Tennessee

Discover the little known and unknown rich heritage of Memphis, TN.

Step inside the fascinating annals of the Bluff City's history and discover the Memphis that only few know. G. Wayne Dowdy, longtime archivist for the Memphis Public Library, examines the history and culture of the Mid-South during its most important decades. Well-known faces like Clarence Saunders, Elvis Presley and W.C. Handy are joined by some of the more obscure characters from the past, like the Memphis gangster who inspired one of William Faulkner's most famous novels, the local Boy Scout who captured German spies during World War I, the Memphis radio station that pioneered wireless broadcasting and so many more. Also included are the previously unpublished private papers and correspondence of former mayor E.H. Crump, giving us new insight and a front-row seat to the machine that shaped Tennessee politics in the twentieth century.

In the early 1800s, land in Benton County was opened for settlers. Although the county began as a small farming community, it has grown and flourished since. With the Tennessee River extending along the entire eastern side of the county, and the Big Sandy River covering a section of the northwest side, Benton County has drawn settlers for generations. Music is very important to the people who live here, and various music festivals are held throughout the year to celebrate this popular cultural pastime. Ryan Holladay, a local Benton County musician, played banjo on the Grand Ole Opry at the age of five, becoming the youngest musician to perform there. In 1963, Benton County made headlines when famous country singer Patsy Cline was lost in a tragic plane crash in the area. While music is a large part of the culture, the county also features many outdoor activities, such as duck hunting, fishing, and camping. Today, Benton County continues to be a close-knit community that is very proud of its history.

Fire lookout towers have graced the highest peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains for more than a century. Early mountaineers and conservationists began constructing lookouts during the late 1800s. By the 1930s, states and the federal government had built thousands of towers around the country, many in the Blue Ridge. While technology allowed forestry services to use other means for early detection of fires, many towers still stand as a testament to their significance. Author Robert Sorrell details the fascinating history of the lookouts in the Blue Ridge's forests.

In 1852, Joseph R. Anderson purchased 100 acres on the Virginia-Tennessee border with the intent of building a town in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Four years later, Bristol was incorporated, and it celebrated its 150th birthday in 2006. Taking its name from the English city, Bristol is also known as the Twin City because of its two distinct towns with two separate governments--one in Virginia and the other in Tennessee. Postcard History Series: Bristol portrays the city from the late 1800s through its growth during the 20th century and preserves its rich heritage in vintage postcards.

Tennessee has never been a stranger to strangeness.

Stories of the weird, wild, and wonderful abound in the Volunteer state. Join author and seasoned journalist Kelly Kazek as she tracks down the extraordinary stories that other history books overlook. Each section covers a different outlandish theme of Tennessee history colorful characters, strange sites, intriguing incidents, tombstone tales, odd occurrences, and curious creatures. Readers will discover the brilliant phenomenon of synchronized firefly flashes in the Smoky Mountain town of Elmont, take on the world's largest Moon Pie in Chattanooga and learn Tennessee's history of damaging earthquakes. From the humorous to the haunting, the madcap to the macabre, Forgotten Tales of Tennessee offers a collection as remarkable as the state itself.

Students, alumni, and friends of Lambuth University recollect with fond memory the many accomplishments of the school throughout its history, from its early days as a female institution through its growth as a university. Located in the West Tennessee city of Jackson, Lambuth reaffirms the Wesleyan emphasis on the necessity for academic excellence and authentic faith. Since 1843, when it began as the Memphis Conference Female Institute, the institution has recognized the interdependence of education and religion. As a university committed to the liberal arts, Lambuth provides resources and encouragement for students to reach an understanding of the cultural heritage of people throughout the world that will broaden their perspectives, enrich their personalities, and enable them to think and act wisely. The university provides a congenial atmosphere where people of all faiths work together to fully develop their total lives.

Memphis is a city founded on some of the great vestiges of our past. City staples such as steamboats, cotton plantations and exchange centers, relics symbolic of the city's rich industrial and agrarian legacy, have either been forgotten or completely lost. Every city, especially one as thoroughly modern as Memphis, naturally loses even the more recent aspects of its past through growth and expansion. Join Memphian and library historian Laura Cunningham as she unearths the lost hallmarks of Memphis, from the city's earliest beginnings to the present. Filled with rare and archival images that range from whimsical to haunting, Lost Memphis provides a glimpse into the vanished landmarks and bygone ways of life that once defined the city. Though the people and places featured in Lost Memphis are gone, this collection of compelling photos ensures that they will never be truly lost to history.

Cleveland's rich history includes serving as the last Cherokee Indian capital in the East and as the headquarters for eight Pentecostal denominations. The images in Postcard History Series: Cleveland depict the residences, businesses, churches, motels, and schools of the area. Most of the cards have been carefully selected from Mitchell T. Kinder's collection, the largest known postcard accumulation featuring Cleveland and Bradley County, totaling over 500 cards.

For locals and visitors alike, read about the events that uncover the history behind the legendary Memphis culture, and examine the stories of music, murder, natural disaster and other River City blasts from the past.

Far more than blues and barbecue, Memphis deep and fascinating culture has evolved one day at a time. Author G. Wayne Dowdy pins an exact date to a host of important, quirky and forgotten events in the history of Tennessee's largest city--an entertaining footnote for each day of the year. Earth, Wind and Fire founder Maurice White entered the world in a Memphis hospital on December 19, 1941. On January 15, 1877, a severe thunderstorm mysteriously left the city covered in snakes. On December 31, 1902, a resident was murdered on Main Street after taunting a Native American named Creeping Bear. A day or a month at a time, enjoy a year of entertaining River City blasts from the past.

The fertile agricultural lands and majestic Cumberland Mountain wilderness that constitute Warren County belonged to the Cherokee Indians until the signing of the Third Treaty of Tellico on October 25, 1805, which officially opened up the region to pioneer settlers. Records show that a hunting party of white explorers made its way into the area from North Carolina and Virginia in 1769, and there is evidence that some families had settled in the territory as early as 1800. One of the earliest land grants is dated 1785 and was issued to Samson Collins in the vicinity of Rock Island. Warren County was officially established on November 26, 1807, by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly when the recently established county of White was divided. Within a decade, the population numbered almost 20,000. The authors present this book in celebration of Warren County's bicentennial in 2007, with its population currently numbering well over 40,000.

Take a fascinating journey through the history of Dyersburg, Tennessee with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

In the early 1800s, West Tennessee was wild country, covered with dense hardwood forests and rich soil, with clear rivers and creeks winding through. In 1818, a final treaty was signed with the Native American tribes in the area, bringing white settlers from East Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia.

In 1825, the town of Dyersburg was laid out and quickly began to thrive. By 1911, the present courthouse was completed, anchoring a classic Southern town square that now belongs to the National Register of Historic Places. Just a few months before the historic crash of the stock market in 1929, Dyersburg became the site of a cotton mill transplanted from Oswego, New York. Nearby, the mill built about 100 small houses for its workers, and this neighborhood became Milltown, a name that still shines in residents' memories.

The Dyer County Historical Societyhas offered the best of its photo collection, along with images from the Tennessee State Library and Archives, for Images of America: Dyersburg. In addition, the warm-hearted residents of Dyersburg have supplied photographs from their personal albums.

Uncover the history of Old Butler, Tennessee in this pictorial history recounted by authors Michael and Lanette Depew.

In 1820, Ezekial ""Zeke"" Smith built a gristmill on the bank of Roan Creek, forming the community known as Smith Hill. Following the Civil War, it was renamed Butler in honor of Col. Roderick Random Butler. Much of the city's early development can be attributed to the establishment of the Aenon Seminary in 1871 and the advent of the Virginia and South Western Railroad, which provided transportation for residents and the developing logging industry. In 1933, the scenic landscape of the Watauga Valley was altered forever when the Tennessee Valley Authority was created by Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal legislation. TVA provided electric power for the state and controlled the flooding of the rivers in the region. In December 1948, the gates of the Watauga Dam were closed and water began to fill the Watauga Reservoir until Butler, Tennessee, was laid to rest at the bottom of Watauga Lake. The residents of Butler and the surrounding communities were forced to relinquish, demolish, or relocate more than 125 homes and 50 businesses.