New Book Releases

From the Civil War to present day; Greenville's history has impacted more than its home state of Tennessee.

The Greeneville area was settled in 1775 by English, German, and Scotch-Irish pioneers. In 1783, while still part of North Carolina, the town of Greeneville was founded and named for Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. It served as the capital of the State of Franklin from 1785 until 1788 under the leadership of John Sevier. In 1796, Greeneville was included in the formation of a new state--Tennessee. Over the years, farming has been the mainstay of the area with tobacco becoming the most prominent income producer for the agricultural community. Greeneville is proud to be the home and burial place of our 17th president, Andrew Johnson, and home to the state's oldest institute of higher learning, Tusculum College.

For centuries, the majesty and mystery of the Great Smoky Mountains have lured mankind.

The Cherokee were among the first to build thriving communities here, and backcountry frontiersmen were next to put down roots. In time, visitors arrived, eager to take in the cool mountain air, and returned home with stories of ""hillbillies."" Then came those who used the mountains for their own advantages, such as lumber barons, armed with steam shovels and skidders. Eventually, civic boosters from western North Carolina and east Tennessee took note and began advocating for the protection of the Great Smoky Mountains. Before a national park could be established, though, there were competing interests to be sorted and a consideration of the lives affected.

Experience the long and storied past of the University of Memphis in this pictorial history told through the lens of over 200 vintage images.

The 100-year transformation of the University of Memphis from a small teacher-training school to a major metropolitan research university is chronicled in Campus History Series: University of Memphis. The West Tennessee Normal School was established in 1912 to provide high school diplomas and teacher credentials to predominately female students. In 1925, the school dropped its high school classes and became the West Tennessee State Teachers College. The institution became a full liberal arts college, Memphis State College, in 1941. Huge gains in postwar enrollment pushed the institution toward university status, which was achieved in 1957. Memphis State University experienced rapid growth, expanding from barely 6,000 students to over 22,000 as the baby boomers came of age. Then, in 1994, signaling its growing stature as a major metropolitan university, the institution was renamed the University of Memphis.

Bound by the majestic Smoky Mountains and its lush, rolling foothills, East Tennessee was forged by the pioneering spirits of the region's Cherokee tribes and the white settlers who arrived in the early nineteenth century.

Named for famous Revolutionary War hero Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, the town grew from a humble traveler's rest called Taylor's Place into a bustling community full of diversity and opportunity, attracting people of all races and creeds over the years. This visual history, with over 200 black-and-white photographs and postcards, explores the Cleveland of yesteryear, a time when Ocoee Street and Central Avenue echoed with the sounds of horse and wagon and the first automobile made its noisy debut on the town's unpaved main streets. Cleveland transports readers into the past and allows them a unique opportunity to rediscover the city's early landscape, some of the notable residences, such as the Craigmiles House, and a few of the principal industries that guided the town through the Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. Most important to Cleveland's success and identity are its people and their achievements. This volume records the prominent businesses, religious institutions, and educational facilities, such as Centenary College, Bob Jones College, and Lee College, that the citizens of Cleveland worked hard to provide for their children, neighbors, and future generations.

In January of 1866, with the devastation of the Civil War far from assuaged in the slowly recuperating South, Fisk University made its home in abandoned Federal barracks near Nashville, Tennessee.

The entire region faced hardships after the conflict, but Southern blacks still encountered what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles, even after the emancipation of slaves. Within five years of its opening, Fisk was in such a dire financial situation, many expected its closure; however, in an effort to raise funds for the university, Professor George L. White and nine students traveled the country performing in a musical ensemble known as the Jubilee Singers. Their hard-won rise to fame led them to the White House where they performed for President Ulysses S. Grant, and the money they earned touring the country literally saved Fisk. The spirit of the first Jubilee Singers lives on at Fisk today, but it is a university much different than the one that opened in 1866. Today Fisk is an institution fully equipped for the challenges of the future, noted for its excellence in academics, and celebrated for the achievements of its distinguished alumni. Whether in the classroom, on the playing field, or on stage, Fisk students and faculty are torchbearers of achievement in all areas of life. It is their unyielding determination that is celebrated within these pages, as the university's history comes to life in vintage photographs. Early classrooms, beloved professors, civic and social organizations, sporting events, famed alumni, and the Jubilee Singers are all included in this retrospective.

A fascinating look into the beginnings of one of Tennessee's oldest counties, Blount.

Blount County is the 10th county formed in the state of Tennessee. It was carved out of Knox County in 1795 and named for William Blount, the governor of the Territory South of the River Ohio. Maryville is the county seat and was named for Blount's wife, Mary Grainger Blount. The abundance of natural resources that once drew hardy settlers now attracts tourists from all over the world, especially to Cades Cove, a pioneer settlement in the Blount County section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Blount County has been home to the legendary Sam Houston; U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, who also served as Tennessee's governor; and Bessie Harvey, a world-renowned folk artist.

Nestled in the mountains where Tennessee meets Kentucky and Virginia, the towns of Harrogate and Cumberland Gap showcase the nation's history and the beauty of nature.

Here, a British investor dreamed of creating a resort town that rivaled the spas of Europe. The Panic of 1893 crushed those plans, but it also allowed a former Civil War general to keep his promise to Abraham Lincoln that he would do something to assist the area's mountain people. As a university that became a memorial to the 16th president grew in Harrogate, locomotives steamed through Cumberland Gap. The 1930s and 1940s marked hard times, but the pluck of the populace held firm. Indeed, the philanthropic effort put into the region, as well as a southern movie premier and even a presidential visit, demonstrated the area's potential. As time marched on, both Harrogate and Cumberland Gap welcomed tourists who explored the nearby Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and visited the university's Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum.

Chattanooga Radio and Televisionprovides an informative entertaining look at Chattanooga's broadcast history through the images and stories of its participants.

To those born and raised in Chattanooga, certain names bring a smile to their faces: Miss Marcia, Bob Brandy, Mort Lloyd, Dr. Shock, and, of course, Luther.

These are among the icons of Chattanooga broadcasting. They are the faces and voices that awakened Chattanoogans each morning, delivered the news, or made them laugh. Ever since two high school pals put the city's first radio station on the air in 1925, Chattanooga has been blessed with an abundance of memorable personalities. Some passed through on their way to national fame, while others have made Chattanooga their home for more than half a century.

Author David Carroll, a Chattanooga radio and television personality since 1975, utilizes his friendships with hundreds of local radio and television personalities to bring their stories to life.