Downtown Knoxville - Book Talk

In Person Location and Reservations
East Tennessee History Center, 601 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 (Seating is limited.) Register on Eventbrite.

Online Reservations
Register on Eventbrite for this event streamed on Zoom

Or visit the ETHS Facebook page at the start of the program to watch this on Facebook Live.

Description
Jack Neely and Paul James with the Knoxville History Project will discuss their latest book, Downtown Knoxville highlighting the visual history of the city’s iconic downtown core through 180 photographs, maps and illustration, many from the McClung Historical Collection and other local sources. The book features well-known classics that you will be familiar with as well as numerous photographs that are rarely seen, and as far as we know, have never been previously published. From the postcolonial years through the Civil War and onward to Knoxville’s emergence as an industrial city, downtown is where everything happened, the setting of the city’s most memorable stories and legends.

About the Speaker
Jack Neely: Writer and researcher Jack Neely is a longtime journalist whose award-winning column, “Secret History,” appeared in Metro Pulse for more than 20 years. He’s author of numerous books about Knoxville’s distinctive history, including, recently, The Tennessee Theatre: A Grand Entertainment Palace, Market Square: The History of the Most Democratic Place on Earth, and Knoxville, Tennessee: This Obscure Prismatic City.  His work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Tennessee Library Association, the American Institute of Architects, and the University of Tennessee’s History Department. Since 2014 he has served as the executive director of the Knoxville History Project.
Paul James: Originally from England, Paul has lived in Knoxville since 1999. He previously worked for Cooperative for Assistance & Relief Everywhere (CARE) in Atlanta and New York. Before that he worked for the University of Derby in the United Kingdom. He lives in Rocky Hill with wife Meredith. Paul James has served as the Director of Publishing and Development for the Knoxville History Project since 2017. He manages KHP’s fundraising, photographic research, KHP’s digital collection, and serves as editor and occasional writer for KHP’s publications, which to date includes 12 books with renowned historian and author Jack Neely. Previously, Paul worked for Ijams Nature Center from 2000-2016, serving as Executive Director for 12 years.