Haunted Knoxville is proud to present a meticulously researched history of Knoxville, TN.
Preserving history is crucial as it helps us understand our origins more clearly. This remarkable city has a rich past shaped by resilience and determination, as well as violence, danger, and, at times, corruption.
Investigating Knoxville has been a rewarding experience. Its history stretches back to the time of pioneers, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, mobsters, gunslingers, racial tensions, and more. Our research took significant time and, at times, created tension between us and local historians downtown. These historians often refer to the history narrated by our East Tennessee History Center.
If you’re visiting from out of town and want to learn about Knoxville's Civil War history, would you be upset to discover that there was once a Confederate jail in Knoxville? Why isn’t it mentioned? This jail was highly significant, with connections to Abraham Lincoln, who intervened to save some of the famed "Bridge Burners" from execution (though, unfortunately, not in time to save a few who had already been hanged).
The involvement of the notable Knoxvillian, William Gannaway "Parson" Brownlow, was crucial in saving these remaining Unionists. Would it upset you to find out that this site has been obscured? The original Historic Marker conveniently a few blocks away from the jail’s actual location, was removed a few years back without notice. (No information available)
This is precisely why we have dedicated hundreds of hours to researching newspapers, microfilms, and books, comparing and contrasting different accounts of history rather than simply repeating the mainstream narrative.
Can you speculate on why we decided to initiate our own history preservation project? Could it be that we fear if this history is buried it may be erased forever? And, lost for the future generations.
It has been an absolute pleasure being Knoxville’s Investigative Historian for the past 16 years.
Sincerely,
