The third oldest building in Knoxville, the Lamar House has stood for 199 years with a nearly unbroken record of providing the city with business, cultural, and entertainment services. Dean Novelli will discuss the storied building’s construction and its survival through war, bankruptcy, remodeling, urban renewal, and shifting ownership....
Lectures
Love history and want to learn more? Explore a variety of historical topics as authors, scholars, and local historians present the latest research and books, as well as new looks at old subjects. Lectures are open to the public and are free of charge unless otherwise stated.
Previous Lectures
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@ East Tennessee History CenterJuly 13, 2016 - 7:00am to July 14, 2016 - 7:45am
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@ East Tennessee History CenterJune 28, 2016 - 7:00am to June 29, 2016 - 7:45am
Gail Palmer’s latest novel, The Midwives’ Quilt, explores the experiences of four midwives in the Smokies. Palmer will give a short reading from the book and discuss a handmade quilt symbolizing plants and animals thought by midwives to have healing properties. She will also describe the history of women serving as healers and how the...
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@ East Tennessee History CenterJune 15, 2016 - 7:00am to June 16, 2016 - 7:45am
Tennesseans played prominent roles in World War II, from diplomatic efforts on the eve of war to work on the Manhattan Project. Defense-related industries such as the Aluminum Company of America, Rohm & Hass Chemical Company, and the Fulton Sylphon Company were vital to the war effort and became targets of enemy espionage. Dewaine Speaks...
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@ East Tennessee History CenterMay 25, 2016 - 2:00pm to 3:30pm
Sharyn McCrumb, New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Appalachian “Ballad” series, masterfully combines historical research and captivating folklore in her new Depression-era novel, Prayers the Devil Answers. Suddenly thrust into the role of primary caretaker for her family following the tragic death of her husband, Ellie...
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@ East Tennessee History CenterMay 6, 2016 - 7:00am to May 7, 2016 - 8:45am
The Knoxville Stomp Festival of Lost Music, May 5-8, celebrates the old-time, jazz, blues, and gospel music of the 1929 and 1930 Knoxville session recordings. The festival opens at the History Center with a panel featuring old-time music scholar Ted Olson, historian Tony Russell, and Bear Family record label head Richard Weize. They will...
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@ East Tennessee History CenterApril 13, 2016 - 7:00am to April 14, 2016 - 7:45am
WNOX began broadcasting in 1922 as the eighth radio station in the nation. Old time, gospel, blues, jazz, and other styles performed by local talent filled the station’s airtime and showcased Knoxville as a melting pot of musical culture. Bradley Reeves, archivist at the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound, will share rare film clips,...
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Presented in Partnership with the Friends of the Knox County Public LibraryMarch 22, 2016 - 3:00pm to March 23, 2016 - 4:45pm
Erik Larson, widely acclaimed master of page-turning nonfiction sagas, will speak in Knoxville at the Bijou Theatre on Tuesday, March 22, at 7 p.m. Larson, who divides his time between New York City and Seattle, is the author of four national bestsellers: In the Garden of Beasts, Thunderstruck, The Devil in the White City...
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@ East Tennessee History CenterMarch 9, 2016 - 7:00am to March 10, 2016 - 7:45am
In November 1917, Knoxville was scene to a tense showdown between activists for women’s votes, local law enforcement, and Tennessee lawyers. Wanda Sobieski uses this story of controversy and courage as a starting point to explore the struggle over voting rights in our region. Tennessee was deeply divided on the suffrage issue, but eventually...
