Blog Archives

PART ONE When they hear we’re working on a book about Bearden, some wags picture its strip malls, and have some fun with the idea that Bearden can have anything to dignify with the word “history.” They may not grasp […]

  For decades I’d heard rumors and fond and unbelievable memories of Gordon’s Town House. It opened at the corner of Cumberland and 17th Street in the 1950s. It had a big dining room with a dance floor, like those […]

In late October, 1935, well after midnight, a mysterious man was running across old East Church Avenue near Mulvaney Street carrying a dead chicken. A college boy, driving his car back to campus after a night on the town, collided […]

Jack recently helped local writer, Chelsey Mae Johnson, research the history of the steamed sandwich here in Knoxville. Click on the link below for the full story! Steamed Sandwich Odyssey: They Like That Soft Bread  

Garth Brooks’ giant concert at Neyland Stadium on the 16th promises to be one of the largest concerts in Knoxville history. He’s one of the most popular country-music performers in America, playing at one of the largest stadiums in America. If you’d […]

By Jack Neely – October 2019 Some holidays haven’t changed much. Beginning in the 1790s, Fourth of July was always noisy, public, and hot. Easter was always centered around church. Thanksgiving has always involved a family meal. Christmas has changed […]

By Jack Neely – September 2019   Perhaps like you, I watched the Ken Burns series about Country Music with both interest and trepidation. As many of us observed almost 30 years ago, Burns told the story of the Civil […]

By Jack Neely – July 2019 Some dramatic days you might almost wish there was some kind of monument to the weather, to the meteorological moments worth remembering. There is, in fact. It’s the elegant old weather kiosk, restored in […]