Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park is inviting visitors to take a step back in history this weekend to get a glimpse of what life was like on the frontier 241 years ago when America declared its independence.

The park will host “Independence on the Frontier” on Saturday and Sunday at Fort Watauga with a variety of activities throughout the weekend including militia drills, colonial era music, and traditional skills demonstrations. The event will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, and from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Sunday.

“It will be a weekend full of history and fun,” said Park Historic Interpreter Chad Bogart.

In addition to celebrating the birth of the nation, Bogart said visitors “can come to the place where independence really began.” The Watauga Association was formed in 1772 in what would eventually become Elizabethton, and it was the first government formed by settlers independent of the British crown.

The highlight of the celebration is the reading of the Declaration of Independence.

“We normally have just read the Declaration on Saturday, but this year we are going to read it both days,” Bogart said, adding this change was in response to requests from the public.

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park 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 visit www.sycamoreshoalstn.org or http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/sycamore-shoals.

Independence on the Frontier Schedule of Events:

Saturday, July 1st      

10 a.m. – 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 a.m. – Fort Tour & Flintlock Rifle Demo- Take a stroll through Fort Watauga and discover how settlers in the 1770s defended their homes and changed the course of the American Revolution.

11 a.m. – “Fix Bayonets”: Join a soldier 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 18th century weapon.

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

1 p.m. – 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.

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

2:30 p.m.– Kids Militia: Attention all able bodied kids! Fall in and drill with the Washington Co. Militia.

3 p.m. – Colonial Era Music of East Tennessee: Join Corbin in the Fort for a journey back in time to experience the musical sounds of the early Tennessee frontier.

3:30 p.m. – 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.

4 p.m. – Camps Close to the Public: Join us tomorrow for another exciting day of 18th century living history.

Sunday, July 2nd      

10 a.m. – 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 a.m. – Worship Service: Join us for Sunday Service held inside Fort Watauga. 

Noon – Fort Tour & Flintlock Rifle Demo- Take a stroll through Fort Watauga and discover how settlers in the 1770s defended their homes and changed the course of the American Revolution.

12:30 a.m. – Kids Militia: Attention all able bodied kids! Fall in and drill with the Washington Co. Militia.

1 p.m. – Artillery Drill and Demonstration: Learn about 18th century artillery as the Militia fires the Fort’s Cannon.

2 p.m. – 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.

3 p.m. – 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 Will Include: Open Hearth Cooking, 18th Century Weapons Display, Natural Dyeing, Militia and Frontier Camps, Colonial Era Music, 18th Century Tavern Life, and Much More.