For party reservations
To make a reservation for Celebrate Statehood Day activitites, 2-5 p.m. CDT, Saturday, June 3, go to https://tnstatehood2017.eventbrite.com.
Did you know?
Tennessee shares borders with eight other states, tied with Missouri for most in the nation.They are Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi to the south, Arkansas and Missouri to the west, Kentucky and Virginia to the north and North Carolina to the east.
For more information
The Tennessee State Library and Archives is a treasure-trove of historical documents. The Library Reading Room, Microfilm Reading Room and Manuscripts section are open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Legislative History is open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday (all times Central).It is located at 403 Seventh Ave. N, immediately west of the State Capitol Building. The Tennessee Supreme Court Building is beside the library.For more information, call 615-741-2764.
If you’ve never laid eyes on Tennessee’s original constitutions – and odds are, you haven’t – you’ll soon have an opportunity.
For three days in June, the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville will have the documents on display to celebrate Statehood Day. Tennessee became a state June 1, 1796, then home to only about 77,000 people (the population now exceeds 6.7 million people). Tennessee was the country’s 16th state and the first to be created from territory that had been under federal jurisdiction.
The original constitution went into effect with the state’s admission to the Union. A second version of the constitution was adopted in 1834. A third was adopted in 1870 and is the one still in use today, with subsequent amendments.
The Library and Archives typically keeps the constitutions stored within its vault, but for the first time, all three documents will be on public display in the building’s lobby.
“Part of our mission is to make our state’s history accessible to a wider audience beyond scholars and researchers,” says Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “History truly comes alive when you see those documents up close.”
The constitutions may be viewed June 1, the actual anniversary of Tennessee’s statehood, and June 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (all times are Central). On June 3, the documents will be displayed from 9 a.m. to noon and again from 2 to 5 p.m. during Celebrate Statehood Day. The building will close for two hours that day while the staff prepares for the celebration, which is designed to immerse visitors in Tennessee’s history.
The free event includes music from the 1700s and a “Happy 221st Birthday” cake. Historical interpreters will tell visitors what it was like to be a fur trapper on the Tennessee frontier, an early land surveyor or a civil-rights activist. Kids can take part in early American games on the lawn and visit stations where they can get temporary tattoos of the state flag or make birthday cards for Tennessee.
“This event will be fun and educational for the whole family,” Hargett says.
Although Celebrate Statehood Day is free, reservations are required due to space limitations in the building and on the grounds. To make a reservation, go to: https://tnstatehood2017.eventbrite.com.