Knoxville's Old City: A Short History - Book

Written by Jack Neely

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"The Old City's history is a story of intersections. Near the spot where Jackson and Central cross, Knoxville's rail-based economy boomed. Saloon and 'resorts' (aka brothels) flourished while reformers fought poverty and plague. Immigrants built lasting legacies. Black businesses thrived. Music of all sorts - folk, jazz, country, rock 'n ' roll - has always played an important roll. 

Jack Neely, the award-winning Knoxville journalist and historian, takes readers on a tour through time of this area we know today as the Old City, from the arrival of the iron horse to the arrival of nationally known bands for Rhythm N' Blooms. The arc of the Old City's history, composed of so many individual and communal stories, provides a unique glimpse into personal lives, economics, architecture, and social mores over the last two centuries - and stirs up excitement for the Old City's next chapter, the bone that's not yet written."