• The original playbill from April 6, 1859, when “Dixie” was premiered by Bryant’s Minstrels at Mechanics Hall in New York City.

  • Dan Emmett’s cane, rocking chair, and writing desk. These and other original artifacts are on display at the Knox County Historical Society Museum in Mount Vernon.

  • After years of controversy, a weary Emmett confessed that he wished he never wrote “Dixie.” But he came out of retirement to perform it one last time at the Woodward Opera House just a few years before his death.

  • A painting of the old tavern in the village of Clinton (now the northern edge of Mount Vernon) where Dan Emmett’s parents first met.

  • This painting in the Knox County Historical Society Museum is based on a photograph of Dan Emmett, from around the time he wrote and premiered his controversial hit, “Dixie.”