Chilhowee Park

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Entrance along Magnolia Avenue Chilhowee-park-entrance-tn1.jpg
Entrance along Magnolia Avenue

Chilhowee Park is a public park, fairgrounds and exhibition venue in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located off Magnolia Avenue in East Knoxville. Developed in the late 19th century, the park is home to the Tennessee Valley Fair and hosts several dozen expositions annually. The park covers 81 acres (33 ha), and includes a 57,100-square-foot (5,300 m2) exposition center, a 1910-era bandstand, a 4,500-seat amphitheater, and a 3-acre (1.2 ha) lake, Lake Ottosee. The park is also home to The Muse Knoxville, a children's science museum formerly known as the East Tennessee Discovery Center.

Contents

Background

The land that became Chilhowee Park was initially part of a dairy farm purchased by Professor Fernando Cortes Beaman (1836–1911) in 1875. [1] In the late 1880s, Beaman converted part of the farm into a park with the construction of dance pavilions and mineral springs. In 1890, William Gibbs McAdoo extended trolley tracks along Magnolia Avenue all the way to the park, connecting it with Downtown Knoxville. [1] Later that year, the Lake Park Springs Addition Company, which had been formed by Beaman and several partners to develop the adjacent Chilhowee Park neighborhood, [2] purchased the park.

In 1910 and 1911, Chilhowee Park hosted the two Appalachian Expositions, which were held to demonstrate progress in Southern industry. [3] Former president Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the 1910 exposition, and President William Howard Taft spoke in 1911. [1] The expositions featured a large exhibit hall designed by architect John R. Graf, [4] a Tennessee marble bandstand designed by architect R. F. Graf, and a building constructed by Knoxville College students to exhibit the city's African American history. [1] The expositions saw the first airplane and zeppelin flights in East Tennessee, [1] and helped boost the careers of local artists Lloyd Branson and Catherine Wiley. [5] [6] In 1913, the park hosted the National Conservation Exposition, which promoted environmental conservation in Southern Appalachia.

Furniture store magnate James G. Sterchi purchased Chilhowee Park in 1920, and leased it to the East Tennessee Division Fair (the forerunner of the Tennessee Valley Fair). [1] In 1926, the City of Knoxville purchased the park, and continued the lease. In the 1930s, Joe "Smoky" Ellison opened one of Knoxville's first bowling alleys at the park. [1] Jazz musician Louis Armstrong performed at Chilhowee Park in February 1957. During his performance, an unapprehended person tossed a stick of dynamite from the window of a car in an unsuccessful attempt to disrupt the event. [7]

On August 8, 1863, the Military Governor of Tennessee, Andrew Johnson, freed his personal slaves. In the early part of the 20th century, August 8 of each year was the only day blacks in Knoxville were allowed to visit the park. During the early 20th century, the day was celebrated by blacks in Tennessee as a holiday. [8]

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Lloyd Branson BRANSON, Lloyd (1861 - 1925), Painter

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Chilhowee Park, Knoxville human settlement in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America

Chilhowee Park is a residential neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located off Magnolia Avenue in the East Knoxville area. Developed as a streetcar suburb in the 1890s, this neighborhood was initially part of Park City, which was incorporated as a separate city in 1907, and annexed by Knoxville in 1917. Chilhowee Park lies adjacent to one of Knoxville's largest municipal parks, as well as Zoo Knoxville. The neighborhood contains a notable number of early-20th-century houses.

Caldonia Fackler Johnson was an American businessman and philanthropist, active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into slavery, he rose to become a prominent Knoxville racetrack and saloon owner, and by the time of his death, was one of the wealthiest African-American businessmen in the state. He also owned several thoroughbred racehorses, one of which captured a world speed record in 1893.

Richard Franklin Graf (1863–1940) was an American architect active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee and the vicinity in the early 20th century. His works include Stratford Mansion (1910), Sterchi Building (1921), St. John's Lutheran Church (1913), and the Journal Arcade (1924). His home, the Prairie School-inspired Graf House, is considered Knoxville's first modern home. Several buildings designed by Graf have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Tennessee Valley Fair

The Tennessee Valley Fair is an annual regional fair held in Knoxville, Tennessee at Chilhowee Park & Exposition Center. The Tennessee Valley Fair takes place every September and lasts ten days. The Tennessee Valley Fair is a non-profit organization that exists to celebrate and promote agricultural heritage, family values, and individual life skills in our community with an emphasis on youth development activities through exhibits, tours and the funding of scholarships. The Tennessee Valley Fair showcases traditions of the past, emphasizes ingenuity in Tennessee through the products of the present and supports the vision of the future in the areas of agriculture, trade, and industry. The Tennessee Valley Fair will return for its 101st in 2021.

The Knoxville Reds were a minor league baseball team that played in Knoxville, Tennessee, from 1909 to 1914. The team was known as the Knoxville Appalachians from 1909 to 1911 before adopting the Reds moniker. They were members of the Class B South Atlantic League (1909) and the Southeastern League (1910) and Appalachian League (1911–1914), both Class D circuits. They played their home games at Chilhowee Park.

Appalachian Exposition

The Appalachian Exposition, also known as the Appalachian Exhibition, was an event held in 1910 and 1911 in Knoxville, Tennessee's on property owned by Knoxville Railway and Light. The park grounds were 65 acres and included two lakes. The exhibitions demonstrated progress in Southern industry. Former president Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the 1910 exposition, and president William Howard Taft spoke in 1911.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Brewer, Becky French; McDaniel, Douglas Stuart (2005). Park City. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 7, 31–32, 40–51.
  2. ↑ Brewer and McDaniel, p. 55
  3. ↑ Robert Lukens (2009). "Appalachian Exposition of 1910". Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  4. ↑ Lucile Deaderick, ed. (1976). Heart of the Valley: A History of Knoxville, Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society. pp. 47–50.
  5. ↑ Hoobler, James (2009). "Lloyd Branson". Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  6. ↑ Elizabeth Moore (2009). "Anna Catherine Wiley". Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  7. ↑ Clive Webb (2010). "Rabble Rousers: The American Far Right in the Civil Rights Era". Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press. p. 48.
  8. ↑ Matt Shafer Powell (2007-08-08). "Tennessee Recalls Emancipation, Segregation". Morning Edition. NPR.

Coordinates: 35°59′54″N83°53′07″W / 35.9983°N 83.8853°W / 35.9983; -83.8853

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