Timeline of Knoxville, Tennessee

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee, USA.

Prior to 19th century[]

1786 – White's Fort built.^[1]
1791
- Knoxville founded as the capital of the Southwest Territory, named for Henry Knox^[2]
- Knoxville Gazette newspaper begins publication.^[3]
1792 – Blount Mansion built.^[4]
1793 – First Presbyterian Church established.^[4]
1794 – Blount College (later the University of Tennessee) established.^[4]
1796 – Knoxville becomes capital of new U.S. state of Tennessee.^[4]

19th century[]

1806 – Hampden and Sydney School incorporated.^[5]
1815 – City of Knoxville incorporated.^[6]
1816 – Thomas Emmerson becomes mayor.
1817 – Knoxville Hotel in business.
1818 – Craighead-Jackson House (residence) built.
1827 – Knoxville Female Academy established.^[5]
1828 – The Atlas becomes the first steamboat to reach Knoxville, having successfully navigated the lower Tennessee River
1834 – East Tennessee Historical and Antiquarian Society founded.
1844 – Tennessee Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb established.^[7]
1845 – Warner Tabernacle AME Zion Church congregation established.
1849 – Brownlow's Whig newspaper relocates to Knoxville.
1850
- Old Gray Cemetery established.
- Population: 2,076.^[4]
- First Baptist Church built.
1854
- James C. Luttrell becomes mayor.
- Market Square established
1855
- East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad begins operating.^[4]
- William Graham Swan becomes mayor.
1863
- Siege of Knoxville.
- Battle of Fort Sanders.
- Knoxville National Cemetery established.^[4]
1864 – E.J. Sanford and Company in business.^[8]
1868 – City Hall built on Market Square.
1869 – Knoxville Industrial Association founded.^[8]
1870
- Ebenezer Mill built (approximate date).
- Population: 8,682.
1871 – Cowan, McClung and Co. building constructed.
1872 – Staub's Theatre opens.^[4]
1873 – William Rule becomes mayor.^[9]
1874
- Customs House built.
- Peter Staub becomes mayor.^[9]
1875 – Knoxville College founded.^[4]
1885
- Knoxville Fire Department and Lawson McGhee Library^[4] established.
- Knox County Courthouse built.^[4]
1886 – Sentinel newspaper (later the Knoxville News Sentinel) begins publication.^[10]
1887
- Knoxville Negro World newspaper begins publication.^[3]
- Chamber of Commerce established.^[8]
1888
- Sterchi Brothers Furniture Company in business.
- Martin Condon becomes mayor.^[9]
1890
- Peter Kern becomes mayor.^[9]
- Population: 22,535.
- Electric streetcar begins operating.^[6]
1891 – H. T. Hackney Company in business.
1892 – St. John's Cathedral rebuilt.
1896 - Flag of Knoxville, Tennessee is designed
1897
- "Million Dollar Fire" destroys part of Gay Street.^[6]
- Market House rebuilt on Market Square.^[4]
- North Knoxville (modern Old North Knoxville) becomes part of city
1898
- West Knoxville (modern Fort Sanders) becomes part of city.
- Gay Street Bridge constructed.

20th century[]

1905
- Knoxville Railway and Light Company established.^[11]
- L&N Station (Knoxville) built.
1909 – Knoxville City Beautiful League organized.^[12]
1910
- First Appalachian Exposition held.
- Population: 36,346.
1911 – Second Appalachian Exposition held.
1912 – The city replaces its mayor-alderman form of government with a commission.
1913 – National Conservation Exposition held.
1914 – Candoro Marble Works in operation.
1917
- Park City becomes part of the city.
- South Knoxville becomes part of the city.
1919
- Riot of 1919 takes place.
- October: Streetcar strike.^[13]
1920 – Population: 77,818.^[14]
1921 – WNAV radio begins broadcasting.^[6]^[15]
1923 – The city replaces its commission with a city manager-council form of government; Louis Brownlow hired as first city manager
1925 – City government moves to City Hall on Summit Hill Drive.^[16]
1926
- Knoxville News Sentinel in publication.
- Lincoln Park United Methodist Church built.
1927
- WROL radio begins broadcasting.^[15]
- Daylight Building constructed.
1928
- Tennessee Theatre opens.
- James Alexander Fowler becomes mayor.
1930
- Andrew Johnson Building constructed.
- Population: 105,802.^[14]
1931 – Henley Street Bridge constructed.
1932 – Church Street Methodist Episcopal Church built.^[4]
1933 – Tennessee Valley Authority headquartered in Knoxville.^[6]
1934 – United States Post Office and Courthouse built.
1938 – Park Theatre opens.^[17]
1940 – Population: 111,580.^[14]
1942 – Town of Oak Ridge developed near Knoxville.^[8]
1943 – Oak Ridge National Laboratory established near Knoxville.
1946
- Cas Walker becomes mayor.
- Journalist John Gunther dubs Knoxville the "ugliest city" in America, sparking beautification efforts
1947 – Office of City Manager merged with Mayor's office
1950 – Population: 124,769.^[14]
1951 - Municipal Zoo established.^[18]
1952 – George Roby Dempster becomes mayor.^[9]
1953 - WATE-TV and WTVK (television) begin broadcasting.^[19]
1955 - WBIR-TV (television) begins broadcasting.^[19]
1959 – John Duncan, Sr. becomes mayor.
1960
- Protest by African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement.^[20]
- Population: 111,827.
1962
- Fountain City and Bearden become part of the city.
- Highlander Research and Education Center relocates to Knoxville from Monteagle.^[21]
1970 – Population: 174,587.^[14]
1972 – Kyle Testerman becomes mayor.^[9]
1974 – Streaking occurs.^[6]
1976 – Randy Tyree becomes mayor.
1980 – Population: 175,045.^[14]
1981 – Knoxville Community Food Cooperative organized.^[22]
1982 – 1982 World's Fair held;^[11] Sunsphere built.
1983
- Knoxville Opera Company active.
- Halls Cinema in business.^[17]
1984 – Doyle Park established.^[23]
1985 – Riverview Tower built.
1987 – Victor Ashe becomes mayor.
1988
- WCKS radio begins broadcasting.
- Jimmy Duncan Jr. becomes U.S. representative for Tennessee's 2nd congressional district.^[24]^[25]
1990 – Population: 165,121.
1991 – City bicentennial.^[6]
1992 – Petro's Chili & Chips franchise headquartered in Knoxville.
1994 – Home & Garden Television headquartered in Knoxville.
1995 - City website online.^[26]^[27]
1996
- Knoxville-Oak Ridge Regional Network online.^[28]
- Adair Park built.^[23]
1998 - Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership organized.^[8]

21st century[]

2003 – Bill Haslam becomes mayor.
2005
- Knoxville Marathon begins.
- Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound^[29] and Three Rivers Market food co-op^[22] established.
2010 – Population: 178,874.^[30]
2011 – Daniel Brown becomes mayor, succeeded by Madeline Rogero.^[9]

References[]

^ Faulkner 2000.
^ Bruce Wheeler. "Knoxville". Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Federal Writers' Project 1939.
^ ^a ^b White 1924.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Fun Facts About Knoxville". City of Knoxville. Archived from the original on October 1, 2004. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^ Chas. A. Miller, ed. (1890), Official and Political Manual of the State of Tennessee, Nashville
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Wheeler 2005.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Mayors". City of Knoxville. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^ "Tennessee", Rowell's American Newspaper Directory, New York: Printer's Ink, 1909
^ ^a ^b University Libraries. "(Knoxville)". Special Collections Online. University of Tennessee. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^ American Federation of Arts 1910.
^ Burran 1979.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, U.S. Census Bureau, 1998
^ ^a ^b Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States: Tennessee", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC 2459636
^ McNabb 1972.
^ ^a ^b "Movie Theaters in Knoxville, TN". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^ [1]
^ ^a ^b Charles A. Alicoate, ed. (1960), "Television Stations: Tennessee", Radio Annual and Television Year Book, New York: Radio Daily Corp., OCLC 10512206
^ Zagumny 2001.
^ Robert E. Weir; James P. Hanlan, eds. (2004). Historical Encyclopedia of American Labor. Greenwood. ISBN 9781849724906.
^ ^a ^b "NCGA Co-ops: Tennessee". Iowa: National Cooperative Grocers Association. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Parks". City of Knoxville. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^ "Tennessee". Official Congressional Directory. 1989. hdl:2027/mdp.39015024653415.
^ Civic Impulse, LLC. "Members of Congress". GovTrack. Washington, D.C. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^ "Citizens guide to city services now available on web", Knoxville News Sentinel, September 8, 1995
^ "Welcome to the City of Knoxville". Archived from the original on May 1998 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
^ "Knoxville-Oak Ridge Regional Network". Archived from the original on June 1997. Community information for and about Knoxville, Oak Ridge, and the surrounding area
^ Reeves 2010.
^ "Knoxville (city), Tennessee". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2014.

Bibliography[]

Published in the 19th century[]

R.H. Long (1863), "Knoxville", Hunt's Gazetteer of the Border and Southern States, Pittsburgh, Pa.: John P. Hunt
Charles H. Jones (1873), "Knoxville", Appletons' Hand-book of American Travel: the Southern Tour, New York: D. Appleton & Co.
Joseph Buckner Killebrew; Tennessee Bureau of Agriculture (1874), "East Tennessee: Knox County: Knoxville", Introduction to the Resources of Tennessee, vol. 1, Nashville: Tavel, Eastman & Howell
"Knoxville". Tennessee State Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1876-7. Nashville: R.L. Polk & Co. 1876.
Norwood's Knoxville Directory: 1884. Cotton Belt Pub. Co. 1883.
J.W. Caldwell (1893). "History of Knoxville, Tennessee". East Tennessee: Historical and Biographical. Chattanooga, Tenn.: A.D. Smith & Co. hdl:2027/wu.89077948958.
"Knoxville", Rand, McNally & Co.'s Handy Guide to the Southeastern States, Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co., 1899

Published in the 20th century[]

William Rule, ed. (1900), Standard History of Knoxville, Tennessee, Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, OL 23369722M
F.H. Richardson (1905). "Knoxville". Richardson's Southern Guide. Chicago: Monarch Book Company – via Internet Archive.
City of Knoxville, Tennessee and Vicinity (Knoxville: Knoxville Board of Trade, 1906)
"A New Knoxville", Art and Progress, American Federation of Arts, 2, 1910
Knoxville, Tennessee Directory, 1915 (Knoxville: Knoxville Directory Company, 1915).
Kate White (1924), "Knoxville's Old Educational Institutions", Tennessee Historical Magazine, 8 (1): 3–6, ISSN 2333-9012, JSTOR 42637473
Federal Writers' Project (1939), "Knoxville", Tennessee: a Guide to the State, American Guide Series, New York: Viking, hdl:2027/mdp.39015066068928{{citation}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
Tennessee Historical Records Survey (1941), "Hamilton County (Knoxville)", Directory of Churches, Missions, and Religious Institutions of Tennessee, Nashville, no. 47
Knoxville City Directory, 1960 (Knoxville: City Directory Company, 1960)
W. R. McNabb (1972), "History of the Knoxville City Hall", Tennessee Historical Quarterly, 31 (3): 256–260, ISSN 0040-3261, JSTOR 42623317
East Tennessee Historical Society, Lucile Deaderick (ed.), Heart of the Valley: A History of Knoxville, Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1976)
James A. Burran (1979), "Labor Conflict in Urban Appalachia: The Knoxville Streetcar Strike of 1919", Tennessee Historical Quarterly, 38 (1): 62–78, JSTOR 42625936
Charles S. Aiken (1983). "Transformation of James Agee's Knoxville". Geographical Review. 73 (2): 150–165. doi:10.2307/214641. JSTOR 214641.
George Thomas Kurian (1994), "Knoxville", World Encyclopedia of Cities, vol. 1: North America, Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO – via Internet Archive (fulltext)

Published in the 21st century[]

Charles H. Faulkner (2000), "Knoxville and the Southern Appalachian Frontier: An Archaeological Perspective", Tennessee Historical Quarterly, 59 (3): 158–173, JSTOR 42627557
Lisa L. Zagumny (2001). "Sit-Ins in Knoxville, Tennessee: A Case Study of Political Rhetoric". Journal of Negro History. 86 (1): 45–54. doi:10.2307/1350178. JSTOR 1350178. S2CID 141496195.
William Bruce Wheeler (2005). Knoxville, Tennessee: A Mountain City in the New South. Univ. of Tennessee Press. ISBN 978-1-57233-336-9.
Bradley Reeves; Louisa Trott (2010), "Itinerant Filmmaking in Knoxville in the 1920s: A Story Told through Unseen Movies", Moving Image: The Journal of the Association of Moving Image Archivists, 10 (1): 126–143, JSTOR 41167344
"Timeline of events in Knoxville from 1900-1909", Knoxville News Sentinel, January 29, 2012
"Timeline of news in Knoxville: 1920-1929", Knoxville News Sentinel, March 25, 2012
"A timeline: Knoxville, 1950-1959", Knoxville News Sentinel, June 24, 2012
"1970s timeline", Knoxville News Sentinel, August 26, 2012

External links[]

Items related to Knoxville, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).
Bibliography of Tennessee Bibliographies: Local History, Nashville: Tennessee Secretary of State

[FOOTNOTEFaulkner2000-1] Faulkner 2000.

[2] Bruce Wheeler. "Knoxville". Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved October 30, 2014.

[LOC-3] "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved July 21, 2014.

[FOOTNOTEFederal_Writers'_Project1939-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Federal Writers' Project 1939.

[FOOTNOTEWhite1924-5] White 1924.

[FunFacts-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Fun Facts About Knoxville". City of Knoxville. Archived from the original on October 1, 2004. Retrieved July 21, 2014.

[miller1890-7] Chas. A. Miller, ed. (1890), Official and Political Manual of the State of Tennessee, Nashville

[FOOTNOTEWheeler2005-8] Wheeler 2005.

[mayors-9] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Mayors". City of Knoxville. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2014.

[rowell-1880-10] "Tennessee", Rowell's American Newspaper Directory, New York: Printer's Ink, 1909

[UTK-spc-11] University Libraries. "(Knoxville)". Special Collections Online. University of Tennessee. Retrieved July 21, 2014.

[FOOTNOTEAmerican_Federation_of_Arts1910-12] American Federation of Arts 1910.

[FOOTNOTEBurran1979-13] Burran 1979.

[census1998-14] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, U.S. Census Bureau, 1998

[Alicoate1939-15] Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States: Tennessee", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC 2459636

[FOOTNOTEMcNabb1972-16] McNabb 1972.

[cinema-17] "Movie Theaters in Knoxville, TN". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2014.

[18] [1]

[Alicoate1960-19] Charles A. Alicoate, ed. (1960), "Television Stations: Tennessee", Radio Annual and Television Year Book, New York: Radio Daily Corp., OCLC 10512206

[FOOTNOTEZagumny2001-20] Zagumny 2001.

[Weir2004-21] Robert E. Weir; James P. Hanlan, eds. (2004). Historical Encyclopedia of American Labor. Greenwood. ISBN 9781849724906.

[ncga-22] "NCGA Co-ops: Tennessee". Iowa: National Cooperative Grocers Association. Retrieved July 21, 2014.

[parks-23] "Parks". City of Knoxville. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2014.

[24] "Tennessee". Official Congressional Directory. 1989. hdl:2027/mdp.39015024653415.

[GovTrack-25] Civic Impulse, LLC. "Members of Congress". GovTrack. Washington, D.C. Retrieved July 21, 2014.

[26] "Citizens guide to city services now available on web", Knoxville News Sentinel, September 8, 1995

[27] "Welcome to the City of Knoxville". Archived from the original on May 1998 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.

[28] "Knoxville-Oak Ridge Regional Network". Archived from the original on June 1997. Community information for and about Knoxville, Oak Ridge, and the surrounding area

[FOOTNOTEReeves2010-29] Reeves 2010.

[quickfacts2010-30] "Knoxville (city), Tennessee". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

v t Knoxville, Tennessee
Divisions and Neighborhoods	Downtown Emory Place Fort Sanders Fourth and Gill Lonsdale Mechanicsville Oakwood-Lincoln Park Old City Old North Knoxville University of Tennessee East Knoxville Chilhowee Park Parkridge Strawberry Plains‡ North Knoxville Fountain City North Hills Norwood Powell‡ South Knoxville Colonial Village Island Home Park Lake Forest Lindbergh Forest West Knoxville Bearden Cedar Bluff Forest Heights Rocky Hill Sequoyah Hills Turkey Creek‡ West Hills
Transportation	James White Parkway Knoxville Area Transit McGhee Tyson Airport Pellissippi Parkway
Education	Knox County Schools Austin-East HS Bearden HS Central HS Fulton HS West HS Tennessee School for the Deaf Berean Christian Christian Academy of Knoxville Knoxville Catholic HS Webb School University of Tennessee template
Religion	Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville
Landmarks	Old City Hall World's Fair Park Knoxville Museum of Art Sunsphere Tennessee Amphitheater Tennessee Theatre Zoo Knoxville
‡This neighborhood also has portions in adjacent municipalities or unincorporated areas Knoxville Christian School is not in the city limits.

v t Years in Tennessee (1796–present)
18th-19th century	1796 1797 1798 1799 1801 1802 1803 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900
20th century	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
21st century	2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Timeline of Knoxville, Tennessee

Contents

Prior to 19th century[]

19th century[]

20th century[]

21st century[]

See also[]

References[]

Bibliography[]

Published in the 19th century[]

Published in the 20th century[]

Published in the 21st century[]

External links[]

Part of a series on the
History of Tennessee

By year Pre-statehood U.S. Civil War Since 1900 Topics: African-Americans - Cities - Military - Politics
United States portal
v t