A2Z Challenge Town on Wordless Wednesday

The A-Z Challenge is slipping away quickly. Combining two posts into one, today’s theme is my town.

In 1790 my town became the Southwest Territory Capital and named after the Secretary of War, Henry Knox. Later on, in 1796, Knoxville became the first capital of Tennessee.

During the early 19th century, Knoxville steadily grew with westward bound immigrants passing through my town and a place of trade for nearby mountain communities.

The railroad created a boom in my town’s population and commercialism in the 1850s. Although Knoxville is a southern city, it was home to a strong Pro-Union section and my town was bitterly divided during the Civil War.

After the war, the town’s business leaders with northern roots forged iron and textile industries here, establishing my town as the third largest wholesaling center in the south. In many large buildings constructed across the country used Tennessee marble that came beneath the soil of my town, earning Knoxville the nickname of The Marble City.

The economy slowed down in the 1900s for my town but with the Tennessee Valley Authority establishment and the ten-fold expansion of the University of Tennessee stabilized the economy in my town.

DH’s first job with TVA brought us to Knoxville in 1979

In the 60s, city council sought more open-minded changes in economic diversity while establishing a metro revival. My town hosted the 1982 World’s Fair Expo bringing in millions of people into the area for the first time, helping with the revitalization somewhat.

1982 World’s Fair Expo iconic Sunsphere

We did our part to boost Knoxville’s economy by supporting the World’s Fair Expo with season passes.  My town is not too big, not too small, but just right to me. If you’re in my neck of the woods, come visit my town!

 

Sending a round of applauds and cheers to this week’s featured photographer. 👏

Congratulations! Please, be kind enough to visit our featured photographer and show some love by leaving a comment. Oh, yes…don’t forget to link up below for consideration of next week’s photographer hotspot!

To join other Wordless Wednesday communities visit my Daily Blog Hops at the top of my Home page. It’s so nice of you to come by. I hope you decide to make this a repeat visit. Wanna make me happy, then please leave a comment! I’ll be hopping over to see you soon!

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34 comments

  1. Thanks for sharing more about your town, Cathy. It is always nice to learn more about other places. I never knew it was pro-Union during The War of Between the States. I imagine there were quite a few places that were bitterly divided during those most sad times, as were many families. Very sad times.

    Have a blessed day. 🙂

    1. Suzanne,

      Oh definitely there were many states deeply divided during the Civil War. My home state of WV was one of them. I can’t imagine going into battle against a family member, no matter what our differences are I could not but it doesn’t mean if it did happen that I wouldn’t defend myself. All men are equal in God’s eyes. This division since the beginning of time is man-made. A seed of superiority gets planted in one’s soul and that’s all it takes before the seed grows into a garden of hatred. Truly, sad! Oh well…if the world stands long enough this sort of thing will continue. We can try to make it better but it will never go away. Thanks for taking time to read this post

      1. You’re welcome, Cathy. Things have been so hectic here that I am behind on visiting everybody. Maybe some day I will get caught up.
        We can hope and pray for a peaceful earth, but we know it isn’t going to happen until His return. We pray, do our part to be nice, and hope everyone else will do the same. We can always hope.
        Have a blessed day. 🙂

        1. Suzanne,

          You’re right, all we can do is do what’s right. The world will do what it always does but there’s hope leading by example may make the difference in someone’s life other than our own. Thanks for visiting and don’t worry about not being caught up. We’re exactly where you are most of the time, too. 🙂

        2. Hi Cathy,

          I think being caught up is one of those things we keep hoping for, but never quite make it.

          We can definitely make a difference in our immediate sphere of contact. 🙂

          Have a blessed weekend, my friend!

        3. Thanks, Suzanne, and yes I believe you’re right. Having hope is what keeps us moving forward, isn’t it? We do make a difference in our the lives of those around us, most often we do not know how deep the impact is, though. I know I failed miserably letting many who have gone on just how much they mean to me and how valuable they have been to my life. I hope they knew how important they were to me, though.

        4. You’re welcome, and thank you, too, Cathy. I feel the same way, like I failed letting them know how much they meant to me. Somehow we have to hold onto the thought that, yes, they do know it. If not then, they do now from their Heavenly vantage point.

          Have a blessed weekend. 🙂

  2. So crazy that you mentioned the 1982 World’s Fair. We were actually there. I was only three, but I vaguely remember being carried on my dad’s shoulders through the crowds. Knoxville is an awesome city! Love it.

    1. You probably have some excellent memories from the World’s Fair. It was a fun time. Even today, I think about it and miss those days. It’s interesting how the experience has stayed with me all these years. You may be interested in another walk down memory lane with the 1982 World’s Fair Energy Theme Song!

  4. I would love to visit your town anytime, Cathy. And your pictures show that there is plenty to see and explore

  6. Your town looks like a great place to visit. Thanks for sharing the little video at the end.

  9. Knoxville is a lovely place. I like your photos of the old and new as it give a roundness to the area.

  11. What a great post – lots of interesting information and photos! I want to visit there one day!

  12. I think I remember Tennessee most when we were coming home from our daughter’s wedding lasts year. We stopped at a really nice rest area with all this history and recreated homestead cabins. It’s too bad we could not have stayed awhile a take in the local color instead of dashing home.

  13. Interesting history! We briefly visited your town on our Pigeon Forge trip in February to see a bonsai exhibit at the Knoxville Botanical Garden … I’d love to revisit it when the gardens are green.

  14. I’ve never been anywhere on the East Coast or in the South, besides Florida for my husband’s conference several years ago. I would love to visit more of our beautiful country!

  17. I have been to Knoxville and I agree it is a beautiful place to be. Your pictures are awesome and remind me of some of the places I saw when I was there … it’s been a “few” years so I could probably come again and refresh my memories. Very nice post … nice that you love your home town.

    Andrea @ From The Sol

  19. Hi Cathy, sorry I forgot to tell you thanks for sharing the pretty photos of your town with us. I would love to see more of the US some day. Have a great day.
    Julie

  20. Just spent spring break in Gatlinburg. My brother lives in Knoxville and my family is about 2 hrs away in the Tri Cities. Great town! Love your pics!!!

  25. Oh wow, I would love to come see you and see all that beautiful scenery. What fabulous pictures. Thanks for sharing.

  26. It’s so beautiful – I would love to visit. We had a girl from Tennessee in my high school on exchange. Everyone loved her – she was so sweet, really kind to everyone – and of course we couldn’t get enough of her accent. I wanted to go home with her for Christmas vacation – but she wanted to stay and see real Canadian snow! LOL
    thanks for making me the featured photographer – I really do love the sound of that! 🙂

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