Mount Vernon in Knox County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Daniel Decatur Emmett
| | The Mount Vernon Historic Walking Tour | |
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 25, 2024
1. Daniel Decatur Emmett Marker
Daniel Decatur Emmett was a Mount Vernon born musician and song writer who defined a generation and either wrote or borrowed a song that became the unofficial national anthem of the Confederate States of America.
Born in 1815, just ten years after the founding of Mount Vernon, Dan Emmett grew up in a time that offered little formal education. From his mother he learned a love of music, along with reading and writing. By age 15 he had composed and performed Old Dan Tucker.
From army fifer, to circus band member, to minstrel troupe leader, Dan Emmett traveled the world, but retired to his home town, where he died and is buried.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1815.
Location. 40° 23.329′ N, 82° 29.22′ W. Marker is in Mount Vernon, Ohio, in Knox County. It can be reached from Columbus Road (County Road 80) south of South Main Street (State Route 13), on the right when traveling south. Marker is in the parking lot behind the former train depot. Touch for map. Marker is at
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Amish Country. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Viaduct (here, next to this marker); Johnny Appleseed's Early Landholdings (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Wayman Chapel AME Church (about 800 feet away); E.R. Roach Industries (about 800 feet away); The Buckeye Candy Co. (about 800 feet away); South Main Plaza (approx. 0.2 miles away); Jane Payne, M.D. (1825-1882) (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Snowden Family (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mount Vernon.
Also see . . .
1. Historic Mount Vernon Walking Tour ~ 406 ~ Dan Emmett. Short video, created
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 25, 2024
2. Daniel Decatur Emmett Marker
Featured marker is the bottom one on the sign post.
2. Dan Emmett. Wikipedia entry on the composer and entertainer widely considered to have composed the song "Dixie". (Submitted on May 31, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
from Knox County Historical Society via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain), circa 1861
3. Daniel Decatur Emmett (1815-1904)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 494 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 31, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
