KNOXVILLE CHRONICLES

Welcome to Knoxville Chronicles, a podcast series produced by the Knoxville History Project highlighting some of the most interesting of the city’s old stories that still have relevance today.

SEASON TWO

Sound design and editing by Pete Carty. Theme song composed by Mike Stallings.

To access all our episodes, search for “Knoxville Chronicles” on your preferred podcast app or click here to find them on Rephonic.

The Night the FBI Collared a Nazi Spy

The man everyone knew as Walter Othmer, worked quietly as an electrician on Market Street near the Pryor Brown Garage. In 1944, he lived at the downtown YMCA, which offered simple, dormitory-like accommodations for guys who were new to town. He may have seemed like a regular guy –he was a thin man with wire-rimmed glasses and a very small mustache. A humble, friendly fellow who missed his wife and kid who lived back in Germany. But Walter Othmer wasn’t just another guy – he was a Nazi spy and the FBI were about to nab him. Read by Todd Ethridge. Length: 9:16 mins.

THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS:

This season is funded in part by federal award number 21.027 awarded to the City of Knoxville by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Arts & Culture Alliance.

SEASON ONE

The Saturnalia of 1893

Three days before Christmas in 1893, Whittle’s sawmill by the river exploded and the disaster proved to be a portent of trouble ahead on the streets of Knoxville. While for some, Christmas was a quiet, family affair, with gifts and Christmas trees, for others it was a time for looking for some fun or for some trouble. The ensuing mayhem meant that it was a Christmas period like no other. Jack Neely chronicles the balmy twists and turns of the Christmas season that year when madness and mayhem prevailed.

Read by Todd Ethridge. Length: 11:39 mins.

A Dickens of a Knoxville Christmas

Written by Jack Neely, this short account looks back on how Knoxville’s Christmas traditions were influenced by one of the most popular authors of all time, Charles Dickens, and his most beloved story, A Christmas Carol first published in England in 1843.

Read by Todd Ethridge. Length: 7:26 mins.

Knoxville’s Thanksgiving Traditions

Written by Jack Neely, this short podcast looks back on how national and local events influenced the celebration of Thanksgiving in Knoxville, connecting seemingly disparate events such as the Siege of Knoxville during the Civil War, prohibitionist Carrie Nation’s visit in 1906, and later, even UT football.

Read by Todd Ethridge. Length: 6:22 mins.

In Walked Mr. Ghost

Originally written by Jack Neely for the Knoxville Mercury, this short story focuses on the ghostly happenings at an old double-house, actually two small antebellum houses linked by a vestibule, at 309 East Cumberland Avenue, on the eastern fringe of downtown. The house was torn down at the onset of Urban Renewal in 1959, but part of its story remains.

Read by Rebecca Longmire. Length: 8:39 mins.

The Printer’s Devil

The pilot episode, The Printer’s Devil, written and narrated by Jack Neely, tells the story of Adolph Ochs, a kid who was scared of a graveyard while he learned the ropes of of newspaper publishing here in Knoxville as a Printer’s Devil. The lad went on to become the founder of a major American institution, a cultural leader who changed a whole profession, established a landmark, and introduced a new way of celebrating a holiday. The story connects Knoxville in post-Civil War Tennessee to booming, electric New York in the 20th century. An extended written account of this story can be found on our Stories page. Length: 18.38 mins.

Special thanks to Pete Carty

for producing the Knoxville Chronicles podcast series.

Individual Podcasts

A Knoxville Tamale Tale with Jack Neely and Amy Campbell, Tennessee Farm Table

The Life of Bob Booker Historian: Growing up in the “Bottom,” Civil Rights Era, and more

Knoxville’s Red Summer of 1919 with Jack Neely

Knoxville History Project on the Flipside? With Jack Neely and Paul James

Did Knoxville Run Off Country Music? with Jack Neely and Bradley Reeves

Dialogue: Country Music’s History in Knoxville ad East Tennessee with Jack Neely and Ernie Freeberg

Cas Walker Stories with Ernie Freeberg (KHP Board Member)

Walk With Me: Poetry and Place:

Special thanks to the Aslan Foundation for programmatic support.