Mabry-Hazen House celebrates Eighth of August with “...and then I Became Free” tours
August 3, 2022

Join Mabry-Hazen House on Monday, August 8th, 2022 for special tours to commemorate Eighth of August. Mabry-Hazen House will share stories, objects, and research related to the historic house museum, local enslaved communities, and their stories of emancipation. Visitors will learn about the lives of African-Americans connected to Mabry-Hazen House, their achievements and struggles, and the various ways they gained their freedom. From self-liberation to the 13th Amendment, “...And then I Became Free: Stories of Emancipation at Mabry-Hazen House” will explore the different methods enslaved people broke down the oppressive institution of American chattel slavery and fought to gain their personal liberty.

The museum will open offer three tours at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm. Admission is free, but tours are limited to 24 (twenty-four) visitors per tour. Reservations are encouraged and donations are appreciated. Walk-up tickets will be available, but not guaranteed. To reserve a tour, please visit www.mabryhazen.com/events/emancipationday or facebook.com/mabryhazen.

Eighth of August, also called Emancipation Day in Tennessee, commemorates a new birth of freedom in the state. While the origins of the date are a mixture of folklore and fact, it was on this day in 1863 that Andrew Johnson freed his slaves, personally initiating a move many enslaved Tennesseans had already chosen with their feet. As the Union Army conquered the majority of the state in 1862, it was seen by enslaved people as an army of liberation, offering freedom and liberty from their bondage. But it was in the years after the Civil War, when African-American communities across East Tennessee and western Kentucky celebrated their hard won liberty, that the Eighth of August gained its significance. It became a holiday for Black Tennesseans, a day of jubilee with picnics, speeches, games, and dances.

The Mabry-Hazen House Museum, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located atop Mabry’s Hill in Knoxville, Tennessee. Built in 1858, three generations of the same family resided in the Italianate-style home overlooking downtown Knoxville, Tennessee River, and Great Smoky Mountains. The museum showcases one of the largest original family collection in America with over 2,000 original artifacts on display. Furnished and decorated in the style of several decades, Mabry-Hazen gives a rare view into 130 years of Knoxville history. Learn about the origins of Knoxville’s iconic Market Square, the bitter divisions of the Civil War, the infamous 1882 Gunfight on Gay Street, a mountain city in the New South, the scandalous 1934 breach of promise and seduction trial, and much more through the rich, colorful lives of the Mabry and Hazen families.