First Lady of Tennessee Crissy Haslam came “home” Monday to belatedly celebrate Knoxville’s 220th birthday and to praise Knox County’s historic house museums, reports the News Sentinel.
Haslam spoke at a luncheon fundraiser held by the Historic Homes of Knoxville. About 160 people attended the event that grossed some $7,100 for HHK.
The group is a partnership of six Knox County historic homes open to the public. Those homes are Blount Mansion, Crescent Bend House & Gardens, Ramsey House, James White’s Fort, Mabry-Hazen House and the Marble Springs State Historic Site.
The structures range from those built in the late 18th century to those built in the 19th century. Knoxville marks its founding on Oct. 3, 1791. That’s when James White sold one-half acre lots to establish the town.
Haslam moved into the Tennessee governor’s mansion in Nashville from Knoxville when her husband, former Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, was elected governor. That residence, built in 1929 as a private home and acquired by the state later, was renovated during the administration of Haslam’s predecessor, Phil Bredesen.
Crissy Haslam is heading an effort to restore the property’s gardens and landscaping using private funds.