Secretary of State Tre Hargett is holding a parade for the Tennessee Constitution

Natalie Allison
Nashville Tennessean

Among the first public festivities being scheduled in Nashville for 2021: A parade for the Tennessee Constitution.

Yes, you read correctly. Secretary of State Tre Hargett is holding a first-of-its-kind procession, complete with a marching drum line, color guard and some of the state's top officials making their way around the Capitol to transport the prized state documents.

The March 1 event will be a ceremonial procession to move the state's three copies of the constitution — first written in 1796 and revised twice over the next 75 years — from the current Tennessee State Library and Archives building to a brand new facility that will open this spring.

"Moving the constitution is a big deal," Hargett said. "We just thought it would be a great way to raise awareness about the kinds of things we house at the Tennessee State Library and Archives," which he oversees.

In this photo taken Aug. 19, 2015, John Jay Hooker holds a copy of the Tennessee Constitution he keeps on him at all times as he sits in the lobby of his retirement home  in Nashville, Tenn. "It’s part of my shtick. Makes me seem like I’m smarter than I am," said Hooker who pulls it out frequently as a conversation piece. "Most of it I’ve memorized and I talk to somebody about it every day. It’s a teaching tool."

The state library is home to an array of hand-drawn maps dating back to the would-be State of Franklin in 1785, along with other original documents like correspondence from Tennessee's past governors, Civil War diaries and historic photographs.

The three constitutions are valued at $12 million, according to Chuck Sherrill, the state's librarian and archivist, though Hargett described them as "priceless documents."

While the secretary of state and other state officials will walk in the "State Constitution Processional," as the event is being billed in a city parade permit application, the documents will lead the way while being transported in a Tennessee Highway Patrol vehicle.

Nashville's health department has approved the event, which is open to the public and organizers expect will draw no more than 100 to 200 people.

A rendering of the new Tennessee State Library & Archives building on Rep. John Lewis Way.

Members of judicial, executive and legislative branch are invited to join parade during route

If all goes as planned, Library and Archives staff will start the parade at 2 p.m. at the current library located in downtown Nashville on 7th Avenue North.

As the procession moves down the street and passes the Tennessee Supreme Court building next door, justices and other members of the judiciary will join.

The governor and members of the executive branch are invited to join as the procession reaches the Motlow Tunnel entrance to the state Capitol on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, while participants from the attorney general's office will be picked up outside the newly renovated John Sevier building.

Members of the legislature are asked to join once the group reaches the main entrance of their offices at the Cordell Hull building. The route ends down the street at 1001 Rep. John Lewis Way, where the new building is located.

A ribbon-cutting for the facility is scheduled for April 12. The library will open to the public the following day.

New facility provides more archive storage space, restoration tools

The massive 165,000-square-foot facility, directly beside the Bicentennial Capitol Mall, is unmissable to those traveling down Jefferson Street. Construction on the $123.8 million project began in 2017, though planning started in 2005 to upgrade the current 1950s-era library next to the Capitol.

"Several problems drove the need" for a new facility, said Julia Bruck, a spokesperson for Hargett. That included a need for more space for state collections, increased handicapped access and improved climate controls.

The new building can hold nearly 760,000 books, manuscripts and other items, a 40% increase in capacity from the current facility.

A new "blast freezer" is available for use by other local libraries to try to save materials damaged by water or insects, as well as a conservation lab to restore books, photographs and documents.

Tennessee’s founding documents will be featured in dedicated exhibit spaces, accompanied by rotating exhibits.

A "grand reading room" will seat up to 100 people, and classrooms and meeting spaces are also available.

Completion of the large facility follows the opening of the $120 million Tennessee State Museum that opened in 2018. Private money was also raised for the project, located on the other side of Bicentennial Capitol Mall.

After Tennessee first adopted its constitution in 1796, it was revised in 1834 to update matters pertaining to the court system and other issues, and then again in 1870 after the Civil War.

Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.

Want to read more stories like this? A subscription to one of our Tennessee publications gets you unlimited access to all the latest politics news, podcasts like Grand Divisions, plus newsletters, a personalized mobile experience and the ability to tap into stories, photos and videos from throughout the USA TODAY Network's 261 daily sites.