Knoxville Chronicles

Knoxville History Project
  • 5.0 (9)
  • HISTORY
Knoxville Chronicles

Knoxville Chronicles is a podcast series produced by the Knoxville History Project highlighting some of the most interesting of the city’s old stories that still have relevance today.The Knoxville History Project is an educational nonprofit with a mission to research, preserve and promote the history and culture of Knoxville, Tennessee.Learn more at KnoxvilleHistoryProject.org

  1. JAN 22

    Groundhog Day and Knoxville

    Groundhog Day is a peculiar holiday. We don’t expect Groundhog Day dinners, Groundhog Day gifts, Groundhog Day songs. But still, there it is, every February 2nd. It’s almost like the 1993 film starring Bill Murray and Andie McDowall: it always seems the same. Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, and we always have six more weeks of winter. Repeat. Numerous holidays seemed to pop up in the years just after the Civil War, especially between 1865 and 1880, including Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s...

    12 min

  2. 10/23/2024

    The October Carnival

    Imagine October in Knoxville, and subtract Volmania, drives in the Smokies, and Halloween decorations, and what would you have? But on certain Octobers between 1884 and 1913, we had more creative and unpredictable fun than we ever have today. The four-day event involved “a parade representing 65 or so local industries, 50 horse-drawn floats, a regatta on the Tennessee River, horse racing at the southside river park and a jousting tournament involving dozens of local “knights” in mediev...

    31 min

  3. 09/10/2024

    Through the Keyhole: Knoxville’s Extraordinary Marble World

    For anyone who has spent much time in Knoxville, there is one thing that you’ll encounter in almost every part of the city, and that’s Tennessee marble. It graces several impressive downtown buildings, and you can see where it was once extracted at several abandoned or reclaimed quarries, particularly at Ijams Nature Center, now part of the city’s expansive Urban Wilderness in South Knoxville. While the nature center still retains the original acreage where the Ijams family originally ...

    36 min

  4. 10/30/2023

    Creature of the Cumberlands

    In early 1794, barely just over two years after the town of Knoxville was established, a short but strange news item appeared in the Knoxville Gazette. A detachment of soldiers, 30 miles outside of Knoxville, encountered a “creature” that appeared nothing like they had ever seen or heard about before. And it wasn’t happy to see these soldiers in its own woods. Soon, the story was run in the Belfast Northern Star in Ireland and the English paper, the Derby Mercury, always crediting the Knoxvil...

    7 min

  5. 10/21/2023

    Halloween 2: Tricks and Treats

    Following on from "Halloween Begins," the holiday puts on a mask and heads out on to Knoxville city streets. Although trick or treating and jack-o-lanterns were uncommon here until the early 1900s, by the roaring twenties, Halloween began to take on a livelier, and sometimes a darker turn. Costumed revelers paraded all parts of downtown, especially up and down Gay Street, blowing horns and displaying general merriment. By the early 1940s, the boisterousness had turned into mayhem and th...

    8 min

  6. 10/19/2023

    Halloween Begins

    Some holidays haven't changed much over the years. Fourth of July has always been noisy, public, and hot; Easter is always centered around church, and Thanksgiving mainly revolves around a family meal. But Halloween is the shape-shifting monster of holidays. And like the Blob, it just keeps getting bigger. In this episode, take a brief historical journey through the evolution of Halloween in Knoxville, from its initial stirrings in the mid-1800s, through to its increasing popularity in the 18...

    12 min

  7. 07/12/2023

    Love in the Time of Upheaval: The Cansler Elopement

    There are some names in Knoxville history that seem rarer than others. Cansler is one. In Mechanicsville, there’s a Cansler Street, and on University Avenue, a Cansler Building. Off Western is the old Laura Cansler School, a former “colored” elementary school, now home to Wesley House. And in East Knoxville, there’s the Cansler Family YMCA. The Cansler family had a big impact on Knoxville in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th. And that name wouldn’t be here if not for ...

    21 min

  8. 05/22/2023

    The Hottest Day and the Immortal Kiosk

    The elegant old weather kiosk on the corner of Clinch Avenue and Market Street looks like something built for an Exposition of the beaux-arts era. But in fact, it was originally installed in 1912, not long before Knoxville’s gigantic and elegantly appointed National Conservation Exposition of 1913. People used to gather around it to see what the federal weatherman had observed, and what they could expect next. Checking on the weather was a social event. So many people hung out around it...

    15 min
See All (18)

    Ratings & Reviews

    5
    out of 5
    9 Ratings

    About

    Knoxville Chronicles is a podcast series produced by the Knoxville History Project highlighting some of the most interesting of the city’s old stories that still have relevance today.The Knoxville History Project is an educational nonprofit with a mission to research, preserve and promote the history and culture of Knoxville, Tennessee.Learn more at KnoxvilleHistoryProject.org

    Information

    • Creator
      Knoxville History Project
    • Years Active
      2023 - 2025
    • Episodes
      18
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Copyright
      © 2025 Knoxville Chronicles
    • Show Website
      Knoxville Chronicles

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