Posts by Jack Neely

Jack Neely

Jack is the Executive Director of the Knoxville History Project, an educational nonprofit whose mission is to research and promote the history of Knoxville. He is a journalist who has been writing about his hometown’s character and heritage for many years. He has written several books about Knoxville and its history, and they can be purchased in various places throughout the city including Union Avenue Books and the Visit Knoxville Gift Shop.

Birthplace of Tennessee?

February 02, 2021 by Jack Neely

How often do you think of Knoxville as the “Birthplace of Tennessee”? Whether you’ve heard that, or not, it’s one of our city’s distinctions. Many…

Happy Bootleggers' Day!

January 14, 2021 by Jack Neely

Kingston Pike Postcard | Courtesy Knoxville History Project Sunday, January 17, is National Bootleggers' Day, believe it or not. Knoxville…

Dempster Dumpster (Fire)

December 31, 2020 by Jack Neely

In some circles, the year 2020 has been called a “dumpster fire”. Defined as a metaphor for chaotically bad situations or laughably poor performance…

Christmas in the 1920s

December 22, 2020 by Jack Neely

What was Christmas like 100 years ago? Many things in Knoxville were different. There was no TV, no Internet, and for most of the decade, no movies…

What’s Cherokee about Cherokee Boulevard?

November 05, 2020 by Jack Neely

November is National Native American Heritage Month, and visitors often ask about Native American culture and history in Knoxville and the surrounding…

The Twenties Revisited, Part 2: Architecture

September 24, 2020 by Jack Neely

It’s the ‘20s again, whether we’re ready for it or not, but the old ‘20s haven’t given up on us altogether. Some museums are closed, but parts of…

Knoxville's Tourist Attractions in the Jazz Age

August 06, 2020 by Jack Neely

Norris Dam Postcard | courtesy Knoxville History Project/Sam Furrow Knoxville Postcard Collection Collection Imagine you're a tourist in…

Jazz Musicians in Knoxville in the 1920s

Knoxville in the Jazz Age

July 14, 2020 by Jack Neely

A lot of us grew up hearing about "the '20s"--and even young people today have some concept of the idea. It's the '20s again, whether we're ready for…