Story Ideas
At a small store on Market Square, a Knoxville record merchant helped launch the most famous career in musical history. Sam Morrison of Bell Sales Company chose to promote Elvis Presley's "That's All Right, Mama" by playing it on loudspeakers to the public on the square. He was astonished to sell copies by the hundreds to people of all ages, including two copies to an RCA talent scout in the area searching for local country music talent. The scout sent a copy of the record to his boss in New York. Several months later, RCA bought Elvis' contract from Sun Studios in Memphis. Many more interesting facts about Knoxville's role in country music can be found on the Cradle of Country Music Walking Tour.
In 1901, Harvey Logan, a.k.a. Kid Curry, shot a couple of deputies and escaped out the back window of The Open Lattice on Central Avenue in Knoxville, Tenn. (now known as The Old City). Kid Curry, a member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, was a train robber and had killed 40 men. He was captured outside of town and brought back to the Knoxville Jail. Many ladies from miles around came to the jail to see the handsome outlaw. Later, he escaped and was last seen riding the sheriff's stolen horse across the Gay Street Bridge. The Old City is Knoxville's most unique and vibrant collection of restaurants, shops, nightclubs and antique stores.
The state's gubernatorial race of 1886 pitted brothers Alfred and Robert Taylor against one another in the most popular election in Tennessee history. The brothers often traveled together across the state, sharing train cars and even hotel rooms. At a boarding house where the candidates were staying, each politician received a bouquet of roses- Alf (Republican) received red roses and Bob (Democrat) received white roses. The election then became known in the media as the "War of the Roses. " Supporters for each candidate wore the appropriate color of flower. Debates in the various squares of Tennessee's cities, towns and villages featured people, horses, carriages and buildings festively decorated in the colors of the two candidates. Gentlemen were even known to dig up their wives flower gardens because the blooming plants were of the wrong color. The brothers took part in more than 50 debates in 90 days. Debates often featured dueling parades leading the contenders into the center of town, and politics often took a back seat to fiddling, storytelling and joke-telling competitions between the friendly rivals. "Fiddlin' Bob" Taylor was elected to the first of four terms as governor. His brother Alf would also find his way to the governor's chair in 1921. More information about the "War of the Roses" and other interesting events in Tennessee history can be found at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville.
The Knoxville Zoo was the first zoo in the Western Hemisphere to experience the birth of an African Elephant in captivity. Today, the zoo houses more than 800 animals from around the world in natural habitats and settings.
Knoxville has bragging rights on several firsts, such as:
- First English fort in the Southwest (Fort Loudon, 1756)
- First military draft in American history (John Sevier drafts men to stay home from the Battle of King's Mountain)
- First capitol of a Federal Territory (1791-Territory Southwest of the River Ohio)
- First Territorial Legislature in America (1794)
- First non-sectarian institution of higher learning (Blount College, now the University of Tennessee, chartered in 1794)
- First capital of the State of Tennessee (1796-1811)
- First radio station in Tennessee (WNAV, now WNOX-AM, 1921)
- First government-owned electrical system (Tennessee Valley Authority, 1933)
Speaking of firsts, Tennessee was the first state created from a Federal Territory (1796) and the first state readmitted to the Union after the Civil War (1866).
Tennessee got its nickname "The Volunteer State" because it was the first to fill its quota of soldier volunteers during the War of 1812. The title was reinforced during the Mexican War when Congress asked for a contingent of 2,800 men and 30,000 showed up.
Want to see a black bear in its natural habitat, without hiking into the backcountry? The Knoxville Zoo's exhibit, Black Bear Falls, has been recreated from an actual setting in the Smoky Mountains and brings visitors as close as they should get to a black bear. A 40-foot-long tunnel designed as a huge hollow log provides an up close and personal experience with the black bears. It also features four waterfalls each with more than a 20-foot drop and water misters to create a fog-like haze.
Visit the only hall of fame in the country dedicated solely to women's basketball. The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame pays homage to the great women of the past, present and future in this one-of-a-kind, interactive hall. You can't miss the hall of fame- just look for a 30-foot wide, 20,000-pound basketball (with 96,000 pebbles) atop a hill overlooking the Tennessee River.
Volunteer Landing, a waterfront development located in downtown Knoxville along the Tennessee River, contains more than just restaurants and parking for UT football fans who come to the game by boat. It is home to several historical markers and attractions, including James White's Fort and Blount Mansion. Visitors can also take a train ride through some of Knoxville's first settlements aboard the Three Rivers Rambler, or cruise down the Tennessee River onboard the Star of Knoxville riverboat.
The 13-foot bronze statue of Alex Haley is thought to be the largest bronze statue of an African American in the country. Located in Haley Heritage Square inside Morningside Park, the statue of the Pulitzer-prizing winning author of "Roots" proudly faces the Smoky Mountains Haley loved so much.
Caledonia Johnson was born in Knoxville in 1844, a slave of the McClung family. After gaining freedom, he fought racism to establish himself as an honest, hard-working man, and became Knoxville's first millionaire. Learn more about African American history and culture at Beck Cultural Exchange Center. The center is dedicated to researching, collecting, preserving and exhibiting African American achievements and heritage in East Tennessee.
Every Labor Day Knoxville residents are treated to the largest fireworks display in the Southeast- Boomsday!
The Sunsphere, a golden glass ball in downtown Knoxville, was built as the signature structure for the 1982 World's Fair. It is 266 feet tall and has 26 stories. The actual ball itself houses only five levels. The 1982 World's Fair drew 11 million visitors to Knoxville and was the first World's Fair to be held in the Southeast. The Sunsphere is currently closed but is expected to re-open in the future.
Knoxville is home to more than 20 museums and seven historical houses.
The music scene in Knoxville continues to grow and diversify. The Old City and Market Square host several music festivals and free concerts throughout the year- everything from rock to reggae, bluegrass to blues, jazz to just good old country.
For more Knoxville story ideas or additional information on the ideas mentioned, call Erin Burns Freeman at 865-523-7263 or email ebfreeman@knoxville.org.
