The Knoxville Town Committee...

…is dedicated to furthering an appreciation of our national heritage through historic preservation, patriotic service and educational projects. Our members volunteer their time and are involved in projects that emphasize patriotism; honor our soldiers and veterans; educate our fellow citizens about our country’s heritage and preserving historic buildings connected with the founding of our country and state.

The Knoxville Town Committee meets (4) times a year for a history lecture or program with a guest speaker and luncheon. We aim to study and to teach which also means to investigate, preserve, restore, and commemorate the history of our country and state. Our members participate in local Naturalization Services and distribute flag pins to over 100 new citizens each year. We also participate yearly in various veterans’ programs.

The Knoxville Town Committee was organized in 1900. Our Town Committee has a rich history in the original restoration of Sulgrave Manor, in Northhamptonshire, England, the ancestral home of George Washington. We also contribute to the preservation and authenticating of Dumbarton House, Gunston Hall, Traveller’s Rest and other Knoxville historical sites such as Fort Loudoun, Blount Mansion, and McClugg Museum to name a few. Our committee has given considerable attention to microfilming and photo stating listings of early East Tennessee portraits, old church records, recording of tombstones in old cemeteries, and other documents for filing at the UT and the Lawson McGhee Libraries throughout the years.  The very first grants -in-aid, which was instituted by the State Society, was given to a graduate student in History at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Our committee’s commitment to historical activities and patriotic service is well documented in our history.

It would be impossible to name all the members who have worked so untiringly for the success of the Knoxville Committee. We have come a long way from the early days, but we have not lost the wonderful spirit or our deep love for the Country of our Forefathers. We are acquiring new, young members and look joyfully in to the future, with them to carry on our tradition of faith, hope and loyalty to our beloved Country.

The Knoxville Town Committee 2022-2023 Board:

Chairman

Mrs. M. Vincent Guarino (Georganne)

Vice Chairman

Mary Ann Warwick Russell (Mary Ann)

Recording Secretary

Ms. Melissa Gill (Melissa)

Corresponding Secretary

Mrs. James Thomas Gibbons Jr. (Ginger)

Treasurer

Mrs. Charles F. Richardson Jr. (Pam)

The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America works to inspire all people to understand and honor our origins as a nation.

The invitation you accepted didn’t come from a friend or relative...

…and it was not a social request. It was a “sacred obligation” to honor and preserve the history of our origins, and to foster interest and understanding, not among the few, but for the many. Not for the purpose of entertainment, but to “stimulate a spirit of true patriotism and a genuine love of country.”

We live in difficult times. So many of our citizens have forgotten what this country was built on. Cooperation has given way to division and love of country often takes a back seat to love of comfort and possessions. Our sisters and brothers are not misguided, just misinformed. The story of our origins still has the power to inspire good women and men, but only if our voice is louder, and our efforts further reaching.

The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America works to inspire all people to understand and honor our origins as a nation. We understand that by promoting respect for the people, places and events that led to the formation of our country, we can inspire the patriotism of our fellow citizens. Our service honors the wisdom and valor of those whose sacrifices and achievements gave birth to our great nation.

Patriotic Service programs promotes respect for the people, places, and events that led to the formation of our country. The Tennessee Dames provide American History awards which are grants-in-aid to undergraduate and graduate students studying American History or related areas, such as Historic Preservation, in Tennessee colleges and universities. They also send an outstanding Tennessee high school student who is the winner of the Congressional Essay Contest to Washington, DC to participate in the week-long Washington Workshops Foundation Congressional Seminar. The Tennessee Dames also contribute to the American Indian Nurse Scholarship Fund, one of the first scholarship funds established by the Dames in 1927. Our individual Town Committees have and participate in many projects to support American troops, veterans, and their families. They send care package to combat areas and to Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany. Collections of personal care items and other needed articles for the Tennessee VA Medical Centers is a tangible way to thank our veterans for their sacrifice and service. Showing support and appreciation to veterans directly supports the mission and Objects of our Society. They also attend Naturalization Ceremonies and welcome new citizens into our great country with gifts of flag brochures, flags, lapel pin flags.

The Tennessee Society has many projects devoted to preserving the history of our families, our communities, and our state. A most successful project has been The Tennessee Portrait Project. This website, sponsored by the Tennessee Dames, provides images of portraits and information about the subjects and artists for portraits housed both in and outside of Tennessee.

Members of the Knoxville Town Committee have created memory books with information about their family histories. Members of the Nashville Town Committee have been preserving video histories through their interviews of Nashville Dames who have recounted their personal histories, including their personal Dames’ stories.