Blacksmiths, broom-makers and a fiddle band at Marble Springs
The governor's farm throws its founder a birthday party once a year, and the whole thing is free. Saturday it turns 281, with working craftspeople on the grounds from eleven to four.
John Sevier was born in 1745, which makes Saturday his 281st birthday, and the farm he lived on is still standing at the far south end of the county. Marble Springs has thrown him a party every September for years. It costs nothing to walk in, it runs from eleven to four, and the reason to go is the people working: a blacksmith at a live forge, a cook over an open hearth, someone tying a broom by hand, a weaver at a loom, a potter at a wheel.
- When
- Sat Sep 19 · 11 AM – 4 PM
- Where
- Marble Springs State Historic Site · 1220 W Governor John Sevier Hwy
- Admission
- Free · all ages
- Demonstrations
- Blacksmithing, open-hearth cooking, broom-making, weaving, pottery
- Music & talks
- Knoxville Irish Step Dancers 12:30 · The Bearded Trio 1:15 · Dr. Michael Lynch lecture 2:30
- Weather
- Mostly sunny, around 94 — the demonstrations are outdoors and the shade is uneven
- Phone
- (865) 573-5508
What's actually happening on the grounds
These are demonstrations, not a museum case — the craftspeople work through the day and will talk while they do it, and the hands-on crafts are open to all ages. It is the rare local event where a nine-year-old and a sixty-year-old get roughly the same thing out of standing at the same table.
Getting there, and the heat
Marble Springs sits on West Governor John Sevier Highway, past the Urban Wilderness and well south of the Sevier Avenue end of things — it is a drive, not a walk, from the rest of this week's list. Saturday's forecast is mostly sunny and around 94 degrees. A forge on a 94-degree afternoon is exactly as warm as it sounds, so go early, bring water, and plan on the shade being wherever the trees are rather than wherever you are.
One scheduling note worth having: this is the daytime half of a very full Saturday in South Knoxville. The site closes at four, which leaves the evening open.
