It's Fall Wedding Season!

Pictures by Haley Carter/For Historic Rock Castle
It's officially the fall wedding season here at Historic Rock Castle, and we're so excited for all of the happy couples who are scheduled to have their weddings with us over the next few months of this lovely season! If you're considering booking a wedding with us for the fall of next year, you will want to go ahead and book now before the rush! Fall is one of our site's most popular times of the year for weddings, and you definitely don't want to lose you spot due to a delay in booking!

Below are pictures we took of a wedding that was held this afternoon on our property! The ceremony took place in front of the house, while the reception was held up at the Pavilion. Every aspect of this beautiful wedding screamed the fall season, with it's romantic and rustic tones!

Call us at the Visitor's Center at, (615) 824-0502, during regular business hours to schedule a wedding tour with a member of our staff. This way you can learn more about what we have to offer to your special day!

We'll see you around soon!

The Fifth Songwriter's Night!

Pictures by Haley Carter/For Historic Rock Castle

Thank you to everyone who was able to come out to our Fifth Songwriter's Night of the year this past Thursday evening! Those who came out had a great time and listened to some great music. Performers included: Lily Nelsen, Mira, Jason Eustice, Flyte Three, and Isacc Pittman. Be sure to check them out! You may even see some of them at the next Songwriter's Night, in case you missed this one! Stay tuned for our next line-up!

Singer/Songwriter Lily Nelsen singing for the 

crowd Thursday evening!

Lead-singer Abbie Garrett of Mira 

performing for Thursday's crowd.

Bring the family for a picnic and enjoy original, live music!

A group of Sumner County Master Gardeners enjoyed some wine

and light refreshments at their picnic table. 

 Country-duo Flyte Three before heading up onstage.

Once again, thanks to everyone who came out for 
an evening of great local entertainment!

We look forward to seeing you next time!

The date for the next Songwriter's Night

  at the Castle will be announced soon!

Check back with us.

UPCOMING: The Fifth Songwriter's Night!

ATTENTION: The fifth Songwriter's Night at the Castle will be this Thursday, September 26th!

Event Admission

*Advance Tickets:        $2

**General Admission:    $3

*Available at Rock Castle's Visitor's Center prior to the day of event

**Available on day of event at Gate (Gates open at 5p)

All proceeds from ticket sales and the purchase of food and drinks at this event will go towards supporting similar events here at Historic Rock Castle. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Stop by and experience the talent your local community has to offer!

Featured artists include...

Mira,

Erika Cole,

Flyte Three,

Jason Eustice, &

Isacc Pittman!

If you're a singer-songwriter and are a local to the area, please contact us about participating in the next month's Songwriter's Night at info@historicrockcastle.com, or call us at: (615) 824-0502.

If you or your business would like to sponsor this event (or similar community events) here at Rock Castle, please contact our Program Director, Amy Scott, at info@historicrockcastle.com

We'll see you guys this Thursday evening!

Daniel Smith Days: A Special Thanks

 Pictures by Haley Carter/For Historic Rock Castle
Now that another Daniel Smith Days has came and went, so we would like to thank those who helped us in putting together such a successful event for yet another year!

The success of our site is directly attributed to its volunteers over the last 40 years. This year is no different! We have listed some of the people who have been active in and contributed to this year's Daniel Smith Days event (scroll down).

Demonstrating the art of basket-making

The Caudells wrap-up a performance on the Front Stage

Committee Chair & Co-chair of this year's event are: Glen & Bettye Freudenthal

Rock Castle Board of Directors, Daniel Smith Days Committee, Melinda Gaines, Cathy Lampman, Wayne & Robbie Moulton, Students of Hendersonville High School, Sumner County Master Gardeners, Sumner County Sheriffs Office, Fell Merwin Graphics & Design, Tonya Staggs & our friends at Traveller's Rest Plantation & Museum, all of the participants in our special presentations: Tribute to the War of 1812 and the 18th Century Fashion Show. In addition, we would like to thank the great state of Tennessee and our partners at the Tennessee Historical Commission.

Playing a round of Battledore and Shuttlecock

 over at Polly's Playground

Anyone else not mentioned above, we would like to say thank you for the work you have done to make this weekend the terrific community event that it is! Your service is greatly appreciated!

Thanks again,

The Historic Rock Castle Staff
Sara Beth Gideon, Executive Director
Amy Scott, Program Director
Sam Gilbert, Site Caretaker
Haley Carter, Volunteer Coordinator

Museum Mannequin Photo Booth!

Pictures by Haley Carter/For Hist. Rock Castle
Be sure to stop by the Museum Mannequin photo booth activity (set-up in front of the site's Visitor's Center) on your visit to the Castle tomorrow for Daniel Smith Days!

Below are some pictures to give you ideas of what poses work well with our props!

Thank you, General & Mrs. Jackson for trying it out for us!

Our props include period straw hats, wooden toy guns, and tea cups & saucers! You can write a note on the front of the display (i.e.- Your name, a nickname, or a note), pick a prop from those available, strike a pose, and take a pic. (with your own camera!).

This activity will be open for use for the duration of tomorrow's event. So, be sure to stop by and see about it!

TOMORROW IS THE BIG DAY!

Pictures by Haley Carter/For Historic Rock Castle
Hey everyone! This is just a reminder of Daniel Smith Days tomorrow at the Castle! The event will begin tomorrow morning with an Opening Ceremony in front of the historic home at 9:00 am, with the day's activities concluding around 4:30 pm with a Closing Ceremony!

Admission to the event is $5.00 for Adults & Children 12 and under are FREE to attend. There will be demonstrators, roving interpreters, and historically-accurate merchants and vendors on the property all day long! Almost all of the demonstrators' tents are up and ready to go for tomorrow! And our staff and volunteers have been working around the clock to iron-out all of the final details for tomorrow morning's event.

Some terrific features to check-out at this event include (our):

Museum Manequin Photobooth (New!),

Militia Recruitment,

Rodney the Younger, the Magician (New!),

The Caudells,

The Gliddens,

Native American Dance Activities,

Kell Coulter, the Harpist,

Tribute to the War of 1812,

18th Century Fashion Show,

The Jacksons. &

an Author Book signing!

General Jackson & Mrs. Jackson test-out our Museum Mannequin Photobooth! 

DSD Coordinator Bettye Freudenthal, Exec. Director Sara Beth Gideon, & Friends of 

Rock Castle Pres. Bruce Carter discuss some last minute details for the event.

Special Thanks to our staff, board members, and volunteers who have been working around the clock to plan and prepare for this weekend's big event! 

Throughout the weekend, we will posting to our site's various social media pages, including: Facebook, Instagram, & this blog! Be sure to frequently check each of these pages for the most up-to-date information on event activities, special announcements, and exclusive opportunities this weekend!

We hope you will join us for a weekend of great family-fun and terrific entertainment!

If you plan on attending the event this weekend, be sure you don't miss-out on downloading our Daniel Smith Days 2013 mobile app for the iPhone and Android, as well as any web-enabled devices! There are a limited number of guides that can be downloaded, so be sure to do it now! This guide will assist you on your visit to our property this weekend by providing you with information about the event itself, as well as provide an event schedule that is easy to personalize and an event participants list (highlighting some of the demonstrators, vendors, and interpreters that will be in attendance this weekend!) The app we have created for this event is through a FREE host application called Guidebook. By following this link, you can learn more about how to download the Guidebook app for your mobile device and about how to access our Daniel Smith Days 2013 Event Guide!

We're looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

Militia Recruitment at Daniel Smith Days

Picture by Haley Carter/For Historic Rock Castle

"CALLING ALL YOUNG TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS 

FOR MILITIA RECRUITMENT THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AT HISTORIC ROCK CASTLE'S DANIEL SMITH DAYS!"

Be sure to stop by for Militia Recruitment at some point during the event this weekend! Militia Recruitment is something children look forward to each year when they come to Daniel Smith Days, and we're excited to offer this activity again this year! There will two opportunities on Saturday (at 10:00am & 3:00pm) and once on Sunday (11:30am) to watch and/or participate!

Children who choose to participate will receive their 'Discharge Papers' and a gold coin upon completion of their activities!

All ages of children are welcome!

Daniel Smith Days Event Schedule

We've finished working out the details of our Event Schedule for this weekend's festivities, so be sure plan ahead! 

Daniel Smith Days is in the Air!

Pictures by Haley Carter/For Historic Rock Castle
There are now only three days left until Daniel Smith Days is here! We know you guys are just as excited as we are about this year's event, and we can't wait to see you soon! We had our final Daniel Smith Days Committee Meeting last night and were able to wrap-up a few things for the event this weekend, then. 

This afternoon we have been working on moving event signs and tent materials over to the Visitor's Center for set-up tomorrow on the property. We also finished tagging all tent areas on the property and gave a few tours of the house along the way!

We're so glad that you guys are able to follow our progress in prepping for our biggest event of the year! 

We couldn't do it without your support, so thank you!

The First Tent Is Up & We're Working Hard!

Pictures by Haley Carter/For Historic Rock Castle
Yes, you heard right! The first tent for Daniel Smith Days went up on the property today! A man and his wife came by this afternoon and set-up their tent for this weekend's event. Things are really beginning to settle into place now, guys! We are now four days out from the event, so it is definitely "crunch-time" for our staff, event committee members, and volunteers!

We also worked today on flagging tent areas for vendors, demonstrators, and overnight guests of the event to set-up their tents over the course of the next few days.

Finally, a snapshot from only one of many folds over the next few days--from children's activity booklets to event program inserts! If you would be interested in volunteering to help our staff with prepping for the event anytime this week, please call our Visitor's Center at (615) 824-0502 to schedule a time you can stop by and lend a hand! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Check back with us tomorrow for more event updates!

Daniel Smith Days is Almost Here!

Pictures by Haley Carter/For Historic Rock Castle
It's hard to believe Daniel Smith Days is so close! Now that we're only five days out from the event, we'll be updating this blog (as well as other social media outlets) with information about things to see and do at the event, as well as show you guys some behind the scenes work that goes into putting together such a great and long-standing community event as Daniel Smith Days each year!

Today and yesterday we have been working on setting up and prepping our Visitor's Center for the large volumes of people that will come through. We have designated areas of prep in our meeting rooms for certain activities and features during the event that will be taking place (such as Drills, Polly's Playground, etc.). Our lovely Program Director, Amy Scott, is keeping us organized with checklists at each of the stations.

We're also working very hard to get together and set-up a photo booth activity for visitors of the event to enjoy! Our "Museum Mannequin" (photo booth) activity will feature props such as teacups and saucers, tricorn hats & toy guns! This will be open to the public to enjoy while they are at the event, so be sure to stop by and...

1. Write a NOTE!

2. Pick a PROP!

3. Strike a POSE!

4 Take a PIC!

Be sure to stay tuned for more updates to come!

Enjoy a Virtual Tour of Our Property!

Pictures by Haley Carter/For Historic Rock Castle

As a way of showing you all some snapshots of the beauty of our site, we're posting this "virtual tour" of our property just for you. Each of the pictures represents a place on our property that we think you should see on your visit here to the Castle! We'll talk briefly about each place and tell you why we think you should stop by it while you're here!

1. The Visitor's Center

This is the first place you should stop by on your visit to our property! Here at the Visitor's Center, you can talk with our site's staff about what there is to see and do on the property that day. You can also browse Polly's gift shop to find things new and old for sale. In addition, you can pick-up information about other historic sites and community events going on. And be sure to sign our site Guestbook before you leave so that you can be added to our mailing list!

2. The Historic Home - Rock Castle

 

The second stop on your tour of our property should be Rock Castle, itself. This may either be through a guided tour of the interior of the home, or by simply admiring the features of the outside of the home for yourself. Our site is open to all visitors during regularly-scheduled business hours (listed at the top of this page, as well as on our website). So feel free to stop by and wander our 18-acres then!

3. The Smoke House

 Make it a point to stop by our smoke house on your visit to our property. This smoke house is an original structure to the site and is made of limestone that was milled and quarried here on the property. It has survived the same number of generations that the historic home has, and it is wonderful to say it is still being preserved today! (You can also check-out our gorgeous lake view while you're there!

4. The Herb Garden

The herb garden at Historic Rock Castle is maintained by the Sumner County Master Gardeners on a weekly-basis. The best time of year to visit our herb garden is in the spring, but be sure to check by here whenever you do visit to see the flowers and herbs, plus enjoy the view!

6. The Smith Family Cemetery

The final stop on your tour of our property should be the Smith Family Cemetery! Our family cemetery is the resting place for five generations of the Smith family. It is great to visit the cemetery after taking our guided house tour, as you may recognize names and dates in the cemetery that were mentioned on our tour! 

You may even spot a deer or two while you're here!

One of the deer resting in the shade underneath Daniel Smith's tombstone.

We hope to see you soon!

Special BOGO Coupon for Daniel Smith Days!

As a special thank you to all of our social media supporters, we're releasing a BOGO coupon for Daniel Smith Days! All you have to do is mention the ad at the gate to take advantage of this great deal! 

Thank you for your continued support!

Sugar Chest To Be in Upcoming Silent Auction!

Pictures by Haley Carter/For Historic Rock Castle

This year's Silent Auction at the Membership Booth during Daniel Smith Days will feature a truly one-of-a-kind piece--a handmade sugar chest! The sugar chest featured in the pictures below was made by local historian and master woodworker, John Garrott. Mr. Garrott, who founded the Sumner County Museum in 1970s and who is a great friend to this site, has donated this beautiful piece to our site to be sold in this year's Silent Auction at our site's biggest celebration of the year, Daniel Smith Days!

Sugar chests were popular and quite attractive pieces of furniture, featured primarily in the South, during the 18th and 19th centuries. A sugar chest is essentially a large wooden box, with four legs that provide a standing base to the piece. The box itself primarily held sugar; however, it also held some spices (provided there was a drawer on the bottom to accommodate them).

Sugar was a highly prized commodity during this period, and thus was a great expense to working families. Because of this reason, sugar was, of course, kept under lock and key (thus the key hole where the upside-down tear drop is on this particular chest) to insure its security. While the wealthier could afford such luxuries as sugar, the less-affluent would use honey, molasses or maple syrup as a supplement. The majority of sugar used in the United States during this period was imported from the West Indies region. Processed in a cone-shape, clay molds would remove the syrup from the raw sugar and produce sugar crystals. The housewife would purchase the cone of sugar and cut it into small lumps for use.

If you have ever been able to tour the interior of Rock Castle, you may recall seeing a sugar chest in our historic home (not pictured) during your tour. The sugar chest we have on display in the house is an original to the family. It is the sugar chest that belonged to Sarah Smith, Daniel's wife, while they lived here, at the Castle.

The starting bid for the John Garrott handmade sugar chest will begin at $300, so be sure to come prepared if  interested!

Source: "Box gives a sweet history lesson, Antiques: Handsome chest held a once-valuable product--sugar." The Baltimore Sun Online.