The Dwight Kessel Garages Takes a Step Back into History
Knoxville, TN - Visit Knoxville has partnered with the RiverHill Gateway Neighborhood Association and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to install two banners on the Dwight Kessel Garage, located at 900 State Street. One banner features images of the musicians listed on the Cradle of Country Music Walking Tour. The other is an image of Knoxville’s Chisholm Tavern, an inn once located near the site of the garage.
“When the RiverHill Gateway Neighborhood Association came to us with their thoughts on creating something eye-catching on the Dwight Kessel Garage we were very pleased. We helped install the banners to rave reviews on the Walnut Street Garage,” explains Kim Bumpas President, Visit Knoxville. “Using these buildings as art like canvases helps Knoxville tell a better story and we can all learn a little.”
“We are delighted to see that more and more of our outdoor surfaces are being utilized to show off the work of our wonderful artist community and, in this case, to share Knoxville's fascinating and unique history” states Liza Zenni, Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville.
Knoxville has been among America’s more dynamically musical cities - remarkable for its part in the development in jazz, blues and rock and roll but critical in the development of what we now call country music. The Cradle of Country Music Walking Tour explains Knoxville’s ties to Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Howard Armstrong, Dolly Parton, the Everly Brothers, Roy Acuff, and others.
Chisholm’s Tavern was the name of a tavern (more defined as an Inn) in the 1790s. The tavern was established by John Chisholm, an early settler important to the development of Knoxville. Chisholm was one of the few settlers who was actually Scottish-born and a key operative in the Blount Plot of 1797. Knoxville was home to at least seven taverns, or hotels, in the 1790s.
The committee that reviewed the images consisted of representatives of the Neighborhood Association, Knox Heritage, Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville. Many of the photographs featured are among more than 23,000 items preserved and made accessible through the McClung Historical Collection's Digital Collection.
About Visit Knoxville
Visit Knoxville (Knoxville Convention and Visitors Bureau) is the official CVB for the City of Knoxville and Knox County. Visit Knoxville is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, private company that works together with the community, business leaders and local and state government to further develop Knoxville as a premier leisure, meetings and travel destination.
