1976: Knoxville Celebrates the American Bicentennial

With all the current buzz surrounding the upcoming Semiquincentennial, it is easy to forget (or if you’re young enough, not even realize) just how heavily invested the United States was in the 1976 Bicentennial. Nationwide celebrations and programs abounded, and Knoxville, true to form, threw itself wholeheartedly into honoring the past. Today, the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection and the East Tennessee Historical Society preserve a treasure trove of artifacts from that era, a selection of which will be on display throughout the month of July in the museum’s streetscape outside the Rogers-Claussen Feature Gallery.

The exhibition is sponsored by UT’s Denbo Center for Humanities and Arts, the Knox County Public Library, and the East Tennessee Historical Society, and curated by DCHA Associate Director, Katie Burnett. A companion piece to the East Tennessee History Center’s “American Revolution Experience,” in honor of the U.S.A.’s 250th anniversary, “1976: Knoxville Celebrates the American Bicentennial” features photos of Knoxville’s parades, the Bicentennial Park dedication, the Bicentennial Train Wagon, and more!