Have you ever noticed how quiet it is around Gay Street and Main Street in the evening? During the day, it’s reasonably lively with lawyers, bankers, government employees milling about. It will be even more so in the coming years […]
Ghost Walking Articles
Ghost Walking the Christmas Streets of Knoxville: The Inaugural Knoxville Santa Claus Parade
December 1, 2025
“Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus Lane, Vixen and Blitzen and all his reindeers pulling on the reins, Bells are ringing, children singing, all is merry and bright, So hang your stockings and say […]
Just beyond the edge of the town’s original 64 lots laid out in 1791, the intersection of Gay Street and Clinch Avenue has long been a bustling place in downtown Knoxville. Today, thousands of people walk or drive through here […]
It’s interesting how the use of a certain spot on a street basically stays the same for decades, if not more than a century. The site of a courthouse typically indicates a long tenure, but how about hotels? Hyatt Place, […]
The steps of the Dr. John Mason Boyd memorial arch at the corner of Gay Street and Main Street offer a fine perch to ponder bygone times in this old section of downtown. Anyone who has more than just glanced […]
Ghost Walking the Streets of Knoxville: Early Movie Theaters
August 12, 2025
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 […]
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 […]
Ghost Walking Around the Lamar House
June 10, 2025
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 […]
EDITOR
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...
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123 S. Gay Street Ste. C
Knoxville, TN 37902JACK NEELY
jack@knoxhistoryproject.org
(865) 337-7723PAUL JAMES
Development Director
paul@knoxhistoryproject.org
(865) 300-4559NICOLE STAHL
Administrative Coordinator
nicolestahl@knoxhistoryproject.org
(865) 360-8053©2025 Knoxville History Project
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