Step back in time at the Crockett Tavern Museum in Morristown

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (WATE) — A legendary figure known as “King of the Wild Frontier” has strong ties to the Morristown area.

Davy Crockett spent large part of his childhood there. Hundreds of tourists visit the replica of his boyhood home each week, built on the site of the Crockett Family Tavern.

The Crockett Tavern Museum was built in 1955 at the height of the Crockett craze thanks to the TV show “Davy Crockett” starring Fess Parker.

People from all over stop by to see it for themselves, like the Rasmusens from Cleveland, Ohio.

“I always liked Davy Crockett’s story,” Curt and Sherry Rasmusen told us.

“On a fairly slow week, we’re looking at about 100 to 150 [visitors], which is pretty good, considering that most of the travelers who are coming in are coming in off the highway, ” explained Isaac White, a tour guide at the museum.

White is more than a tour guide. He’s a historic interpreter and a David Crockett lookalike.

That’s right: it’s David, not Davy, as we learned from our guide.

“Well, if I was to be a real stickler for history, then I would be one of those who get a little persnickety about it and correct someone at every chance, but it’s just something I’ve come to understand and accept because I used to call him Davy Crockett before I found out that he preferred David.”

Crockett’s parents ran the tavern, offering food and lodging to weary travelers. It also served as the family home, with nine children, including young David, who went on to become King of the Wild Frontier.

“His standing record to this day is 105 bears in one season,” White said. “Now, some people say ‘That’s downright silly – there’s no way!’ but that’s because they don’t think about how abundant wildlife was at that time.”

Crockett also represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives and fought in the Texas Revolution, dying at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.

This was a man who packed a lot of living in his 49 years here on earth, but some of the extraordinary tales we’ve all heard are a bit exaggerated.

“I hate to inform the public, but no, Crockett did not kill a bear when he was only 3, nor did he grin a bear to death or kill one with his bare hands. We do have some actual hunting stories of Crockett that let you know that when it made its way back to Eastern newspapers, they took the story, twisted it, and ran with it to make it look like he was doing superhuman feats. But he’s a man at the end of the day.”

Crockett also wrote several books, and the museum has an original first edition of Crockett’s autobiography from 1834. The museum also holds the only surviving link to the real Crockett Tavern. It’s the top part of a well discovered on the property in 1949.

These are just some of the artifacts that take you back to the frontier days, but the biggest treat is the tour. To conclude it, Isaac White dons the familiar coonskin cap, takes a moment to load up a rifle similar to Crockett’s favorite, and fires.

Come on by the Crockett Tavern Museum at 2002 Morningside Drive in Morristown for a trip back in time.

The museum is on the National Register of Historic Places. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4.50 for seniors and veterans and $1 for children. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.