official outdoor drama, Liberty! The Saga of Sycamore Shoals,” Sycamore Shoals Park Manager Jennifer Bauer said.

“Following the morning program, guests are invited to visit the many displays and demonstrations of 18th-century life that will be presented throughout the day in and around the replica of Fort Watauga. Presentations will include 18th century weaponry, uniforms and clothing of the period, soldier’s equipment, quill pen writing, colonial-era music, women’s roles on the frontier, flintlock musket and rifle demonstrations, militia drill, and much more. The event will close at 4 p.m.,” Bauer said.

Sabine Hill, described as one of the finest examples of Federal architecture in the state, will have its own guided tours later in the month on April 13, 14, and 27.

On April 24, Sycamore Shoals will be hosting an Earth Day Celebration from 1:30 to 4 p.m., where attendees can enjoy a variety of outdoor festivities including shuttlecock and nine pins.

Period attire is preferred but not necessary, and those attending are asked to bring their own refreshments as well as a chair or ground cover.

For more information on Sycamore Shoals events during the month of April as well as how to register for these events, visit https://tnstateparks.com/parks/events/sycamore-shoals.

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park is located at 1651 West Elk Avenue in Elizabethton.

The John and Landon Carter Mansion is located at 1031 Broad Street in Elizabethton, while Sabine Hill is located at 2328 West G Street in Elizabethton.