Hello, I wanted to forward the following announcement to this list to anyone with an interest in this week's brown bag lecture at the East Tennessee Historical Society. If you are in the Knoxville area on Wednesday, you might enjoy dropping by the East Tennessee History Center to hear this free lecture on Davy Crockett. ---------------------------------------- ETHS ANNOUNCEMENT -- With all due respect to Walt Disney, Davy Crockett was not born on a mountaintop, nor did he kill a bear at the age of three. The real David Crockett is the subject of the first East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) Brown Bag Lecture of 2003. Crockett researcher Joe Swann will present a free lecture, “The Crockett Rifle and Davy’s Life in East Tennessee,” at noon on Wednesday, February 12, at the East Tennessee History Center in downtown Knoxville (600 Market St.). Swann will explore a variety of topics in his lecture including the Crockett rifle currently on display in the East Tennessee Historical Society Museum, as well as a discussion of other rifles from the era. In addition, Swann will discuss Crockett’s life in East Tennessee from his birth in 1786 to 1812, as well as the home “neighborhoods” of the Crockett family and their neighboring settlers. Swann is currently working on a book about Crockett's years in East Tennessee. The lecture is the first in the ETHS’ popular brown bag lecture series of 2003. The 13th year of the series will feature a variety of speakers and topics relating to artifacts and stories found within the East Tennessee Historical Society Museum in downtown Knoxville. The theme was chosen in honor of the museum’s tenth anniversary. Swann, a past president of the East Tennessee Historical Society, currently serves as vice mayor of Maryville, Tennessee. He is the owner of the Crockett rifle on display in the ETHS Museum. The rifle is the first owned by Davy Crockett and is considered one of the most historic artifacts on display in the ETHS Museum. Swann and his family made the gun available for display in East Tennessee when the museum opened in 1993 so the gun could be viewed in Davy’s home region. Prior to its arrival at the ETHS Museum, the rifle had been on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, and the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. Recently, the rifle was on loan as part of the first exhibit at the new Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. Davy Crockett gave the rifle to Swann’s great-great-great grandfather, James McCuistion, in 1806 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. The ETHS Brown Bag Lectures are generally held on the second Wednesday of each month at noon and are free to the public. The 2003 lecture series will run from February through October. Guests are encouraged to bring a sack lunch to enjoy during the lunch hour presentation. Soft drinks will be available through ETHS. Lectures are held at the East Tennessee History Center (600 Market St.) in downtown Knoxville. The East Tennessee Historical Society, headquartered in Knoxville, is one of the oldest cultural institutions in the state of Tennessee. Founded in 1834, ETHS is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and promoting the history of East Tennessee. The society’s programs and activities are made possible through the support of its membership. For additional information about the 2003 Brown Bag Lecture Series and other ETHS activities, call (865) 215-8824 or visit the society’s web site at www.east-tennessee-history.org. --------------------