How do you shoot an anvil?
While many Americans celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, the Museum of Appalachia, in Clinton, Tennessee, is marking the occasion with an old-fashioned anvil shoot.
What’s an anvil? It is a heavy iron block with a flat top, traditionally used by a blacksmith as a base on which to hammer and shape metal. When we say heavy, we mean heavy - 200 pounds of metal.
Anvil shoots were once a common way for pioneers to commemorate holidays, elections and other special occasions. The museum has revived the tradition, striving to keep this piece of history alive for a 21st century audience.
Every July 4, the museum uses gunpowder to launch an anvil hundreds of feet into the air.
Museum President Elaine Meyer said onlookers can feel the blast “when the gunpowder ignites and the anvil soars into the air... Even though you know what is about to happen, you can’t help but be in awe of the staggering blast of the anvil.”
The anvil shoot is the centerpiece of an all-day Independence Day celebration that includes a bell-ringing ceremony, flag procession, live music, Southern food, and demonstrations from blacksmiths, beekeepers, dulcimer makers, spinners and weavers, rail splitters and more.
Anvil shoots for July 4 are scheduled for 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with special Independence Day activities from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Tickets for the Independence Day celebration are $20 for adults, $10 for youth age 13-17, $6 for children age 5-12, or $42 for families of 2 adults and children/youth between ages 5-17. The event is free for museum members. Tickets may be purchased online or at the museum on the day of the event.
For more information about the Independence Day Anvil Shoot or becoming a Museum member, visit www.museumofappalachia.org or call 865-494-7680.