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.

Previous Lectures

  • The Past, Present, and Future of Film Preservation in East Tennessee
    March 15, 2023 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

    Join Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound (TAMIS) archivists past and present as they explore the history of the audio-visual division of the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection. With audience favorite films and recently discovered footage, they will explore the past, present, and future of TAMIS, a unique Knoxville institution....

  • February 15, 2023 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

    Robert J. Booker will delve into the history of the African American moviegoing experience in Knoxville, Tennessee, in a conversation with Knoxville History Project Executive Director Jack Neely. Booker will discuss the city’s segregated Black theaters from the early 1900s to the 1960s, as well as his experiences at the Bijou Theatre, where...

  • The Art of Jim Thompson & Laura Thornburgh
    February 1, 2023 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

     “What is there to see in the Great Smokies? That depends upon what you want to see. These are the friendliest mountains in the world, and offer a never-ending series of surprises for those who visit them.” – Laura Thornburgh

    In 1925, Assistant Director of the National Park Service Arno B. Cammerer ascended Gregory Bald on a special...

  • Brown Bag Lecture with speaker/author Paula Johnson
    December 1, 2022 - 7:00am to 8:00am

    The Marble City, the Scruffy City, or the Maker City, whatever you call it, Knoxville, TN has become a culinary destination. Locals and visitors eat their way through this unpretentious mountain town while exploring rich culinary inspirations ranging from Appalachian flavors to dishes brought from around the globe. Take a trip through historic...

  • Brown Bag 2022 Lecture Series with Georgiana Vines
    November 16, 2022 - 7:00am to 8:00am

    In Person Location and Reservations
    East Tennessee History Center, 601 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 (Seating is limited.) Register on Eventbrite.

    Online Reservations
    Register on Eventbrite for this event streamed on Zoom

    Or visit the ETHS Facebook page at the start of the...

  • November 10, 2022 - 2:00pm

    Union Ave Books and East Tennessee Historical Society are excited to present a reading of DANGEROUS GROUND from Dr. John Suval. This event will take place at the East Tennessee History Center on November 10 at 7:00 pm.

    About Dr. John Suval:

    John Suval is a historian of the nineteenth-century United States...

  • Brown Bag 2022 Lecture Series with Maury Nicely
    November 2, 2022 - 8:00am to 9:00am

    In Person Location and Reservations
    East Tennessee History Center, 601 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 (Seating is limited.) Register on Eventbrite.

    Online Reservations
    Register on Eventbrite for this event streamed on Zoom

    Or visit the ETHS Facebook page at the start of the...

  • Lecture and Book Signing with Dr. Bob Hutton
    October 27, 2022 - 1:00pm

    Join us for a conversation with author Bob Hutton and writer/researcher Jack Neely as they discuss Hutton’s highly anticipated book Bearing the Torch: The University of Tennessee, 1794–2010.

    Bearing the Torch stands as a comprehensive history of the University of Tennessee—the first of its kind since 1984—replete with anecdotes and...

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