East Tennessee History Center
While in Knoxville, Tennessee on Thursday March 22nd, Dr. Weichelt’s Geography 368 class had the opportunity to tour the East Tennessee History Center. The History Center is located in downtown Knoxville, 601 South Gray Street, and is near other various historical attractions including Blount Mansion and James White’s Fort. As we discovered, Eastern Tennessee possesses a very rich history and is distinctive from the rest of the state in many ways, the differences can be seen both geographically and historically. As we traveled northeast through Tennessee we observed changes in the topography and the landscape in general, Knoxville is situated at the base of the Smokey Mountains which are recognized for playing a significant role in the history of Tennessee and the United States as a whole. East Tennessee in known for having a mountainous landscape while middle Tennessee is made up of rolling hills and west Tennessee possesses a much flatter landscape/plains. The contrasting landscape is not only physical but also political. There is a notable political divide between Eastern Tennessee and the rest of the state which could be seen during the Civil War when many East Tennessee citizens claimed allegiance to the Union and the rest of the state declared Confederate (see figure 1 below).
The reason for this contrast in political views can be traced back to the settlement of Tennessee, while East Tennessee was settled by Pennsylvanians, Middle and West Tennessee was settled by South Carolinian's and Georgians. Geography also plays a role when examining these distinct differences between East Tennessee and the rest of the state (see Figure 2 below).
At the East Tennessee History Center visitors are able to come in and explore the various changing award-winning exhibits that are useful to learn about the people, places, and events that have shaped this region’s unique history. East Tennessee is known for many things: the birthplace of country music, the TVA, The Smokey Mountains, women’s suffrage, the first gateway to the west, the first frontier, anti-slavery, and much more, all of which can be examined at the East Tennessee History Center. The “Voices of the Land” was the most extensive exhibit on display at the History Center which walked visitors through the history of East Tennessee and identified the diverse groups of people that helped shape the landscape and history of the region. As visitors walk through, they are able to observe more than three hundred years of history and life in Eastern Tennessee. The “Voices of the Land” is their permanent “award-winning signature exhibit”, the “Quick Guide” for this exhibit can be seen below, Figure 3.
While walking through this exhibit guests are likely to see one of the East Tennessee History Center’s most prized possession, Davy Crockett’s first rifle (seen below, Figures 4&5).
Another popular exhibit is the “East Tennessee Streetscape” which is made up of a corner drug store and “Island Home-bound Streetcar No. 416”. The East Tennessee History Center is open seven days a week, Monday-Friday 9am to 4pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm, and Sunday 1pm to 5pm with free admission, admission for adults is just five dollars, four dollars for seniors, and children under sixteen receive free admission.