We’ve lost another of a generation of groundbreaking stalwarts of Knoxville history in the passing of author and teacher Fred Moffatt. He was a historian who went his own way, and brought light to some stories we might not have […]
Just like we do today, Knoxvillians have long come downtown looking for some entertainment. For many years, Staub’s Opera House (later known as Staub’s Theatre and the Lyric) served as the city’s most dependable live-performance venue. But in the early […]
Alfred E. Anderson’s unique career in civil rights was versatile, inspiring, and ultimately tragic. This is an incomplete story. Like many Black men of his era, there’s much about Alfred Anderson we don’t know, like where he came from or […]
When you browse the online Calvin M. McClung Digital Collection, you might see what look like the exact same historical photographs placed side by side. These are stereograph images, which were produced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries […]
Knoxville’s odd roles in the Trial of the Century The infamous Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tenn., took place one century ago this month. Its centennial is getting international attention. We don’t think of it as a Knoxville story—but […]
Launched in 2017 by the Knoxville History Project, Downtown Art Wraps is an art and history initiative that aims to inspire an appreciation of the city’s rich artistic heritage. Eight years later, this ever-changing public art exhibition now features 40 […]
Most towns and cities have statues and memorials of all kinds, but for me it’s the unique ones that not only inform the feel of a place, but also convey some local history. The most Knoxville-centric downtown statue is the […]
Mountain Dew’s evolution as a concept Even if you’ve never dared to try it, you know what Mountain Dew is. Its sci-fi nuclear-green color and barely legal caffeine content give it a reputation as one of the more extreme soft […]
Down on the 800 block of Gay Street it’s generally a lot quieter than a couple of blocks farther north. With the quiet end of a federal building on one side, and a towering office tower (still the tallest building […]
Jack Neely is executive director of the Knoxville History Project. He has become one of Knoxville’s most popular writers and its unofficial historian. Jack is well known for his thoughtful, well-researched, and provocative pieces of long-form journalism, not to mention his books, speeches, and other public appearances...
123 S. Gay Street Ste. C
Knoxville, TN 37902
JACK NEELY
jack@knoxhistoryproject.org
(865) 337-7723
PAUL JAMES
Development Director
paul@knoxhistoryproject.org
(865) 300-4559
NICOLE STAHL
Administrative Coordinator
nicolestahl@knoxhistoryproject.org
(865) 360-8053
©2025 Knoxville History Project
Site by: Robin Easter Design
