James White鈥檚 Fort, Knoxville (must see)
James White's Fort, or White's Fort for short, is an 18th-century pioneer settlement that gave start to Knoxville. The fort was built in 1786 by the city's founder James White who was born in 1747 in North Carolina and was a militia officer fighting in the American Revolutionary War. In 1783, he led an expedition into the upper Tennessee Valley, where he discovered the site of future Knoxville.
The fort itself began when James White was granted for his service 1,000 acres of land and built a two-story log cabin near what is now the corner of State Street and Clinch Avenue. The surrounding trees have been cut and replaced with gardens and farms. The cabin soon became the center of a cluster of fortified log structures known as White's Fort.
When William Blount, the governor of the Southwest Territory, moved the territorial capital to White's Fort in 1791, he renamed it Knoxville in honor of Henry Knox, the American Revolutionary War general and Washington's Secretary of War. That same year, James White sold the land and donated lots for a permanent city, Knoxville. He lived in the fort until 1793. White died on August 14, 1821, and was buried next to his wife in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery at 620 State Street in Knoxville.
The original cabin later became the kitchen of the Kennedy House, which was built in the 1830s. In 1906, when the Kennedy house was demolished for development, Isaiah Ford bought the log structure and moved it to Woodlawn Pike. It was purchased again in 1960 by the City Association of Women's Clubs; in 1968, the timbers were reconstructed as part of the fort. The fort still stands on a bluff near its original location. Seven log cabins and the stockade fence remain. The cabins display original pioneer artifacts and furnishings depicting the frontier lifestyle, making it one of the most visited historical sites in Knoxville.
The fort was opened to the public as a museum in 1970.
The fort itself began when James White was granted for his service 1,000 acres of land and built a two-story log cabin near what is now the corner of State Street and Clinch Avenue. The surrounding trees have been cut and replaced with gardens and farms. The cabin soon became the center of a cluster of fortified log structures known as White's Fort.
When William Blount, the governor of the Southwest Territory, moved the territorial capital to White's Fort in 1791, he renamed it Knoxville in honor of Henry Knox, the American Revolutionary War general and Washington's Secretary of War. That same year, James White sold the land and donated lots for a permanent city, Knoxville. He lived in the fort until 1793. White died on August 14, 1821, and was buried next to his wife in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery at 620 State Street in Knoxville.
The original cabin later became the kitchen of the Kennedy House, which was built in the 1830s. In 1906, when the Kennedy house was demolished for development, Isaiah Ford bought the log structure and moved it to Woodlawn Pike. It was purchased again in 1960 by the City Association of Women's Clubs; in 1968, the timbers were reconstructed as part of the fort. The fort still stands on a bluff near its original location. Seven log cabins and the stockade fence remain. The cabins display original pioneer artifacts and furnishings depicting the frontier lifestyle, making it one of the most visited historical sites in Knoxville.
The fort was opened to the public as a museum in 1970.
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James White鈥檚 Fort on Map
Sight Name: James White鈥檚 Fort
Sight Location: Knoxville, USA (See walking tours in Knoxville)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Knoxville, USA (See walking tours in Knoxville)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Knoxville, Tennessee
Create Your Own Walk in Knoxville
Creating your own self-guided walk in Knoxville is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
University of Tennessee Walking Tour
Founded in 1794 as William Blount College, The University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville is one of the oldest public universities in the United States. Nowadays, the UT flagship institution features a mix of historic and modern sites which draw many a visitor to the city.
The campus covers nearly 600 acres in downtown鈥檚 west end, including over 200 buildings and a faculty of more than 1,700... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
The campus covers nearly 600 acres in downtown鈥檚 west end, including over 200 buildings and a faculty of more than 1,700... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
Knoxville鈥檚 Historical Buildings
Knoxville is often referred to as "The Marble City" for the abundant supply of high-quality marble used in many of its buildings. Noting the wealth of well-preserved historic homes in the city, prominent American architect John Russell Pope even coined his own moniker for it 鈥� the "City of Houses".
Indeed, Knoxville's eventful and sometimes turbulent past, dating from... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles
Indeed, Knoxville's eventful and sometimes turbulent past, dating from... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles
Downtown Knoxville Walking Tour
A small town with big-city amenities and a vibrant music scene (a mix of country, bluegrass, and rock), Knoxville, or K-Town as it's popularly shortened by locals, is also often referred to as 鈥渢he Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains,鈥� for its proximity to the national park area, whose marble quarries, in the past, gave it another moniker, The Marble City.
Knoxville was founded in... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
Knoxville was founded in... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles