Knoxville National Cemetery | A Brown Bag Lecture with Jack Neely

Well cared for and gleaming uniform white stones, Knoxville's National Cemetery still doesn't look ancient, but in fact it's one of the city's best-preserved relics of the Civil War. Its establishment was a priority of General Burnside when his army occupied Knoxville in 1863, and some graves are exactly where they were during the Confederate siege. Buried here are both black and white Union soldiers, along with more than 1,000 "Unknowns," as well as U.S. veterans from most wars since.

Jack Neely is the director of the Knoxville History Project and for many years authored the popular column, "Knoxville's Secret History," that ran in the Metro Pulse.

The lecture is sponsored by the Gentry Griffey Funeral Chapel and Crematory and is free and open to the public and will begin at noon at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville. Guests are invited to bring a “Brown Bag” lunch and enjoy the lecture. Soft drinks will be available. For more information on the lecture, exhibitions, or museum hours, call 865-215-8824.