Pioneer Day To Be Held Saturday In Soddy Daisy

  • Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Poe's Tavern
Poe's Tavern

The City of Soddy Daisy and the Soddy, Daisy & Montlake Historical Association will take the public back in time on Saturday with Pioneer Day. Beginning at 9 a.m., there will be not only a Civil War encampment, but a Mountain Men encampment and also a cowboy encampment.

One can view the group going through what would have been a daily routine in the period of time they are portraying. The cowboys may recreate a deadly shootout which actually took place in Knoxville in 1882 where three men were killed. The front of Poe’s Tavern became a bank building at 10 a.m., noon and then at 2 p.m. It happened in 2022 for the first time and it may happen again this year.   

There will be an 1877 cider press in operation making apple cider. This is one of the children’s favorite thing to do while visiting the event. They put the apples in the press, turn the handle and watch the ground apples fall underneath and then they can mash the juice from the apples into a bucket. Everyone will get to sample the fruits of their labor. 

There will be a number of East Tennessee Historical Members there with a Mountain Man period encampment. A group of them came last year and have agreed to come back and bring more re-enactors. 

Also, at this site is a hand-operated 100-year-old corn sheller. The dried corn on the cob is fed in the top and the kernels are removed from the ear and the corn falls underneath and is collected in a wooden box. This corn is then fed into another machine that cracks the corn small enough for chickens to eat. There will be live animals on site for the kids to feed this corn.

There will be soap there made by hand. Quilts will be displayed on site made by hand as well. There will be a display of Soddy rifles. In the replica cabin of Hasten Poe will be open hearth cooking. Someone may be showing how logs were split for shingles and also how logs were hewed with a broad axe. There will be a blacksmith or two on site. There will be live period music.   

A group from Red Clay State Park will have live demonstrations of Cherokee Indians and their use of the blowgun, an atlatl weight, a war club and a flintlock rifle.

There will be old time children’s games as well as the Oak Street train for the kids to ride. Last year we had burlap bag races for the kids and or plan on doing it again Saturday. An addition for the kids this year will be a wagon jail used to house prisoners in the old west.  They will be able to enter the jail and have their photos taken.  The event will end at 4 p.m. Organizers said, "We hope you will come and spend some time with us at 9385 Dayton Pike next to the Soddy Daisy City Hall." 

For information, call 423 718-0528 or check the Soddy, Daisy & Montlake Historical Association’s Facebook page or website: soddydaisymuseum.com.

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