So, this month has been a wild ride when it comes to learning about Knoxville. I was also so busy this month that I really did myself a favor and took a very short tour of South Knoxville. However, let's first talk about David Keith in An Officer and a Gentleman.
David Keith was born in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1954. He Graduated from the University of Tennessee and is still a very avid Vols fan and tries to get to the games when he can. He is an actor and director, and has been in the business since 1978. His breakout role was in 1982, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe, An Officer and a Gentleman.
Zach Mayo has the dream of becoming a Navel Aviation Officer. A bit of loaner, and always out for himself, he learns quickly that you need people to help you in the Navy, and in lie. You're only in training for a matter of month but in that time, he learns, your whole life can change.
I am not sure what I think of this film. It's slow for most of the film, and then it get very intense and then it slows back down again. I think it was a fine movie but I don't think it would be one the I would recommend. I understand why this is David Keith's break out role because his role is what make the movie.
South Knoxville is a place that I find myself going through more and more lately. I have a friend of mine that like not far from there and I have had to leave work to go down through South Knox to get to his place. It's beautiful! There is also a lot of stuff around there that I have never noticed going that way.
Ijams Nature Center
This wonderful Nature Center, for whom I have volunteered for many times over the years, is a beautiful getaway not far from Downtown. It's has miles of walking trails, both paved and unpaved, and has hundreds of activities every year. The center itself hold lots of animals that can not longer live in the wild, but they are used to teach all sorts of people that come to visit. They are a great organization and they use all the resources they can to teach everyone about preserving nature.
Island Home Baptist Church
Not far from the nature center is the Island Home Baptist Church. It's most well known person that is buried here is Paul Y Anderson, a Pulitzer-Winning Reporter.
Knox County Museum of Education
Ok, so this is not my picture that I took. I did go to the building but there is nothing on the outside that tells you that a museum is in there. There were also a lot of people that were coming out of the building so I didn't take a pic or go in. However, this museum holds records and yearbooks the many years that the Knoxville City School have been around. Some records go as far back as the 1820s.
Fort Stanley
What I have learned a lot this year is just how much of the Civil War was fought in and around Knoxville. I have no idea that so much fighting did happen here, or that how many people were always defending that place. One of the several Forts in Knoxville is Fort Stanley. However, most of what is left of the fort is actually on private land. I was not able to visit. There are few places that are open to the public but I was not able to find those places.
Fort Dickerson
Now Fort Dickerson on the other hand is a very different story. I have passed the beautiful column that lead you into, then up to, the Fort several times and never realized that I was looking at. There are tones of sitting areas, and places to walk around. There are replica cannon's and great plaques that give you lots of information about what the Fort looked like and why it was built there. It was never assaulted but it did trade fire with the Confederates at the start of the Siege of Knoxville.
Woodlawn Cemetery
This is an absolutely beautiful Cemetery. It's also huge! I am not sure if there is a way to find people in here without just a lot of searching, and a bit of luck. However, there are some very interesting people laid to rest here. Cas Walker, who help to start Dolly Parton's career, is buried here. A St. Louis Cardinal/Red pitcher turned Major League Umpire, Ken Burkhart, is also buried here.
Mary Vestal Park
This lovely park was named after the Mother of the two brother's of the Vestal Lumber Co..
Mount Oliver Cemetery
I was a little nervous to enter into this resting place. The design of the layout is unique and beautiful. I didn't even have to search very hard to find what I was looking for. Pictured above is a marble slab filled with the names of 400 Tennesseans who died in one of the worst navel catastrophes in history. The Sultana was a steam boat that was taking 1100 people back home. Most of the being Union Soldiers that were recently released from Confederate prison camps in 1865. Hundreds were heading back to East Tennessee. The boilers exploded about 7 miles north of Memphis. The slab was created to honor those who served our countries and lost their lives on their way back to freedom.
Fort Higley/ High Ground Park
This park was not very well known to the public until about 2013. There was a threat that the Fort was going to destroyed because of Apartment Complexes that wanted to be built there. The land was saved and lots of historic markers have been placed around the wonderful paved pathways.
Marble Springs
Marble Springs the the home to Tennessee's first Governor John Sevier. Although it has been know for some time that the logs here are not the ones that John, and his wife, would have touched the building is a great example of how they would have lived. This property that the house is on is actually the property of were they lived. The Sevier's are people who have a lot of interesting stories. They fought Indians, and they both became legends from that.
Going on this tour of South Knoxville took way longer than I thought but it's really the fist time that I go to learn more about stuff I wasn't really familiar with. There is lots about Downtown that I have learned over the years, and there is more to learn, but honestly learning about what happened before what Downtown came to be was a lot of fun. I know that this next month is going to be a bit of a challenge to complete but I know it's going to teach me lots of things about the city that I love.
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