Timeline of Knoxville, Tennessee

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee, USA.

Prior to 19th century

History of Tennessee
By year Pre-statehood U.S. Civil War Since 1900 Topics: African-Americans - Cities - Politics
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• 1786 – White's Fort built.^[1]
• 1791
  • Knoxville founded as the capital of the Southwest Territory, named for Henry Knox^[2]
  • Knoxville Gazette newspaper begins publication.^[3]
• 1792 – Blount Mansion built.^[4]
• 1793 – First Presbyterian Church established.^[4]
• 1794 – Blount College (later the University of Tennessee) established.^[4]
• 1796 – Knoxville becomes capital of new U.S. state of Tennessee.^[4]

19th century

• 1806 – Hampden and Sydney School incorporated.^[5]
• 1815 – City of Knoxville incorporated.^[6]
• 1816 – Thomas Emmerson becomes mayor.
• 1817 – Knoxville Hotel in business.
• 1818 – Craighead-Jackson House (residence) built.
• 1827 – Knoxville Female Academy established.^[5]
• 1828 – The Atlas becomes the first steamboat to reach Knoxville, having successfully navigated the lower Tennessee River
• 1834 – East Tennessee Historical and Antiquarian Society founded.
• 1844 – Tennessee Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb established.^[7]
• 1845 – Warner Tabernacle AME Zion Church congregation established.
• 1849 – Brownlow's Whig newspaper relocates to Knoxville.
• 1850
  • Old Gray Cemetery established.
  • Population: 2,076.^[4]
  • First Baptist Church built.
• 1854
  • James C. Luttrell becomes mayor.
  • Market Square established
• 1855
  • East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad begins operating.^[4]
  • William Graham Swan becomes mayor.
• 1863
  • Siege of Knoxville.
  • Battle of Fort Sanders.
  • Knoxville National Cemetery established.^[4]
• 1864 – E.J. Sanford and Company in business.^[8]
• 1868 – City Hall built on Market Square.
• 1869 – Knoxville Industrial Association founded.^[8]
• 1870
  • Ebenezer Mill built (approximate date).
  • Population: 8,682.
• 1871 – Cowan, McClung and Co. building constructed.
• 1872 – Staub's Theatre opens.^[4]
• 1873 – William Rule becomes mayor.^[9]
• 1874
  • Customs House built.
  • Peter Staub becomes mayor.^[9]
• 1875 – Knoxville College founded.^[4]
• 1885
  • Knoxville Fire Department and Lawson McGhee Library^[4] established.
  • Knox County Courthouse built.^[4]
• 1886 – Sentinel newspaper (later the Knoxville News Sentinel) begins publication.^[10]
• 1887
  • Knoxville Negro World newspaper begins publication.^[3]
  • Chamber of Commerce established.^[8]
• 1888
  • Sterchi Brothers Furniture Company in business.
  • Martin Condon becomes mayor.^[9]
• 1890
  • Peter Kern becomes mayor.^[9]
  • Population: 22,535.
  • Electric streetcar begins operating.^[6]
• 1891 – H. T. Hackney Company in business.
• 1892 – St. John's Cathedral rebuilt.
• 1896 - Flag of Knoxville, Tennessee is designed
• 1897
  • "Million Dollar Fire" destroys part of Gay Street.^[6]
  • Market House rebuilt on Market Square.^[4]
  • North Knoxville (modern Old North Knoxville) becomes part of city
• 1898
  • West Knoxville (modern Fort Sanders) becomes part of city.
  • Gay Street Bridge constructed.

20th century

• 1905
  • Knoxville Railway and Light Company established.^[11]
  • L&N Station (Knoxville) built.
• 1909 – Knoxville City Beautiful League organized.^[12]
• 1910
  • First Appalacian Exposition held.
  • Population: 36,346.
• 1911 – Second Appalachian Exposition held.
• 1912 – The city replaces its mayor-alderman form of government with a commission.
• 1913 – National Conservation Exposition held.
• 1914 – Candoro Marble Works in operation.
• 1917
  • Park City becomes part of the city.
  • South Knoxville becomes part of the city.
• 1919
  • Riot of 1919 takes place.
  • October: Streetcar strike.^[13]
• 1920 – Population: 77,818.^[14]
• 1921 – WNAV radio begins broadcasting.^[6]
• 1923 – The city replaces its commission with a city manager-council form of government; Louis Brownlow hired as first city manager
• 1925 – City government moves to City Hall on Summit Hill Drive.^[15]
• 1926
  • Knoxville News Sentinel in publication.
  • Lincoln Park United Methodist Church built.
• 1927 – Daylight Building constructed.
• 1928
  • Tennessee Theatre opens.
  • James Alexander Fowler becomes mayor.
• 1930
  • Andrew Johnson Building constructed.
  • Population: 105,802.^[14]
• 1931 – Henley Street Bridge constructed.
• 1932 – Church Street Methodist Episcopal Church built.^[4]
• 1933 – Tennessee Valley Authority headquartered in Knoxville.^[6]
• 1934 – United States Post Office and Courthouse built.
• 1938 – Park Theatre opens.^[16]
• 1940 – Population: 111,580.^[14]
• 1942 – Town of Oak Ridge developed near Knoxville.^[8]
• 1943 – Oak Ridge National Laboratory established near Knoxville.
• 1946
  • Cas Walker becomes mayor.
  • Journalist John Gunther dubs Knoxville the "ugliest city" in America, sparking beautification efforts
• 1947 – Office of City Manager merged with Mayor's office
• 1950 – Population: 124,769.^[14]
• 1951 - Municipal Zoo established.^[17]
• 1952 – George Roby Dempster becomes mayor.^[9]
• 1959 – John Duncan, Sr. becomes mayor.
• 1960
  • African-American civil rights protest.^[18]
  • Population: 111,827.
• 1962
  • Fountain City becomes part of the city.
  • Bearden becomes part of the city.
• 1970 – Population: 174,587.^[14]
• 1972 – Kyle Testerman becomes mayor.^[9]
• 1974 – Streaking occurs.^[6]
• 1976 – Randy Tyree becomes mayor.
• 1980 – Population: 175,045.^[14]
• 1981 – Knoxville Community Food Cooperative organized.^[19]
• 1982 – 1982 World's Fair held;^[11] Sunsphere built.
• 1983
  • Knoxville Opera Company active.
  • Halls Cinema in business.^[16]
• 1984 – Doyle Park established.^[20]
• 1985 – Riverview Tower built.
• 1987 – Victor Ashe becomes mayor.
• 1988
  • WCKS radio begins broadcasting.
  • Jimmy Duncan Jr. becomes U.S. representative for Tennessee's 2nd congressional district.^[21][22]
• 1990 – Population: 165,121.
• 1991 – City bicentennial.^[6]
• 1992 – Petro's Chili & Chips franchise headquartered in Knoxville.
• 1994 – Home & Garden Television headquartered in Knoxville.
• 1995 - City website online.^[23][24]
• 1996
  • Knoxville-Oak Ridge Regional Network online.^[25]
  • Adair Park built.^[20]
• 1998 - Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership organized.^[8]

21st century

• 2003 – Bill Haslam becomes mayor.
• 2005
  • Knoxville Marathon begins.
  • Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound^[26] and Three Rivers Market food co-op^[19] established.
• 2010 – Population: 178,874.^[27]
• 2011 – Daniel Brown becomes mayor, succeeded by Madeline Rogero.^[9]

See also

• History of Knoxville, Tennessee
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Knox County, Tennessee

other cities in Tennessee

• Timeline of Memphis, Tennessee
• Timeline of Nashville, Tennessee
• Timeline of Chattanooga, Tennessee

References

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Knoxville, Tennessee.

• Items related to Knoxville, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).

Years in Tennessee (1796–present)
18th-19th century	1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900
20th century	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
21st century	2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021