Tennessee’s oldest town was founded in 1779, nearly two decades before it officially became a state. Jonesborough, once spelled as Jonesboro, is part of the Tri-Cities region of East Tennessee that includes Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol. Jonesborough was named after Willie Jones, a politician from North Carolina who was known for his support of…
McMinn County, Tennessee includes Athens, Niota, Englewood, Etowah, part of Sweetwater, and several unincorporated communities. It was created in 1819 and named after Joseph McMinn, a Revolutionary War commander and Tennessee Governor of six years. McMinn was also a decorated veteran of previous wars and served in the Tennessee Senate, as justice of the peace…
I was thrilled already with the selection of plants in the garden and the interesting art, and then I saw it: a slow-motion wave of iridescent blue, a long train of green and gold feathers, and scratchy little feet.
The evolution of receiving, keeping, and changing names can be complicated, but some of us experience it multiple times throughout our lives.
Cumberland Mountain State Park in Crossville, Tennessee has more than 1,700 acres with endless recreational options to explore. The park also has an Olympic-sized pool, several picnic shelters, campgrounds, playgrounds, courts for volleyball, tennis, basketball, badminton and other sports and games, a golf course, and a restaurant onsite. My song for this entry is “Explore”…
National Allied Publications founder Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson was born in Greeneville, TN in 1890. Eventually his company became DC Comics, and Wheeler-Nicholson would be forever credited as the pioneer of American pulp comic books. My song for this entry is not a metal song but it is featured on the soundtrack for DC’s newest project, Dark…
Legends say the 12-ft tall monolith mysteriously appeared on the Indian Trail dividing two tribal territories; naturally shaped or perhaps carved to look like a dog. Weather, war, and vandalism have made it an unrecognizable fragment of what it once was.
Cummins Falls has been a popular swimming hole for locals for over a century, gaining most of its momentum among tourists in the last decade. I first learned about it in 2011 at a music festival in Cookeville, when some friends went hiking and found an easy way in. At that time it was not prohibited, but things have since changed.
Later that year, the land was purchased by the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation and it became the state park as we know it today.
Historic Dandridge is the second oldest town in East Tennessee and it was graciously saved from flooding during the construction of TVA’s Douglas Dam. Dandridge was founded in 1783 when its first white European settlers began carving their miserable new lives into the flanks of Appalachia. Prior to that crew, the Chiaha tribal settlement…
Franklin D. Roosevelt was a busy man back in the 1940s but let’s talk about one of his most legendary and long-lasting New Deal Programs, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the Douglas Dam. Today’s theme song is brought to you by Midlake: In 1941, President Roosevelt coordinated funding and construction of the Douglas Dam…
Ozone Falls State Natural Area is located near the town of Crab Orchard in Cumberland County, Tennessee. It was officially established in the 1973 with just fourteen acres, but the land mass tripled in the following two decades. Visiting was a quick and easy stop off the highway en route from Knoxville to Crossville, and…
Just beyond the Henley Street Bridge in downtown Knoxville, you can visit one of many old Civil War forts in the area. Fort Dickerson is an extremely well-preserved earthen fort built in the early 1860s by Federals/Union soldiers to protect Knoxville from the Confederates. The fort was named after Captain Jonathan C. Dickerson who…
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