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Sevierville has a long history of tourism, roadside attractions, and is located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Read this hometown's unique history.

Sevierville, the first city many people see when they arrive in the Smoky Mountains, is located in a picturesque valley at the foot of the Smokies. Founded in 1795 and incorporated in 1901, it is the oldest city in Sevier County and the eighth-oldest town in Tennessee. More than just a beautiful place to vacation, Sevierville has a rich heritage and history.

Two centuries ago, Sevierville was a small, rural community with one church, two mills, one tavern, one trading post, two lawyers, and a stable for a courthouse. As the county seat, the town became an important commercial center. One of Sevierville's most breathtaking sights and enduring symbols is the classic clock tower on the historic courthouse, with majestic Mount LeConte as a backdrop. Just minutes from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Sevierville combines a relaxed, small-town atmosphere with ready access to hundreds of vacation attractions, shopping, and recreational opportunities.

Join author and local historian Carroll McMahan as he chronicles his hometown's unique history. This volume, complete with archival photos, is a must for enthusiasts of the Smokies and East Tennessee.

Join authors George B. Henry and Linda Braden Albert as they recount the history of Friendsville, Tennessee through the lens of over 200 vintage images.

Friendsville is a small town with a rich, varied history. It had its beginnings in the late 1790s, when several related families with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) moved from North Carolina into what is now Blount County and established a Friends meeting about 12 miles from Maryville, the county seat. The families built a gristmill and a sawmill and later sold town lots. The Friendsville Post Office was established in 1850, and the town was incorporated in 1953. Friendsville has played a remarkable role in the history of the United States. The Friends, who did not support war or slavery, operated several stops on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War, helping runaway slaves, freed African Americans, and southern residents who wanted to fight for the North or move north to avoid the war. The area is now noted for its marble production, with Friendsville pink marble gracing such buildings as the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

Nashville may be located in the country music capital of the world ... but local hockey fans know it simply as "Smashville."

The Nashville Predators adopted their name from the bones of a saber-toothed tiger found beneath a local building. Craig Leipold first purchased the expansion rights in 1997, and the team quickly built a loyal following. It won 28 games in the inaugural season. Twelve seasons later, the team finished second in the Central Division and appeared in its first-ever conference semifinals. One year later, it finally dispatched its long-standing rival Detroit Red Wings 4-1 in the opening round of the playoffs. Author and award-winning reporter Justin Bradford details the fascinating history through unique player anecdotes and perspectives from those involved in the team's rise to prominence.

Trace the history of DeKalb County, from happenings during the Civil War to its rich natural beauty and landmarks.

DeKalb County has a vast and interesting history spanning from Confederate general John Hunt Morgan's raids on the North during the Civil War to the building of Center Hill Dam, which formed a beautiful lake that brings thousands of tourists to the county each year. The lake, encompassing 18,220 acres, displaced thousands of the earliest settlers' descendants along the Caney Fork River. The state legislature established DeKalb County from parts of surrounding counties in 1837. The county was named after Revolutionary War general Johann DeKalb, while the county seat of Smithville was named after state senator Samuel Granville Smith; neither man was from the county.

This pictorial history of Natchez Trace illustrates the people, places, and events that have shaped the area's cultural and natural history.

The Natchez Trace is one of the oldest trails in North America. In 1801, President Jefferson ordered the Army to build a road along the trail to provide a route for moving troops and delivering mail. Jefferson dispatched soldiers down the road in 1803 to protect the Louisiana Purchase, and Andrew Jackson and his troops followed it to battle the British in the War of 1812. As an 1800-era link between Nashville, Tennessee, and Natchez, Mississippi, the road served as a pathway for settling much of what we now know as the South. Twentieth-century writers such as Eudora Welty later embellished its lore of heroes, bandits, and spies, inspiring Southern leaders to revive the Natchez Trace.

Author Tony Kail traces Memphis's colorful Hoodoo heritage from the arrival of Africans in Shelby County to the growth of conjure culture in juke joints and Spiritual Churches.

Widely known for its musical influence, Beale Street was also once a hub for Hoodoo culture. Many blues icons, such as Big Memphis Ma Rainey and Sonny Boy Williamson, dabbled in the mysterious tradition. Its popularity in some African American communities throughout the past two centuries fueled racial tension - practitioners faced social stigma and blame for anything from natural disasters to violent crimes. However, necessity sometimes outweighed prejudice, and even those with the highest social status turned to Hoodoo for prosperity, love or retribution.

From the Civil War to present day; Greenville's history has impacted more than its home state of Tennessee.

The Greeneville area was settled in 1775 by English, German, and Scotch-Irish pioneers. In 1783, while still part of North Carolina, the town of Greeneville was founded and named for Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. It served as the capital of the State of Franklin from 1785 until 1788 under the leadership of John Sevier. In 1796, Greeneville was included in the formation of a new state--Tennessee. Over the years, farming has been the mainstay of the area with tobacco becoming the most prominent income producer for the agricultural community. Greeneville is proud to be the home and burial place of our 17th president, Andrew Johnson, and home to the state's oldest institute of higher learning, Tusculum College.

For centuries, the majesty and mystery of the Great Smoky Mountains have lured mankind.

The Cherokee were among the first to build thriving communities here, and backcountry frontiersmen were next to put down roots. In time, visitors arrived, eager to take in the cool mountain air, and returned home with stories of ""hillbillies."" Then came those who used the mountains for their own advantages, such as lumber barons, armed with steam shovels and skidders. Eventually, civic boosters from western North Carolina and east Tennessee took note and began advocating for the protection of the Great Smoky Mountains. Before a national park could be established, though, there were competing interests to be sorted and a consideration of the lives affected.

Experience the long and storied past of the University of Memphis in this pictorial history told through the lens of over 200 vintage images.

The 100-year transformation of the University of Memphis from a small teacher-training school to a major metropolitan research university is chronicled in Campus History Series: University of Memphis. The West Tennessee Normal School was established in 1912 to provide high school diplomas and teacher credentials to predominately female students. In 1925, the school dropped its high school classes and became the West Tennessee State Teachers College. The institution became a full liberal arts college, Memphis State College, in 1941. Huge gains in postwar enrollment pushed the institution toward university status, which was achieved in 1957. Memphis State University experienced rapid growth, expanding from barely 6,000 students to over 22,000 as the baby boomers came of age. Then, in 1994, signaling its growing stature as a major metropolitan university, the institution was renamed the University of Memphis.