The 250th Anniversary of the founding of the nation in 1775-1776 will be the focus of the upcoming Greene County Heritage Trust Early American Christmas Dinner in early December. Tickets for the Dinner are now on sale.
The annual event, a seated dinner and program traditionally considered the kickoff of the Christmas social season in Greeneville, is scheduled for Thursday evening, December 4th, 2025, in the ballroom of the General Morgan Inn, according to a Heritage Trust news release.
The featured speaker will be Daniel Shippey, of Appomattox, Va., who has become familiar to many across the country as the former official George Washington at Mt. Vernon, Washington’s famous home near the nation’s capital.
Shippey, a George Washington historian and a renowned interpreter of the general for many years, now portrays Washington in presentations, keynote addresses, and personal appearances throughout the United States.
In addition, he was cast this year as the general in his older years in the docu-drama film, “The American Miracle — Our Nation Is No Accident.”
He will be joined in Greeneville in December by his wife, Kelly, in the role of Mrs. Martha Washington. Kelly Shippey also portrayed Mrs. Washington during the Shippeys’ years on the staff of Mt. Vernon.
“During this very special two-year period when Americans in all 50 states are celebrating the nation’s birth on July 4, 1776, the Greene County Heritage Trust wanted to bring the Founding era to life here in an especially dramatic way,” explained HT President Tim Massey.
“We were very fortunate to be able to arrange for Mr. and Mrs. Shippey, whose services in their roles as the General and Mrs. Washington are in much demand, to present our program at the annual Heritage Trust Christmas Dinner.
“They will, of course, appear in appropriate period dress that evening, and he will speak ‘in character’ from the perspective of the general himself concerning the Revolutionary War period, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the events that followed it during the seven-year war with Great Britain to win American independence.
”We believe it will be a memorable evening for everyone present,” added Massey, who is also official Greene Count Historian.
The annual event begins each year with a Reception at 6:00 PM with light refreshments in the lobby of the General Morgan Inn, followed by a seated dinner and program beginning in the ballroom at 6:30 PM.
The dinner is the only major fund-raising event of the year sponsored by the Heritage Trust, a 501(c)(3) non-profit civic organization now in its 52nd year.
The Trust was established in the fall of 1973 by community leaders of that time with the goal of preserving, restoring, and making known the rich historical heritage of Greeneville and Greene County.
Over the more than 50 years since then, the organization has carried out or assisted with dozens of local projects and events related to the history of the town and county, including the restoration of the Samuel Doak House at Tusculum University, the restoration of the Warrensburg Covered Bridge, and many others.
Proceeds from the Dinner above costs are used exclusively for the organization’s local heritage-related projects.
Tickets for the evening cost $75 each and are now available for purchase by any interested person, the news release emphasized. Those who wish to make reservations by mail should send a check for the appropriate amount to the Greene County Heritage Trust P.O. Box 179 Greeneville, TN 37744.
Alternatively, reservations can be made by credit card through the Trust’s website, at greenecountyheritagetrust.org.
The news release stated that, as long as seating is available, tickets will remain on sale until midnight on Wednesday, November 19th, in order to meet the General Morgan Inn’s November 20th deadline for Dinner reservations. No tickets will be sold at the door.
For additional information concerning the event, please contact Lera Doherty, Heritage Trust Secretary, at 423/823-8181.
