Living History Saturday: Private Abraham Nave

The Museum of Butler will conclude its 2026 Living History Saturday season with two special programs connecting national events to the lives, experiences and stories of people from Butler and the greater Watauga Valley.

On Saturday, September 26, historical interpreter Robert Rambo will portray his ancestor, Private Abraham Nave, a farmer, accomplished bear hunter and Tennessee soldier who served during the War of 1812.

The presentation will be followed in October by Walk in Their Boots, a two-day World War II living-history experience featuring a special Education Day for school groups and homeschool families on Friday, October 9, and Life on the Home Front for the public on Saturday, October 10.

Private Abraham Nave Comes to Life

The September 26 Living History Saturday program will introduce visitors to Abraham Nave not simply as a soldier’s name recorded on a muster roll, but as a husband, father, farmer, hunter and East Tennessean.

Nave and his wife, Mary, raised 15 children in the community once known as the “Neck,” near Elizabethton, which later became known as Siam. Family history recalls that Nave would leave the family farm for extended hunting trips into the mountains and that the family “always had at least one bear ham in the smokehouse.”

During the War of 1812, Nave served as a private in the 2nd Regiment of West Tennessee Volunteer Mounted Gunmen. The regiment joined the brigade commanded by Brigadier General John Coffee and participated in the 1814 Pensacola Campaign before continuing to Louisiana to help defend New Orleans from the British.

Through period interpretation, documented history, and stories preserved by Nave’s descendants, Rambo will bring his ancestor’s remarkable story back to the mountains he once called home.

The program will take place Saturday, September 26, from noon until 2 p.m. and is included with regular Museum admission.

World War II and the Town That Wouldn’t Drown

History will come alive again October 9–10 as the Museum explores the sacrifices, service, and determination that shaped American life during World War II—and the extraordinary changes taking place in Butler at the same time.

The weekend begins Friday, October 9, with Walk in Their Boots: World War II and the Town That Wouldn’t Drown, a special Education Day for students in grades 5–12.

Public and private school groups are invited to attend from 9 a.m. until noon. Homeschool students and families are invited to participate from 1 until 3 p.m.

Students will rotate through living-history stations featuring period clothing, equipment, artifacts, demonstrations, and first-person interpretation. They will learn about military service and the vital work performed by families and volunteers on the American home front.

Education Day will also include a guided tour of the Museum of Butler, connecting the national story of World War II to the community’s own history.

While Butler-area men and women were serving their country, construction was underway on Watauga Dam. Families were displaced, homes and businesses were moved or dismantled, and the original town of Butler gradually disappeared beneath the rising waters of Watauga Lake. Some service members returned from the war to discover that their hometown was no longer where they had left it.

This connection allows students to consider how world events affected ordinary people—and how one Appalachian community faced extraordinary change with courage and resilience.

Advance registration is required for Education Day. Students may bring bag lunches, and picnic and covered eating areas are available on the Museum grounds.  Complimentary Museum admission is provided for all participating students, educators, and chaperones on Education Day.  Learn more and register your group here: https://tinyurl.com/Museum-Education-Day

Life on the Home Front

On Saturday, October 10, the experience will open to the public with Life on the Home Front: A 1940s Living History Event from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Visitors will step into the 1940s and discover how Americans contributed to the war effort from their homes, schools, farms, factories and communities.

Living-history displays and demonstrations will explore scrap drives, civilian defense, Victory Gardens, the Aircraft Warning Service, Victory Book Campaigns, women factory workers, war bond drives, military equipment, wartime communications, photography, and everyday life during the war.

Living historians in period clothing will help visitors connect with the people behind the history. Guests may examine equipment and artifacts, ask questions, tour the Museum’s exhibits, and learn how national events shaped life in Butler and the Watauga Valley.

Life on the Home Front will be the final Living History Saturday program of the Museum’s 2026 season.

Event Information

Living History Saturday: Private Abraham Nave
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Noon–2 p.m.

Walk in Their Boots Education Day
Friday, October 9, 2026
School groups: 9 a.m.–noon
Homeschool students and families: 1–3 p.m.
Advance registration required

Life on the Home Front
Saturday, October 10, 2026
11 a.m.–3 p.m.

All programs will be held at the Museum of Butler, 123 Selma Curtis Road in Butler, Tennessee. Regular Museum admission is $5 per person; children under 12 are admitted free. Parking is free.

For Education Day registration and additional event information, call 803-524-5671. Additional information is available at MuseumofButlerTN.org.

Walk in their boots, hear their stories, and discover how the people of our region helped shape the American story.

This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.