By Mike Steely
Senior Writer
steelym@knoxfocus.com
When Executive Director Warren Dockter was asked recently what exhibit in the East Tennessee History Museum draws the most attention or is surprising to visitors, he didn’t have to think long to answer.
“I think Davy Crockett’s rifle is always a crowd pleaser. Also, Dolly Parton’s dress,” he said.
The rifle, thought to be only one of three that the legendary hero owned during his life, was obtained by Crockett in 1803 when he was 17 years old. He was then working for John Kennedy, an elderly Quaker, in Jefferson County. In his book “A Narrative of the Life,” Crockett said he carried the rifle wherever he went and used it in shooting matches.
In 1806, just before marrying Polly Finley, he sold the rifle to James McCuistion, who lived near the Crocketts. The rifle went west with the McCuistion family and, in 1916, ended up in Oklahoma. In 1978, Art Swann searched for and found the rifle and brought it back to East Tennessee. A replica of the gun is displayed occasionally at the David Crockett Birthplace State Park in Limestone, Tn., but the actual rifle resides at the downtown Knoxville museum.
Sevier County native and national icon Dolly Parton is also featured at the museum with several exhibits. The national superstar began her career on Knoxville television and continues to be a successful country music songwriter and singer.
In Dolly’s early career, she appeared on television in the Porter Wagoner Show, and one of the red dresses she wore on the program is displayed in the museum. She was born in 1946 in Locust Ridge in the Smoky foothills in a family with 12 children, learning gospel music and ballads from her mother. Her uncle gave her a guitar when she was ten years old, and by 13, she appeared on the Grand Ole Opry. After graduating from Sevier County High School, she moved to Nashville, became a successful songwriter and, in 1967, became a singing partner with Porter Wagoner.
She became a major movie star after the movie “Nine to Five” was released, for which she wrote the title song. Dolly has had some health issues recently and has taken time off from her Las Vegas show.
