• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

 

Museum celebrates Independence Day with old-time ‘anvil shoot’

Posted at 10:23 am June 15, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 2 Comments

Anvil Lighting

By Museum of Appalachia

NORRIS—Visitors to the Museum of Appalachia, a Smithsonian Affiliate Museum, can celebrate July 4 with the explosion of sound that pioneers heard thunder through the hills when they celebrated Independence Day.

In those days, local blacksmiths would “shoot the anvil” to celebrate the nation’s Independence, Christmas, and even Davy Crockett’s election to the U.S. Congress.

Now, shooting the 175-pound anvil, an almost lost tradition, has come to be a highlight of the Museum’s annual July 4 Celebration. Folks as far as 15 miles away have reported hearing the blast, and certainly everyone gathered for the excitement feels the earth shake under their feet.

Along with a big boom several times during the day, there will be patriotic ceremonies, a flag waving procession led by bagpiper Jesse McCrary, Longhunter camp stories, Appalachian music, and an array of historic demonstrations.

At 2 p.m., a bell-ringing ceremony led by the Anderson County Chapter of the Sons of the Revolution will occur, joining in the National Bell Ringing Ceremony as more than 10,000 bells across the country are rung in unison. Thirteen youngsters will be selected from the audience to ring the bell in honor of the 13 original colonies.

At 2:15 p.m., the Liberty Pole raising, organized by the Tennesseans for Living History, will commemorate a Colonial American practice signifying dissatisfaction with the English government. It illustrates the spirit of liberty among colonists in the early days of the War for Independence.

Wander the Museum’s Village and see demonstrations of “Betsy Ross” sewing our nation’s first flag, in addition to spinning, weaving, blacksmithing, woodcarving, sassafras tea brewing. and cedar rail splitting.

Enjoy tasty summertime treats: grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, hand-churned ice cream, cool lemonade, homemade cakes, and cookies.

The Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with special July 4 activities from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The extensive village-farm complex includes dozens of historic log structures, display buildings filled with authentic Appalachian artifacts, gardens surrounded by split rail fences, and farm animals, all in a traditional setting. The Hall of Fame offers a portrait of the Appalachian people, both famous and not-so-famous—and these exhibits may be enjoyed in air-conditioned comfort.

Admission is charged; it’s free for Museum members. Memberships provide a year of visits, and, as an official affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Appalachia provides Smithsonian memberships in conjunction with its own program.

The Shop at the Museum of Appalachia features handiwork from Appalachian artisans, books authored by regional writers and unique “Made in America” gifts.   The Museum’s quaint restaurant offers hot country style lunches, fresh-from-the-garden vegetables, and mouth-watering homemade desserts. Facilities are available for weddings, reunions, meetings and other events.

The Museum is a nonprofit organization. Its mission is to preserve Appalachian artifacts and to instill in the community—regionally, nationally, and internationally—a greater knowledge of and appreciation for the Appalachian heritage.

The Museum is located 16 miles north of Knoxville, one mile east of I-75, Exit 122. For more information, call (865) 494-7680 or visit www.museumofappalachia.org.

Filed Under: Community, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Chapter of the Sons of the Revolution, anvil shoot, Appalachian music, bell-ringing ceremony, Betsy Ross, Declaration of Independence, flag, flag waving, historic demonstrations, Jesse McCrary, July 4, Liberty Pole raising, Museum of Appalachia, National Bell Ringing Ceremony, patriotic ceremonies, Smithsonian Affiliate Museum, Tennesseans for Living History, War for Independence

Advertisements

 



Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Some of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require significant time to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

Comments

  1. Cindy McCullough says

    June 15, 2014 at 11:11 am

    I had to go look up what an anvil shoot was. Never heard of such a thing.

    Reply
    • johnhuotari says

      June 15, 2014 at 3:06 pm

      Cindy,

      I hadn’t either until I moved to Tennessee back in 2000.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Community News

Oak Ridge Community Band performs on Independence Day

The Oak Ridge Community Band will perform in Alvin K. Bissell Park on Tuesday, July 4 (Independence Day), before the city's annual fireworks show. The band is scheduled to play patriotic melodies starting at 7:30 … [Read More...]

Fireworks show, music on July 4

Oak Ridge's annual fireworks show is scheduled to being at dark Tuesday, around 9:45 p.m. on Independence Day, July 4. There will be music before the show. The celebration, which is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge, … [Read More...]

Library announces check-out changes

Ten days after celebrating renovations, the Oak Ridge Public Library has announced changes to its check-out procedures and policies that take effect on Saturday, July 1. Among the changes: The City of Oak Ridge … [Read More...]

Read Lavender Festival schedule, details

The Lavender Festival has expanded. Here is a schedule of musicians and presentations, and information about additional events. The free festival, the 23rd Jackson Square Lavender Festival, is scheduled from 8 a.m. to … [Read More...]

Lavender Festival is June 17

The 23rd Jackson Square Lavender Festival returns to Jackson Square this month. The Main Event is free to the public on Saturday, June 17, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lavender Festival was named Best Festival last year by … [Read More...]

More Community

Recent Posts

  • Officers searching for suspect in fatal shooting
  • Oak Ridge to host movie premiere of ‘Oppenheimer’
  • Oak Ridge Schools to host panel discussion, documentary screening for ‘Oppenheimer’
  • Sam Bush to headline Summer Sessions concert
  • Anderson County government offices closed Monday, Tuesday
  • Oak Ridge Community Band performs on Independence Day
  • Fireworks show, music on July 4
  • Library announces check-out changes
  • USA Cycling Time Trial National Championships on Thursday
  • Oak Ridgers celebrate library renovations

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2023 Oak Ridge Today