Stories

Researched narratives from Knoxville’s past
Searching for Institutions in the Ever-Changing Old City
February 24, 2016
I was recently startled by a story I’d read before. It appeared in The New York Times in February 1999, 17 years ago this month. It was called “Notorious and Proud of It.”...
Not an Ounce Wasted: A Tale of Two Thrifty Gunfighters
February 17, 2016
You can’t be too careful. In Knoxville of 1908, you needed to defend yourself and your property. That was the thinking of Monroe M. Stallings, who ran a double-front general...
Valentine’s Day in Knoxville
February 11, 2016
Knoxville has celebrated Feb. 14 for generations, but not always with nice things. Its origin with the beheading of a Christian martyr is mysterious, and may have something...
When We Were Modern: The Knoxville Seven, and the Store of Tomorrow
February 10, 2016
If you’re curious, after a while you’re likely to run across something about a group of defiantly modern artists called the Knoxville Seven. You might see a surprising...
Happy Birthday, Tennessee
February 4, 2016
Feb. 6, 1796 was once considered Tennessee’s birthdate. It was the final day of the Constitutional Convention, a month-long meeting in downtown Knoxville. At that convention,...
The Birthplace of Tennessee: A Missing Plaque, and a Mystery
February 3, 2016
We have what I think should be a big anniversary coming up this weekend. The Great Seal of the State of Tennessee has always included 1796, the year of the state’s birth....
On Snow Days and Rock ‘n’ Roll Reminiscences
January 27, 2016
Last week, I was stuck in World’s Fair Park with no legally advisable way to get out. Downtown construction and infrastructure repair is wreaking havoc on my parallel-parking...
The Frank H. McClung Museum’s History of Surprises
January 25, 2016
The University of Tennessee’s scholarly Frank H. McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture is an amenity like none other in the region. Long known for its permanent...
A Personal History of Knoxville’s Civic Coliseum
January 20, 2016
The Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum dilemma illustrates a challenge to preservation practice and theory. The value of historic preservation is easier to prove with...


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