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Knoxville has a considerable amount of history to it. Founded in 1786, it is the second oldest of Tennessee’s major cities (Nashville is just seven years older). Knoxville was Tennessee’s first state capital, from 1796 until 1819. The city was named for the nation’s first Secretary of War, Henry Knox.

There are, of course, many historical sites of historical significance in and around the city, from Old Gray Cemetery on Broadway Avenue to downtown itself. These three locations, however, are particularly significant:

Blount Mansion

Blount Mansion is the former home of William Blount, a pioneer and politician who lived from 1749-1800. Blount was the first and only governor of the Southwest Territory. He signed the Treaty of Holston, was a signer of the United States Constitution and was one of Tennessee’s first two Senators. He advocated for statehood for Tennessee and was the first U.S. Senator to be expelled from the Senate.

Blount Mansion was built in 1792. It would serve as both the Blount family home and as the territorial capital. The first Tennessee State Consti-tution was drafted here. Blount Mansion is Knoxville’s only National Historic Landmark. The house is made of lumber brought to the state from North Carolina.

Blount Mansion is located at 200 West Hill Avenue in downtown Knoxville, between Gay Street and State Street. Free parking is available be-hind the visitor’s center and museum store. Tours are held at the top of the hour. Admission is $7 for adults, $4 for youth aged 6-17, free to chil-dren under six and $6 for seniors. Group rates are available. The museum is open from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday. Blount Mansion is closed on Independence Day, Thanksgiving and from mid-December until the beginning of February. Call toll-free 888-654-0016 or 865-525-2375, or visit www.blountmansion.org for more information. Click here visit www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/map/mapdowntown.pdf for a map of downtown Knoxville.

James White’s Fort

James White was the founder of Knoxville. He came to what is now Knoxville from North Carolina in the early 1780s. A veteran of the Revolutionary War, White was given a land grant of 1,000 acres for his service. White built a two-story log home in 1786. Then known as White’s Fort, the settlement was renamed Knoxville by William Blount when he moved his territorial capital there in 1791.

The Fort itself was built near what is today the corner of State Street and Clinch Avenue in downtown Knoxville. White lived in the Fort un-til 1793, when he moved upriver near what is now the South Knoxville Bridge. White was later a general in the War of 1812 and gave land to es-tablish Blount College, which later became the University of Tennessee.

Visitors to the Fort, which was opened to the public in 1970, can experience what life was like in frontier Tennessee, including blacksmith-ing, spinning and open hearth cooking. Special events are held throughout the year.

James White’s Fort is located at 205 East Hill Avenue, just across the street from the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Free parking is available nearby. The Fort is open from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday from April to December. It is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday from January to March. Call 865-525-6514 or visit visit www.discoveret.org/jwf for more information. Click here visit www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/map/mapdowntown.pdf for a map of downtown Knoxville.

Marble Springs State Historic Farmstead

Marble Springs was the home of John Sevier, a Revolutionary War commander, the first Governor of Tennessee and the Governor of the ill-fated State of Franklin. Sevier was born in Virginia in 1745 and came to Tennessee in the early 1770s. He helped defeat British troops at the Battle of Kings Mountain, considered by some to be a turning point in the Revolutionary War. He also went on to serve as a state senator and U.S. Congressman.

Sevier acquired the then 355-acre Marble Springs property sometime between 1790 and 1795. Taking its name for the marble deposits and natural springs found there, it served as a working farm until it was turned into a state historical site in 1941 (the Sevier family sold the prop-erty after Sevier’s death in 1815).

Today the site includes the original two-story pine log house, as well as other historic 18th-century buildings that have been transported to the site. These include the Walker Cabin, moved from Walker Springs Road in Knox County, which is used to represent a frontier tavern, a smokehouse and a loom house. In addition to the primitive buildings, numerous events and demonstrations take place on site, including work-shops on cabin building, soap making and open hearth cooking.

Marble Springs is located in South Knoxville at 1220 West Gov. John Sevier Highway. The grounds are open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Call 865-573-5508 or visit visit www.discoveret.org/jsma for more information.