The Knoxville History Project

10/08/2026

⛰️ East Tennessee played a bigger role in the American Revolution than you might think!

In October 1780, a group of frontier settlers crossed the mountains from East Tennessee, heading into the Carolina backcountry to take on British forces at the Battle of Kings Mountain.

The journey started at Sycamore Shoals, where men led by John Sevier and Isaac Shelby gathered before making the trek across the mountains. What happened next would become a major turning point in the Revolution’s Southern Campaign.

Their victory at Kings Mountain helped shift the momentum of the war—and put East Tennessee right in the middle of an important chapter in American history.

Want to learn more about the people, places, and events behind the story? Check out our latest blog post. Link in the comments!

09/27/2026

Don't forget that noon tomorrow is the deadline to purchase tickets for our upcoming America 250 Symposium: The Road to Knoxville. Tickets include a full day of lectures, coffee and pastries (brought to you by Historic House Museums of Knoxville), access to the East Tennessee History Museum, Lunch, and a free booklet commemorating The Road to Knoxville.

For a full line-up of our speakers visit: https://knoxvillehistoryproject.org/america250/

To purchase you tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1999031271345?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/25/2026

Happy Historic Birthday to Jim Thompson (1880-1976)!🎂🎉

Thompson’s name stands alone in the history of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Although there were other talented photographers, no-one else’s images of the Smokies have endured as much as Jim Thompson’s.

Jim took up photography at an early age, although initially he was a draftsman by trade. A spell with a manufacturing optician enhanced his technical skills, and coupled with a creative eye and an abundance of patience, Jim developed into a gifted photographer. These skills served him well on many Smoky Mountain expeditions, which over time yielded an unprecedented collection of images taken throughout the region.

​Most importantly, Thompson played the role of official photographer for the Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Association in 1924; his impressive photographs inspired the site committee responsible for determining a location for a new national park in the southeast. Upon seeing Jim’s stunning photographs, the committee agreed to visit the region.

Jim’s photographs have inspired millions of people over the years. Along with his brother, Robin, Jim extensively documented the visual history of Knoxville, and subsequently left a timeless legacy through the donation of extensive photographs to the McClung Historical Collection, part of the Knox County Public Library.

You can read more about Jim on the KHP website:

​James Edward Thompson (1880-1976) ​When it comes to Knoxville photographers, James E. (Jim) Thompson was one of the most famous and most prolific – the quantity a quality of photographs that he captured on film of places and events around […]

09/23/2026

Doing research, anxious to learn more about Knoxville, studying for a Knoxville trivia night? Check out our portal page to learn all things Knoxville! We are continuously working and adding to the pages, so let us know if you are looking for something that you don't see!

https://knoxvillehistoryproject.org/portal

09/20/2026

- This aerial postcard of downtown Knoxville taken by Thompson Brothers is dated 1919. That firm was established by prolific photographer Jim Thomson in 1902, whose majestic prints of the Smokies helped the area be selected to become a new national park in the 1920s. However, aerial images such as these though would have been taken by his brother, Robin Thompson, who joined the business after World War I. Robin had trained at the United States School of Aerial Photography at Rochester, New York. Notably missing to modern eyes is the Henley Bridge, which wasn’t completed until 1932, and built to connect Knoxville with a new highway (later named Chapman Highway) that would take locals and tourists to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (Shared by Alec Riedl.)

09/17/2026

New Knoxville Chronicles Podcast Episode!

The Tennessee Valley Fair: A longstanding tradition at historic Chilhowee Park

The annual Tennessee Valley Fair continues its legacy as a favorite for many on the fall calendar. The spot where it all takes place, Chilhowee Park, looms large in the fair’s past. Once known as Beaman Lake, the park served as a destination in the late 1800s for Knoxvillians looking to escape the dirty, grimy city. Hackney carriages, and later streetcars, quickly became a popular way to get there. The park soon became a natural spot to accommodate a regional fair. After hosting a couple of fall festivals, the East Tennessee Division Fair opened in 1916. Three years later, the new fair began to attract newspaper headlines such as “The Most Gigantic Exhibition and Celebration ever held in the Entire Southeast,” and a “Good Old Fashioned Fair.” We’ll delve into a few of the fair’s stories over the past century on this episode is written by Jack Neely and Paul James and read by Bonnie Kourvelas.

Funding for this episode has been kindly provided by the City of Knoxville and Friends of the Knoxville History Project, plus Gary Balltrip and Christopher Manning, who made donations on National Giving Day 2025 to support Season IV all year long.

Search for Knoxville Chronicles on your preferred podcast app or listen on hosting platform Buzzsprout here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2119094

09/10/2026

Had a great time at the Kern's Bakery movie night! We premiered a new "Scruffy Explores" booklet with fun facts, puzzles, and a scavenger hunt about the history of Kern's Bakery. If you have little ones in your life, be sure to download one next time you go to hang out there! https://knoxvillehistoryproject.org/scruffy-explore-kerns-bakery/

09/01/2026

KHP's for September is "Knoxville Blues"!

In its own low-key way, Knoxville has been surprising the musical world for generations. As early as the 1880's Knoxville was holding an annual springtime music festival. First to celebrate classical music and opera, but after a few years, some impromptu fiddlers joined in the festivities. We were the home to one of the first female symphony founders, when Bertha Walburn Clark formed the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. A major national record company set up a make-shift studio to record a variety of blues, country, jazz, gospel, and folk tunes, which were ultimately forgotten. In 2016 they were found a released. We are the home to Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, and Stick McGhee. And while she may have travelled down from Sevierville, it was a radio station here in Knoxville that trumpeted the voice of a young Dolly Parton. In recent years, we have been home to one of the largest music festivals in the Southeast.

Knoxville Blues tells the stories of some of the musicians, festivals, and musical events that originated here in Knoxville.

Available for $10.95 (+shipping) at https://knoxville-history-project.square.site/product/knoxville-blues/102?cs=true&cst=custom

08/30/2026

Happy Historic Birthday to Albert B. Baumann, Sr. (1861-1942)! 🎂🎉

Baumann was a leading Knoxville architect of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Son of German immigrants—his father had a shipbuilder in Savannah—he learned architecture working as a draftsman for his much-older brother Joseph Baumann, arguably Knoxville’s first full-time architect, and the two worked together for many years as Baumann Brothers, creating several Victorian homes (Westwood is one) and landmark buildings, including the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.

Baumann had an unusual challenge in 1916, to redesign a grand house his brother had designed early in his career: hence the McGhee house on Locust Street became the Masonic Temple. Baumann himself was a member of that fraternity.

After his brother’s death, Baumann formed a new partnership with his own son, A.B. Baumann, Jr., working for some years as Baumann & Baumann, who were responsible for many of the enduring works of architecture in downtown Knoxville today, including the Andrew Johnson Hotel building and the much-admired marble-clad Main Street post office.

📸 - Albert B. Baumann as he appeared in Men of Affairs: Knoxville, 1917. (KHP.)

08/27/2026

We are always happy to help share all the stories of Knoxville!

Honored to have had the wonderful historian Jack Neely contribute the foreword to 12 Years of the Knoxville Asian Festival. When Kumi Alderman first introduced us less than a year ago, little did I know how instrumental him and Paul’s words of wisdom at the KHP would shape how I (Arthur) would write my first non-fiction book. 📚✨

This book represents an important milestone in American history—documenting the people, traditions, stories, and celebrations that have helped shape the cultural landscape of East Tennessee. 🇺🇸🌏

Part history, part educational resource, and fully colorful, the book was thoughtfully designed to reflect the beauty, diversity, and richness of Asia’s many cultures and ethnicities. 🌸🏮🎎

Having Jack’s historical perspective help frame this story makes this project even more meaningful. We are proud to preserve these memories and celebrate the vibrant Asian American community that has become such an important part of Knoxville and East Tennessee’s history.