Join Us ... Annually Eighth of August

The Libation is held at the Freedmen’s Historic Cemetery adjacent to Knoxville College, the graveside of three of the people emancipated on August 8, 1863. These three formerly enslaved persons, Liz, Florence and William, are the children of Dolly and the nieces and nephew of Sam Johnson, founder of the Eighth of August Celebration. Sam, Dolly, and her children were all emancipated August 8, 1863.

Sam Johnson was emancipated August 8, 1863, along with his sister Dolly and her three children, Liz, Florence, and William. After Sam, his sister Dolly, and her children were emancipated, Sam was successful in having August 8 set aside for Emancipation Day observances and celebrations. Since that time, celebrations continue to take place throughout Tennessee and other states.

Dolly’s three children are laid to rest in the Freedmen’s Mission Historic Cemetery. Each year during the Annual Eighth of August Jubilee, Beck hosts The Libation the morning of August 8 on the grounds of the historic cemetery. The Libation is a spiritual ceremony that pays tribute to formerly enslaved people emancipated August 8, 1863, and interred at Freedmen’s Historic Cemetery adjacent to Knoxville College.

The Silver-Tipped Cane

Young William, along with his mother Dolly and his uncle Sam, was emancipated August 8, 1863. One of the crowning moments of William’s life was a trip to Washington, D.C., where he met President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who gave him a silver-tipped cane with both their names inscribed. Ned Arter of Louisville, Kentucky, great-great-grandson of Sam Johnson, inherited the cane. Each year during the celebration, he presents the cane for public viewing. Then, during the annual Eighth of August celebration on August 8, 2022, Mr. Arter gifted the cane to the Beck Cultural Exchange Center to preserve this history and share it with generations to come.