It’s Maple Syrup Time in Johnson City

A Day Away By Mike Steely

The Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site in Johnson City is hosting the 22nd Annual Maple Syrup Festival and Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, February 8. The 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. event illustrates where maple syrup comes from and more importantly, you can partake of the product.

You can learn how the sap is extracted from maple trees on the grounds of the historic home and how it is boiled down in a wood-fired furnace until it becomes the rich syrup. Did you know it takes 10 gallons of sap to make a pint of syrup?

Along with the pancakes with maple syrup, you can dine on bacon, sausage, grits, and more with juice, coffee and milk available. The tasty syrup comes from Maple Grove Farm of Afton, Tennessee, which will also offer the syrup for sale.

Admission is only $6 for adults and $3 for kids 12 and younger. Children 3 and under dine for free.

More information about the event and the historic site is available by calling (423)926-3631 or emailing tiptonhaynes@outlook.com.

The Tipton-Haynes and John Sevier connection

Did you know there’s a direct connection between the Tipton-Haynes home and Knoxville’s John Sevier?

Before becoming Tennessee’s first governor, Sevier headed the effort to pull away from North Carolina and create the short-lived independent State of Franklin. Colonel John Tipton was a supporter of that state and ordered the North Carolina Sheriff in Washington County to seize Sevier’s property for taxes owed to the state. Sevier’s belongings and slaves were taken to Tipton’s home. He attempted to arrest Sevier but Sevier escaped and, in 1788, led forces against Tipton and his supporters called “Tiptonites,” attacking Tipton’s home with 100 Franklinites.

The Battle of the State of Franklin lasted 10 minutes.

Tipton’s son inherited the home in 1813 and served in the Tennessee Legislature, as president of the state Senate and as lieutenant governor. The home passed to Landon Carter Hayes as a wedding gift and Haynes expanded the home, built an office building, edited a newspaper, and served as speaker of the Tennessee House. The editor of the newspaper, The Tennessee Sentinel, was Knoxville’s William G. Brownlow.

The historic site is located at 2620 South Roan Street in Johnson City, TN 37601. The easiest way to get there from Knoxville is to follow Interstate 81 to Interstate 26, head south to South Roan Street and follow Roan to the complex.

A day away with the family can be a great break from home with the family and visiting the Maple Syrup Festival could also be tasty.