Tennessee

Name: Vintage Tennessee Signs
Brand: Tim Hollis
SKU: 9781467151801
Price: 17.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Stretched between the Great Smoky Mountains and the Mississippi levees, Tennessee history offers a study in contrasts. The heritage of the Volunteer State makes room for both the quiet of a Walland glade and the roar of an Opryland crowd. Grab one of our Tennessee history book titles for a masterclass in variety that includes Piggly Wiggly founder Clarence Saunders, pioneering architect Moses McKissack, Nashville ghost tours, the Knoxville World’s Fair and the best barbecue in Memphis. [View all Tennessee books]

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Vintage Tennessee Signs

Sears Crosstown in Memphis

The Hidden History of Southeast Tennessee

Middle Tennessee State University

East Tennessee State University

Madison County

Wicked Nashville

Memphis in the Jazz Age

Vintage Tennessee Signs

9781467151801

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Many people have never stopped to realize how many of their fond memories involve advertising signs. Although these neon spectaculars, billboards and even signs painted directly onto brick walls were created expressly to persuade customers or tourists to patronize businesses, many such signs remained in place for so long that they became landmarks in their own right. Signs like the Shoney's Big Boy towering over the area and the iconic Bilmar Motor Inn sign are now a part of history. Author Tim Hollis has scoured various archives to compile some of the best remembered, or most obscure, signs to dot the Tennessee landscape, whether for tourist attractions, restaurants, department stores, gas stations or many other roadside fixtures.

Sears Crosstown in Memphis

9781467147996

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

When it opened in 1927, Sears Crosstown, now Crosstown Concourse, was the southeastern regional warehouse and distribution center for the Sears Catalogue mail-order empire. Each day, more than forty-five thousand orders were processed by more than 1,500 workers. As a result, Sears Crosstown became known locally as "the Wish Building." For more than half a century, the iconic building and its surrounding neighborhood flourished until the decline of Sears in the 1980s. For decades, the once dynamic destination for commerce was vacant and shuttered. Then a unique group of Memphians emerged to resurrect Sears Crosstown with a plan most thought was impossible. Bill Haltom, a native Memphian and writer, tells the story of "the Wish Building"--its past, present and future.

The Hidden History of Southeast Tennessee

9781596298552

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Author and East Tennessee historian Joe Guy unearths tales from the Volunteer State's most distinct region - the Southeast - in this new volume.

With lost lore of Cherokee natives, forgotten stories of Civil War strife, recollections of cherished regional traditions and much more, The Hidden History of Southeast Tennessee offers a captivating collection that possesses the air of mystery reflected in the hills and hollers from which these tales originate. Join Guy as he recounts the fascinating history of this one-of-a-kind corner of Appalachia and presents stories peppered with mountain flavor, all supported by scholarly research and historical inquiry.

Middle Tennessee State University

9780738513614

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Middle Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 as a two-year training school for teachers and has since evolved through myriad changes--in name, in size, in administration, and in academic and athletic resources. Change has also swept through the campus with the ebb and tide of the American climate during some of the twentieth century's most turbulent eras, including World Wars I and II, the New Deal period, and the Civil Rights Movement. What has remained steadfast through the years at this revered Tennessee institution is a commitment to excellence, and a faculty, staff, and student body in constant pursuit of the rewards of higher education. Located on a 500-acre campus in Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University boasts a wide array of opportunities for a student population of nearly 20,000. Courses in everything from agriscience to aerospace, from criminal justice to the recording industry offer budding scholars a chance to explore a wide variety of disciplines, while they also enjoy participating in team sports, academic societies, and social organizations. Within
these pages, students, alumni, and friends of the university will travel down memory lane through a unique photographic tribute to the Blue Raiders. Images of dormitories in the 1920s, World War II campus drills, the first Greek organizations, General MacArthur's visit, homecoming floats, band performances, and early sports teams illuminate the school's colorful history.

East Tennessee State University

9780738585888

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

East Tennessee State University (ETSU), located in Johnson City, was founded in 1911 as East Tennessee State Normal School to provide teachers for the state's public schools. The institution originally offered two courses of study: a four-year high school program and a two-year normal school curriculum, which initially enrolled 29 students. Today ETSU serves more than 14,000 students and offers over 100 undergraduate programs, 75 master's programs, and a dozen areas of doctoral study. The university is organized into 11 colleges and schools. Approximately 700 full-time faculty members, 80 percent of whom hold doctorates, serve the institution's students. Indicative of embracing its Appalachian heritage and location, the university boasts several unique programs, which include bluegrass studies and storytelling. While ETSU offers all the opportunities and resources of any large university, it also has many advantages typically found only in small colleges.

Madison County

9780738567792

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Madison County became the hub of West Tennessee in the 20th century. Now major highways and rail lines traverse the county and its seat, Jackson. Three railroad companies and industry spawned by the railroads, such as the cotton mill town of Bemis, provided the main sources of employment during the 1900s. As job opportunities abounded, the population grew. Images of America: Madison County features the industrial development, business history, and lives of those people who were touched by this tremendous growth in Jackson and the county's outlying communities during the 20th century.

Wicked Nashville

9781625858313

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

While known for the twang of its country music, Nashville is also home to a colorful and salacious past. A must-read for Nashville history enthusiasts.

The earliest settlers to lay claim to the land surrounding Nashville brought with them betrayal, murder and thievery.

As the city grew, authorities unsuccessfully attempted to outlaw and remove vice. During the Civil War, the number of soiled doves

in Nashville forced the army to legalize and regulate prostitution. The death of outspoken politician Edward Carmack triggered the state to outlaw booze for nearly thirty years, but that did not stop alcohol from flowing in the city. One local mayor even bragged about his patronage of saloons.

Elizabeth Goetsch dives into Nashville's wicked past and explores some of Music City'smore tantalizing history.

Memphis in the Jazz Age

9781467148702

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Jazz Age was a boom time in the Bluff City. Murder was rampant, and politics were rough-and-tumble. First, Mayor Rowlett Paine and Boss E.H. Crump joined forces to fight the local Ku Klux Klan (and nearly lost). Then they turned on each other, and the political battle ensued. Other colorful characters weaving in and out of the story include Black political leader "Bob" Church, millionaire Clarence Saunders, Governor Austin Peay, evangelist Billy Sunday and even William Jennings Bryan. The city went on a building spree and a bootleg booze binge even as cotton prices plummeted. The Great Flood of 1927 added more strife with the addition of local refugees. Author Robert Lanier details these fascinating stories and more.