WHEN: Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 3 p.m.
WHERE: Blount Mansion Visitors Center
200 W. Hill Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902
Blount Mansion is thrilled to be partnering with the National Society of Colonial Dames Knoxville Town Committee for its Semiquincentennial Celebration Lecture Series!
Dr. Chris Magra will speak on “1776 and Tennessee: The 250th Anniversary,” and how the formation of Tennessee was inextricably linked to the Declaration of Independence through shared Enlightenment ideals and westward expansion. Settler sovereignty culminated in the 1796 Tennessee Constitution, which Thomas Jefferson hailed as a masterpiece that codified the democratic spirit of 1776.
Dr. Chris Magra is a professor of Early American History and the director of the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War at the Department of History at The University of Tennessee.
- Lecture will start at 3 p.m.
- The special speaking event will be at Blount Mansion Visitors Center, 200 West Hill Avenue, Knoxville TN 37902.
- Limited free parking onsite
- $10 Donation suggested at the door, Cash and card accepted
- RSVP to Rose@BlountMansion.org
This event is a fundraiser for Blount Mansion Association, home of Knox County’s only National Historic Landmark. More information on our museum at www.blountmansion.org.
Blount Mansion: Blount Mansion is owned and operated by the Governor William Blount Mansion Association, a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the unique history and value of the Blount Mansion, National Historic Landmark, and inspiring an appreciation of national, state and local history through the site and the lives of those who lived and worked there. Blount Mansion was the home and capitol of the first and only governor of the Southwest Territory, William Blount.
