Front Porch to the Region's History

Geography defines East Tennessee as a land of mountains and valleys and with a history and heritage apart from the rest of the state. The East Tennessee Historical Society recognizes this distinctiveness with programs and exhibitions uniquely tailored to the region. Our educational mission is to engage the public with the message that history is important. 

This Day In East Tennessee History

  • May 12, 1897

    Just a few weeks after the "Million Dollar Gay Street Fire," in which the Ross building, among others was destroyed, James Patrick Roddy, a salesman at M. L. Ross Company and who would later play a key role in Coca Cola's establishment in Chattanooga, and Katherine Collins were married in Knoxville on this day in 1897.