Sunday, March 6, 2022

Follow The Yellow Brick Road: February

 As much as I love my city I was not looking forward to go exploring this month. The reason is because it's been so nasty out! So much rain and gray sky was really eating away at me. Wanting me to do such a thing was a task to work myself up in. I really didn't want to do much of anything. However, I made my way through the dreary city, and learn a few new things about her origins. 


This month still kept us in the Downtown area. Still not very far from where I work. We are in the Market Square area today. If you have ever been downtown you know that that is the place to go for food! Not just the fabulous restaurants that we have, but also the farmer's market that is held there almost every week of the year! There are great street musicians that love to show off their talents, and if you find the right one, they will teach you a thing or too as well. Market Square has held lots of memories for me over the years. The first time I really remember being in that area was in 2009. December 12, 2009 if you want to know the whole truth. The first time I ever entered the great majestic walls of the Tennessee Theatre was that night. I was in Krutch Park, just across the street from Market Square and will also be discussed today, and I remember the blue Christmas lights that clung to the trees. I remember seeing the waterfall and the little man made creek that runs though. I remember the Christmas tree. I never would have thought that almost 13 years later I would have many more memories to add to that, and be writing about it's history in such a way either. I have wonderful moments with the closest of friends, and with those whom I don't talk with anymore. I have been to brunch, Lunch, dinner, dessert, working lunches with so many people. Alaina and I have eaten sushi many times in the square and have been casual and dressed up doing so. I remember sitting at the table on a hot and sticky midnight when Luke and I hung out with some old co-workers that we loved getting to see again. Bradley and I went to dine and walk about the same night that we did the Rat Pack Radio Show. I remember when I first started to work Downtown and just walk around and thank God that I get to live in this city but I now get to work in the area of the city that I love so much! How many people have I helped to take their picture in this square. How many movie have I seen for free with so many other wonderful people who love classic movies as well? 


Now, my memories are apart of history. Not only my person History but for anyone who ever happen across this page. So, lets relive some of Knoxville's memories as we take a look in the past.



When you come up to Market Square from the Krutch Park side, you will see this beautiful building right on the corner. This is the Peter Kern's Building. It is now home to the Oliver Hotel, Tupelo Honey and the Oliver Royal. This building has been updated a bit on the outside in recent years. As many years as I can remember this building was brick, it's still brick but now it's painted. However, I admire the fact that they didn't totally cover the brick and still made it have a classic look as to not make it look out of place with the rest of market square. The building was created for Peter Kern, a German immigrant who late became the mayor of Knoxville, to house he candy factory. Well I should say Candy factory, barker, and Ice-cream saloon, and a ballroom. 

Standing across the street and looking at this building you greeted with the faces of three young women. 


The Tennessee Woman Suffrage Memorial was placed in Market Square in 2006. The three ladies are Anne Dallas Dudley, Elizabeth Meriwether and Lizzie Crozier French. These three ladies are Suffragettes from Tennessee. One to represent the three sections of out state, West Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and East Tennessee. The reason that this statue is here will be discussed in a minute, but these ladies have great stores written on the statue of what they did in order to push through to have women have the right to vote. 

The large bell next to these women is the Market House Bell (no picture). It was the first hung in the City Hall building but was taken down for safety reasons. The bell was used by the police chief to ring out fires and alarms before the radio came into existence. The bell was also used in World War II to ring out blackout drills during the time. 

When you turn to the Left on Union you will follow the road down a little past Market Square. you will find even more wonderful food, and two building called the Pembroke and the Daylight. 


It's undergoing some construction, but the building is still standing strong. I am not sure when the building first came to life, but it was the home to the TVA for more than 40 years. It's was originally called "New Sprankle". No idea why. 

The Daylight is directly across the street.


My understanding from the book Historic Knoxville, which is were I am getting all of this information, they seem to have built around the same time. This building have visit from India's Prime Minister, and a few others in it's time. It currently houses a Restaurant called J.C. Holloway, a coffee house, and Knoxville's only independent bookstore Union Ave Books. 

Once you have been temped by coffee, and books, you will have to pass another temptation of one Pete's Diner. Please, I beg you, give into temptation here. The food is great! Once you have eaten start walking off that food and go the end of the street (away from market square still) and you will run into a very strange building The Masonic Temple. 


All the book really says about this building is that it's a very remodeled home that once belonged to Charles McClung McGee. He donated the funds to the McGee library and was also a railroad tycoon. However, nothing else is mentioned. However, there is a Wonderful blog all about all that happenings in Knoxville. The blog is called 'Inside Knoxville' and it's written by Knoxville Urban Guy. He has stated on his 'About Me' page that he didn't want to use his real name. So, that is why he gets this credit with that name. He actually got a chance to go into the building, and ask questions, in 2011. Below I have the link to that blog if you are interested. 

https://insideofknoxville.com/2011/11/just-exactly-what-is-inside-that-masonic-temple/


Now, you should head back up toward Market Square again and cross the street to crutch park. If's it Christmas time, come back and check it out once the sun sets. It's still wonderful even if it's not "the most wonderful time of the year". Take your time and look at all of the works of art, and the history written on the ground in front of the archway. Take pictures in front of the waterfall, and enjoy the only bit of grass that you are really going to get in this part of downtown. 


I am very excited to see that the flowers are starting to bloom on the trees here. it's a lovely spot to read, or have a picnic. This was made possible by Charles Krutch. He was a TVA Photographer, who's work is at New York's Museum of Modern Art, and when he died in 1981 is donated the money to the city so a park could be added to the downtown area. The Krutch Family has had lots of influence and respect to Knoxville, and East Tennessee. 

The statue that you see featured in this picture is the Rotary Club Centennial Statue. The man is named William Sergeant, from Oak Ridge, who fought to eradicate polio worldwide. He was a leader of the club lived to see the statue added to the park in 2006. This statue is sculpted by Lajos Biro of Hungary. he is known around the world to be prolific sculptor and this might be he only work in America. 


Crossing over Clinch, you will see another statue of a man and woman. Let me introduce you to Febb and Harry Burn.


 Those suffragettes at the top there may have fought long and hard for the right to vote, but this unlikely team made it happen. Harry Burn was a legislator from East Tennessee. He was a man that was 100% against the 19th Amendment and went public about how he was going to vote "no" if the vote came to Tennessee. The vote did come to Tennessee, and it was also need just one more state to have a majority for "yes" for it to pass that Women could legally vote. Even more so, Harry Burn was the last to vote. When it got to him the vote was also at a tie. Why is there a statue of a man who didn't want women to vote? Well, it's because of the women with him, his mother Febb. Febb wrote her son a letter just before the vote was set to happen, and she asked him to be a "good boy" and vote yes. Any properly raised Southern gentleman always knows that you should listen to you mother. It's because of that letter that Mr. Burns actually voted yes. Against every thing he has said about the Women's vote and changed his mine and the 19th Amendment was passed. In honor of that event, both Febb and Harry were place in the heart of downtown Knoxville in 2018. 


We have talked a whole lot about some really well known people that have helped to shape Knoxville. Let's talk about one who is from Knoxville that has had an impact on the world of entertainment, and this month that is Quinton Tarantino. 


Mr. Tarantino was actually born in Knoxville in 1963. The reason was because him mother has her parents living here when she was pregnant. He lived here until he was about 4 and went to California with her mom and Step-father. He returned to live with family when was in about the 5th grade, for a very short time, and when to South Clinton. He is a Director, Writer, Producer, and Actor that got his real big break in the early 90s when he wrote the script for From Dusk Till Dawn. His first movie was as Director was Reservoir Dogs that came out not terribly long after the success of From Dusk Till Dawn. One of his signatures, other than the bloodiness and dark humor of his films, and that he almost always mentions a name of a town in Tennessee. 


The movie that I watched to honor Mr. Tarantino's work this month was Django Unchained. 


When a bounty hunters to assistance of identifying some men who are watched by the government, dead or alive, he hunts down a man that know what they looks like. However, it's not someone you would normally think that he would be looking for. Dr. King Shultz stops some men who are escorting some slaves to be sold. Among them is a man by the name of Django. In a, very violent, act of freeing all of the men so Django can help they are off to search for these men. As they venture together, King gets to know more about his new deputy and find that he is hoping to find he wife, and get them both up north so that they can be free. However, King learns that Calvin J Candie is her new owner. He is a very charming, and dangerous, man who will not let go of his "property" so easily. They come up with a plan to win over his trust and save his wife.... nothing goes according to plan.


I have not seen all of Mr. Tarantino's movie but I love this one! It's funny, and it's got some of the best actor to come on screen. Jamie Fox is always fun to watch and the outfits he wears as a freeman are hilarious! However, Christoph Waltz has got to be one of the best actors of the modern day. He is in several Tarantino movies, and every time he shows up in anymore movie you know that you are going on a whirlwind of a ride. This is the movie that I suggest when people ask what of his movies you should see. I know lots of people pick Pulp Fiction, but Django Unchained will be my favorite. 


I hope you have enjoyed this month's tour of Knoxville, I hope that next month will be just as good. 

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