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.
Upcoming Lectures
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@ East Tennessee History CenterAugust 19, 2018 - 2:30pm to 3:00pmEllen Berry (1894-1992), a descendant of Knoxville founder James White, was a southern aristocrat who lived a life of love, riches, world travel, and royal connections. Yet her life was marred by tragedy, sorrow, and a misplaced trust that took her fortune and became an episode of the television series Unsolved Mysteries. ...
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@ East Tennessee History CenterAugust 22, 2018 - 12:00pm to 1:00pmWhile the term "Code Talkers" is often associated with World War II, the story actually begins in WWI, when to avoid German deciphering of messages, the U.S. military employed Native Americans fluent in both their native language and English, to send secret messages in battle. The first known use of Native Americans in the American military to...
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@ East Tennessee History CenterAugust 23, 2018 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Edward Terry Sanford was born in Knoxville and is one of only six Tennesseans to have served on the United States Supreme Court (1923-1930) and the only one who obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee.
Stephanie L. Slater's important work covers Sanford's early upbringing, the lasting impression a largely pro-...
Previous Lectures
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@ East Tennessee History CenterJuly 19, 2018 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm
From the fronteir taverns and saloons to upscale dining and continental cuisine and a return to our roots of local eating experiences, Knoxville dining has now come full circle over the past 225 years. In a Brown Bag lecture, author and historian Paula Johnson will share stories ranging from the early country music stars frequenting Harold's...
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@ East Tennessee History CenterJuly 11, 2018 - 4:30pm
The Friends of the Knox County Public Library and Union Ave Books will host an evening with journalist and author Vince Vawter on Tuesday, August 7, at 7 p.m. at the East Tennessee History Center. Vawter will speak about and sign copies of his latest book, Copyboy...
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@ East Tennessee History CenterJune 20, 2018 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm
It was October 1918 when Sergeant Alvin C. York gained national acclaim for his actions in battle in the Argonne Forest of France, single-handedly killing 25 German soldiers and taking 132 prisoner. Over time, the exact site of the battle became lost to history. Between 2006-2008, a national team of historians, archeologists, and geographers...
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@ East Tennessee History CenterJune 13, 2018 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm
In a Brown Bag Lecture on Wednesday, June 13, Mark Davidson will speak on the Scots-Irish presence in early Appalachia. Just as they had in Northern Ireland and Scotland before that, the people known today as Scots-Irish had a strong resistance to English domination. They filtered out of Pennsylvania into the Shenandoah Valley, then to the...
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@ East Tennessee History CenterMay 16, 2018 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm
In a Brown Bag Lecture on Wednesday, May 16, Louisa Trott will explain what life was like in Tennessee during WWI. From poems and letters from our troops on the front line to advice for coping with farm and home life, to special features, ads and government PSAs, Ms. Trott will explore life on the Tennessee home front as recorded in newspapers...
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The Keynote Address of the Southern Forum for Agricultural, Rural, and Environmental HistoryApril 27, 2018 - 6:00pm to 7:15pm
The public is invited to attend the keynote address of the Southern Forum for Agricultural, Rural, and Environmental History on Friday April 27, from 5-6:15 p.m. at the East Tennessee History Center. This special lecture portion of the conference will be open to the general public.
Old stereotypes of Appalachia portray the mountains as a...
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A Three-Week Pilot Program That Provides the Tools to Pursue a Personally Meaningful History ProjectRepeats every week every Monday 3 times .April 23, 2018 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Calling all history lovers! The East Tennessee Historical Society, in collaboration with the American Association for State and Local History and Humanities Tennessee, invites you to participate in a new pilot program called Master Local Historians. If you enjoy learning, thinking, discussing, reading, and writing about...
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@ East Tennessee History CenterApril 21, 2018 - 9:00am to 12:00pm
The American Revolution created the United States of America. Tennessee’s rich history is linked to the very founding of our nation. Access to frontier lands and control over Appalachian territories were key factors that caused the Revolution. The Battle of Kings Mountain involved prominent frontier settlers such as John Sevier. The peace...
