On Sunday, September 30, 2018, Mabry-Hazen House will host its 5th annual Lineage & Legacy event from 2pm to 4 pm. Every year the museum invites family descendants, supporting members, and the general public to Mabry’s Hill to commemorate one of Knoxville’s first and most dramatic families. The event reflects on the past and present experiences of the Mabry and Hazen families and their imprint upon Knoxville’s history with a one play and tours of the historic house.

One of the seven historic homes located in Knoxville, the Mabry-Hazen House was occupied by both Confederate and Union forces during the Civil War. It was chosen as it sits atop a high hill overlooking downtown. Image courtesy of Chuck Cooper Photography

Join in for A Civil Debate, a one-act play written by Tyler Gregory, Caleb Burnham, and Patrick Hollis and performed by Seventh Thirty Creative. The play will imagine a debate between four famous Knoxvillians about their experiences during the Civil War. “General” Joseph A. Mabry, Ellen Renshaw House, Parson William Brownlow, and Cal Johnson will debate a divided Knoxville as it struggled with occupation, violence, loyalties, and meanings of freedom. Mabry was a “notorious rebel” and merchant; House was a diarist and a self-declared “very violent rebel;” Brownlow, also known as the “Fighting Parson,” was nationally known Unionist and infamous newspaper editor; Cal Johnson was the son of an enslaved couple, reburied Union dead after the war, and rose to become Knoxville’s first African-American millionaire. Drawn from their own words and actions, then supplemented with secondary sources, the play dramatizes the real experiences and lives of four influential Knoxville characters.

The event also will serve as a membership drive and annual meeting of the membership. In addition to the play, guests will enjoy light refreshments as well as tours of the 1858 house and its original family collection. Picnic lunches are also highly encouraged! Tickets to Lineage and Lineage cost $5 and support the museum’s mission to preserve and educate the public about a valuable part of East Tennessee. Members attend free of charge. The one-act play is supported by a matching grant generously provided by the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Tickets are available for purchase at the museum or www.mabryhazen.com/legacy.

Built in 1858, Mabry-Hazen House is strategically located on the highest hill east of downtown Knoxville with spacious views in all directions. The home was occupied and defended by both armies during the Civil War. It housed three generations of the same family for 130 years; the museum showcases one of the largest original family collections in America with over 5,000 artifacts dating from 1780s to the mid-twentieth.

Please visit www.mabryhazen.com for more information.