East Tennessee Historical Society History Fair marks 10 years on inaugural Febb Burn Day
The East Tennessee Historical Society’s annual History Fair celebrated its 10th year and 11th iteration across downtown Knoxville on Saturday as the state observed the first occurrence of Febb Burn Day, which the Tennessee Legislature designated in the Spring to honor the mother of former state representative Harry T. Burn, whose letter convinced her son to cast the final vote to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1920.
The annual fair was started 10 years ago, according to Executive Director Cherel Henderson, and it has grown to become an annual event that sees thousands of attendees each year.
“This is our 11th History Fair, but it’s really our 10th anniversary. We did this for the grand opening of the museum. This is how celebrated it, and we had such a great response,” Henderson said. “People started to ask if we were going to do this every year. And I thought, ‘Well, maybe so.’ It just became a great event, and it grows every year. People really respond to it.”
Henderson said that the History Fair saw between 16,000 and 17,000 visitors in 2017, but that this year’s attendance would be harder to predict because of bad weather in the afternoon.
Still, the allure of the fair’s historically clad volunteers, costumed dog competition and live music drew a strong crowd. The historically-costumed dog contest has been a particularly popular part of the fair and has been a good way to open up people to conversations about their histories, Henderson said.
“We were trying to think of a fun way for people to have fun with history, just to add some lightness to it,” she said. “We try to touch people with history and what it means, but we also want people to just enjoy it as a fun day. It’s a fun way to communicate history to people and to get their interest.”
Saturday’s History Fair also marked the unveiling of the base of the new Burn Memorial statue on the corner of Clinch Avenue and Market Street. Funding for the $400,000 statue was raised by the Women’s Suffrage Coalition to memorialize the history of East Tennessee’s role in ratifying the 19th Amendment.
“The Harry Burn story had been lost for all purposes. I mean, it was referenced in some books and libraries, but people on the streets didn’t know about it, and every time I told it they thought I was joking,” WSC coordinator Wanda Sobieski said.
Sobieski was glad to mark the occasion with a commemoration of Burn’s mother Febb, whose letter encouraging him to vote for the 19th Amendment helped Tennessee become the last state necessary for women to be granted the right to vote.
“We got the Legislature, with the help of Rick Staples and Becky Massey, who carried our bill for us, to pass a resolution making August 18th from now on Febb Burn Day, in honor of the mother who wrote the letter,” she said, “so, it’s perfect to do that today and to unveil the base that has the story on it.”
For Henderson, celebrating East Tennessee’s role in granting women the right to vote is an important piece in a larger historical picture, one that the annual History Fair seeks to turn into a personal connection to the area’s past.
“The main reason we do this is because we realize that history is fascinating, and you’re missing something deep and rich if you don’t know your history and your region and nation’s history,” Henderson said. “There are so many great stories there and examples of people and what they’ve lived. It makes you really admire the people of the past and what they went through. We want to reach people with that and create a personal interest.”