Timeline of Knoxville, Tennessee

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

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

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

Map of Street Railway Lines of the Knoxville Railway and Light Company c 1912

• 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]
• 1956 - 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]
• 2019 - Indya Kincannon becomes mayor.
• 2020 Population 190,740.[31]

See also

• History of Knoxville, Tennessee
• List of mayors of Knoxville, Tennessee
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Knox County, Tennessee
• Timelines of other cities in Tennessee: Chattanooga, Clarksville, Memphis, Murfreesboro, Nashville

References

1. Faulkner 2000.
2. Bruce Wheeler. "Knoxville". Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
3. "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
4. Federal Writers' Project 1939.
5. White 1924.
6. "Fun Facts About Knoxville". City of Knoxville. Archived from the original on October 1, 2004. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
7. Chas. A. Miller, ed. (1890), Official and Political Manual of the State of Tennessee, Nashville
8. Wheeler 2005.
9. "Mayors". City of Knoxville. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
10. "Tennessee", Rowell's American Newspaper Directory, New York: Printers' Ink, 1909
11. University Libraries. "(Knoxville)". Special Collections Online. University of Tennessee. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
12. American Federation of Arts 1910.
13. Burran 1979.
14. Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, U.S. Census Bureau, 1998
15. Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States: Tennessee", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC 2459636
16. McNabb 1972.
17. "Movie Theaters in Knoxville, TN". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
18. "History". 12 February 2016.
19. Charles A. Alicoate, ed. (1960), "Television Stations: Tennessee", Radio Annual and Television Year Book, New York: Radio Daily Corp., OCLC 10512206
20. Zagumny 2001.
21. Robert E. Weir; James P. Hanlan, eds. (2004). Historical Encyclopedia of American Labor. Greenwood. ISBN 9781849724906.
22. "NCGA Co-ops: Tennessee". Iowa: National Cooperative Grocers Association. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
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.
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 1998-05-12 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
28. "Knoxville-Oak Ridge Regional Network". Archived from the original on 1997-06-18. Community information for and about Knoxville, Oak Ridge, and the surrounding area
29. Reeves 2010.
30. "Knoxville (city), Tennessee". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
31. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Knoxville city, Tennessee". www.census.gov.

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. ISBN 9781403500816.
• "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, 2, American Federation of Arts, 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
• Tennessee Historical Records Survey (1941), "Hamilton County (Knoxville)", Directory of Churches, Missions, and Religious Institutions of Tennessee, no. 47, Nashville
• 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. Bibcode:1983GeoRv..73..150A. doi:10.2307/214641. JSTOR 214641.
• George Thomas Kurian (1994), "Knoxville", World Encyclopedia of Cities, vol. 1: North America, Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, OL 1431653M – 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