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From Nashville's earliest days as a pioneer town in Middle Tennessee, it would be nothing without its African American community.

Like many cities of the Antebellum South, Nashville was built by enslaved people, as African Americans built the first successful water system, maintained the streets, cultivated crops, and bred livestock. For years, Nashville was considered one of the wealthiest Southern cities, but after the Civil War, it struggled to regain that status while its newly freed Black citizens struggled to survive the South's Reconstruction and subsequent Jim Crow laws. As the Civil Rights era brought long-needed reforms, the Black community of Nashville has persevered through their determination, spiritual strength, and the unique leadership fostered by the visionary city they call home.

Camp Forrest was a training, induction, and combatant prisoner-of-war (POW) facility located on the outskirts of Tullahoma, Tennessee.

It was a self-sustaining city where over 70,000 soldiers were stationed and approximately 12,000 civilians were employed throughout World War II. In 1942, the camp transitioned to an enemy alien internment camp and was one of the first civilian internment camps in the United States. By the middle of 1943, it had transitioned into a POW camp and housed primarily German and Italian prisoners. After the war ended, the base was decommissioned and dismantled in 1946. In 1951, the area was recommissioned and expanded into the US Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Complex. Few remains of this important World War II facility exist today; however, the images within provide a glimpse into the effects and realities of a global war on American soil.

Ghost stories from the Scenic City have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

The haunted history of Chattanooga comes to life—even when the main players are dead. Dare to visit Raccoon Mountain Caverns to see if a ghostly night watchman returns for his shift. See the spirits who haunt several area schools. Or explore the Chickamauga Battlefield to learn Civil War history—and perhaps meet the ghosts of fallen soldiers. Dive into this spooky chapter book for suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

Opryland USA attracted millions of visitors each year and gave many celebrities their first taste of show business. As the "Home of American Music," Opryland USA still lives on in the hearts and minds of those who visited this show that made country music famous.

By the late 1960s, the Ryman Auditorium - the fifth home of the Grand Ole Opry - was a deteriorating firetrap in a seedy part of Nashville, yet it still attracted thousands of people each weekend to the "show that made country music famous." In an effort to develop an attraction that could sustain a larger Opry all week long, Opryland was born. Opryland USA operated from May 27, 1972, until December 31, 1997, attracting millions of visitors each year and giving many celebrities their first taste of show business. The park consisted of nine areas, dozens of rides, and Broadway-caliber shows featuring live bands and orchestras. As the "Home of American Music," Opryland USA still lives on in the hearts and minds of those who visited its wooded trails, lazy streams, exciting attractions, and toe-tapping performances.

Discover the vibrant history of Knoxville, Tennessee, in this series of articles from Jack Neely's acclaimed ""Secret History"" column in Knoxville's Metro Pulse.

Neely delves into the shadows of centuries past and weaves a path of local history with unmistakable wit and precision. Learn about the people who made Knoxville the ""obscure prismatic city"" through their genius, bravery or even impiety--natives like Adolph Ochs, whose fear of the old Presbyterian cemetery kick-started his ascent to the editor's desk at the New York Times; Clarence Brown, the University of Tennessee graduate turned Hollywood icon; and Knoxville's own Mark Twain. Learn about race riots, labor riots and good old-fashioned drunken riots, and discover why Knoxville is Tennessee's forgotten music city.

A fascinating behind the scenes look into the unique history and culture of Chattanooga.

The enigmatic hills and woodlands of the Chattanooga area are a sanctuary of history, and the hometown of author Alexandra Walker Clark. Clark has chronicled the history of her hometown for the Chattanooga Times and the Chattanooga History Journal, and in this collection she combines some of her favorite stories. Absorb the city's rich ethnic diversity, travel down to the hallowed battlefields of Chickamauga and Fort Oglethorpe and grasp the compelling legacy of the Cherokee. This and so much more lies ahead in Hidden History of Chattanooga,

Camp Forrest is a microcosm of the immensity that was World War II, all inside the small community of Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Originally named Camp Peay and built in 1926 as a National Guard Camp, Camp Forrest was renamed for Confederate General and first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and became a World War II induction, training and prisoner of war facility in Tullahoma. The self-sustained city was home to seventy thousand soldiers and about twelve thousand civilian employees, including German and Italian prisoners of war as well as Japanese, German and Italian American citizens who were forcibly incarcerated. After the war ended, the base was decommissioned and dismantled, but the memories of those who lived, worked, trained and grew up during this time of sacrifice and war recount a time the world has not seen since. Author Elizabeth Taylor uses numerous personal interviews, newspaper articles, diaries and biographies to tell the stories of those who lived through the era.

Discover the fascinating stories of Knoxville's eateries as author and historian Paula Johnson dives back in time through the stories of the city's great restaurants.

Over the past 225 years, Knoxville dining has come full circle - from early taverns and saloons to upscale continental cuisine and back to the roots of local eating experiences. Greek immigrants Frank and George Regas founded the legendary Regas Restaurant, which operated for 90 years, spreading culinary influence throughout the entire city. Early country music stars frequented Harold's Deli while visiting the city to perform on Tennessee's first live radio shows. Guests from around the world sat 266 feet in the air at the Sunsphere Restaurant, a fine dining establishment run by the Hardee's Corporation during Knoxville's World's Fair.

The amazing photographs of Knoxville, Tennessee in this book chart the growth of this major metropolitan area in the Southeast, from a small fort to big Southern city.

Though it began as a small fort on the Tennessee River, Knoxville would not know obscurity for long. Founded in 1791, Knoxville became the capital of the new state of Tennessee five years later and rapidly became a major metropolitan area for the southeastern United States. Exportations of raw and natural goods brought wealth and new residents, and soon its main thoroughfare became a window into the growth, development, decline, and rebirth of an all-American city. Then, as now, all roads downtown lead to Gay Street, and everything Knoxville came from it.

Though Knoxville is a decidedly Southern city, it has also taken its place within the American melting pot. Swiss, English, Dutch, Irish, German, Greek, African, and Spanish families have all played major roles in the city's development. For many years, at one small popcorn stand on Gay Street stood Gary Crowder-the meticulous owner of the amazing collection of photographs predominantly featured in Images of America: Knoxville.

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.

Jonesborough, as the oldest town in Tennessee, was once the capital of their own state, Franklin. Although that did not last, the history of this town was impactful in many of the important events of the young country.

Originally established in 1779 as the seat of Washington County, North Carolina, Jonesborough is the oldest incorporated town in Tennessee. Early pioneers were given land grants to settle west of the mountains, but by 1784, they no longer trusted their political leaders in North Carolina. They created their own local government and established the state of Franklin, naming Jonesborough the original capital of the ""lost"" 14th state. Never recognized by Congress, Franklin eventually fizzled out and Tennessee was formed. Although Tennessee was a slave-holding state prior to the Civil War, Jonesborough produced the earliest regularly published periodical devoted to abolishing slavery. Today, Jonesborough is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with many buildings fully restored. In this volume, readers will see the Christopher Taylor House, which was built about 1778, and the Chester Inn, which hosted many famous guests in its original days, including Presidents Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, and James K. Polk.

Roan Mountain depicts this history of this small and diverse appalachian community.

Roan Mountain, a 6,286-foot-high peak, straddles the Tennessee and North Carolina state line in the Appalachian Mountains. Home to world-famous rhododendron gardens, the Appalachian Trail, the site of Gen. John T. Wilder's historic Cloudland Hotel, and record-breaking lofty balds, thousands of visitors, including explorer John Muir and Vice Pres. Richard Nixon, have ascended Roan Mountain over the last two centuries. Biologists, botanists, and tourists have enjoyed its unique natural setting. At the mountain's base and on its slopes, rural communities have endearing histories. Decades ago, the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad passed through the village at the foot of ""the Roan."" The railroad brought wealthy passengers to the mountain-top Cloudland Hotel. It also allowed local industrialists the opportunity to export the area's natural resources. The people of Roan Mountain are proud of their history and have displayed it annually for more than a half-century during the Rhododendron Festival.

Author Brian Allison illustrates the darker shades of Nashville's colorful past.

Nashville is known for its bold, progressive flair, but few are aware of the city's malevolent past. A rowdy red-light district called "Smoky Row" spawned several fatal episodes. A murderous temptress with a penchant for poison once strolled the city streets. Legends range from Andrew Jackson's bar fight with Senator Thomas Hart Benton to the macabre 1938 Marrowbone Creek cabin murders. In 1938, a state penitentiary fugitive escape triggered a tragic gunfight.