The Knoxville History Project

06/10/2026

This month’s featured book is The Legend of the Gold Bricks and other Knoxville Stories.

The recently torn-down Pryor Brown Parking Garage had a history that most parking garages don’t have. Built in the 1920’s, the mixed-used building/parking garage was thought to be one of the oldest in the country. Among the buildings many stories, one was told many times over the decades, although never the same way twice. Pryor Brown had a friend who had acquired two “golden” bricks from a travelling stranger, only to discover that they were fake. Disgusted, he gave them to Brown, who loved a good story. As such, he decided to incorporate them into his livery stable when it was constructed in 1901. The original stable was torn down and when Brown constructed his grand new parking garage, he had them built in. Brown passed away and his son sold the building with the stipulation that he got to keep the bricks. However, after he moved to Florida several years later, the bricks disappeared into legend. Maybe they are still out there somewhere!

That is just a taste of one of the fascinating stories told in this book. Get your copy today at https://knoxville-history-project.square.site/product/the-legend-of-the-gold-bricks/10?cs=true&cst=custom

The first two orders of this book will receive a FREE Knoxville Livery magnet!(Shown in photos).

06/06/2026

Thank you to our friend and KHP supporter Marvin House for his generous gift that will help share the history of Knoxville and East Tennessee with everyone this summer and fall! Take advantage during the next several months to check out the East Tennessee History Center and their amazing exhibits!

06/03/2026

Happy ! Bicycling is kind of a big deal in Knoxville. The city boasts miles of greenway trails, our annual Bike, Boat, Brew, and Bark Festival, and playing host to several USA cycling events over the years. So, celebrate World Bike Day today by hopping on a bike and taking a ride through our amazing city!

📸James McCoy on bicycle in street, partial view of brother William on bicycle behind James, and brother Robert with scooter. [1914] (https://cmdc.knoxlib.org/digital/collection/p265301coll005/id/1111/rec/13)

📸H.E. Alexander standing with bicycle, 1892 (https://cmdc.knoxlib.org/digital/collection/p265301coll005/id/1404/rec/33)

📸Unidentified child on a penny farthing bicycle, ca. 1890's(?) (https://cmdc.knoxlib.org/digital/collection/p265301coll9/id/1227/rec/9)

06/01/2026

We are well into festival season, having already celebrated Mardi Growl, St. Patty's, Big Ears, Rossini, Dogwood, Memorial Day, Statehood Day, and Vestival (just to name a few!)

Have you ever wondered about how all these festival and holiday traditions came to be? Check out our Knoxville Holidays and Festivals book!

"A community needs a stable culture, and a sense of mutual tradition, to celebrate holidays consistently. To some extent, these stories mark Knoxville's growth and self-awareness as a permanent community - and at times, a pretty festive one. " - Jack Neely

Can be purchased here - https://knoxville-history-project.square.site/product/holidays-and-festivals/2?cs=true&cst=custom

05/29/2026

Help Fund the Completion of a Groundbreaking New Book on Historic South Knoxville and Receive Exclusive Swag!

Link to donate is in our profile

In late 2026, KHP will publish a new 200+ page, full-color, book on the history and culture of South Knoxville, the largest and perhaps least understood city sector. The book is being researched and written by Jack Neely and Paul James and designed by the award-winning team at Robin Easter Design.

Subscribe at$125 and receive a signed copy of the book with your name in the subscribers’ list in the back of the book; an exclusive Historic South Knoxville tote bag; and two historic South Knoxville 1.5” round magnets

Show your love for KHP’s work by making a higher donation: Subscribe at $250 – $1000 an you’ll receive all of the benefits of the $125 level along with a special recognition on our special Premier Subscribers page in the book!

Visit https://knoxvillehistoryproject.org/southknoxsubscriber/ to donate now! This campaign runs though August 1, 2026.

04/17/2026

04/12/2026

Today was the 115th anniversary of what’s believed to be the second successful aeronautic exhibition in Knoxville, as J.A.D. McCurdy and Lincoln Beachey put on a show of Curtiss biplanes at Cal Johnson’s racetrack near Chilhowee Park. The remarkable McCurdy was already the first British subject to fly a powered airplane, his Silver Dart, which he flew off a frozen lake in Canada; many years later, a Member of the British Empire, he became the lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia. Beachey had a more tragic fate. Also a pioneer aeronaut, Beachey was already a famous barnstormer known for his stunts; he died four years after his Knoxville show when he crashed his plane into San Francisco Bay when he was performing stunts before a crowd during the 1915 World’s Fair there. He had just turned 28, and San Francisco was his hometown.

The site of their Knoxville aerial acrobatics, then owned by formerly enslaved businessman Cal Johnson, is now the oval residential road known as Speedway Circle.

📸Aeronautical display at Cal Johnson’s Racetrack, Burlington. 1911. (Beck Cultural Exchange Center.)

03/24/2026

Help Fund the Completion of a Groundbreaking New Book on Historic South Knoxville and Receive Exclusive Swag!

In late 2026, KHP will publish a new 200+ page, full-color, book on the history and culture of South Knoxville, the largest and perhaps least understood city sector. The book is being researched and written by Jack Neely and Paul James and designed by the award-winning team at Robin Easter Design.

Subscribers of $125 will receive a signed copy of the book, your name in the subscribers’ list in the back of the book, an exclusive Historic South Knoxville tote bag, and two historic South Knoxville 1.5” round magnets

If you want to show your love for KHP’s work by making a higher donation, you’ll receive all of the benefits of the subscriber level and receive special recognition on our special Premier Subscribers page in the book.

Visit https://knoxvillehistoryproject.org/southknoxsubscriber/ to learn more and make your donation!

03/19/2026

Whether you loved him or hated him, you can't deny he had a BIG personality! Here's to a classic Cas Walker moment!

70 years ago today, a cropped version of this photo appeared in the March 19, 1956 issue of LIFE Magazine. The photo shows Cas Walker and J.S. Cooper fighting at a Knoxville City Council meeting March 1956. Years later, some eyewitnesses claimed that the photo was staged as a publicity stunt. The photograph, taken by Tom Greene, was cropped when it appeared in LIFE, and this is the unedited photo from the McClung online digital collection.

Cas Walker was elected Mayor of Knoxville in 1946, but was removed in a recall election shortly afterwards. He was elected to the Knoxville City Council in 1947 and served until 1971. Seated, l-r: James Walls, Mayor John J. Duncan.

View more historic images at the Calvin M. McClung Digital Collection.

03/08/2026

It's ! 👷‍♀️👩‍⚕️👩‍🌾👩‍🍳👩‍🎓👩‍🎤👩‍🏫👩‍💻👩‍💼👩‍🔧👩‍🔬👩‍🚒👩‍🎨👩‍✈️👩‍⚖️🦸‍♀️

Today would be the perfect day to check out "A Fair Shake" written by our partner, Laura Still. Dive into the history of the women's suffrage movement within Knoxville and read the stories of its leaders and other female progressives who achieved lasting change.

If you are interested in a more active approach, Knoxville Walking Tours has a "Misbehaving Women" Tour that tells the stories of the women, while checking out sites around downtown Knoxville. Learn more at: https://knoxvillewalkingtours.com/misbehaving-women/