Chilhowee Park facts for kids
Chilhowee Park is a fun public park and fairgrounds in Knoxville, Tennessee. It's located in East Knoxville, off Magnolia Avenue. This park has been around since the late 1800s. It's famous for hosting the Tennessee Valley Fair every year. Many other events and shows also happen here. The park is quite large, covering about 81 acres (about 33 hectares). It has a big exposition center, a historic bandstand from 1910, and an amphitheater with 4,500 seats. There's also a pretty 3-acre (about 1.2 hectare) lake called Lake Ottosee. You can also find The Muse Knoxville, a children's science museum, inside the park.
Contents
A Look Back at Chilhowee Park's History
How the Park Began
The land that became Chilhowee Park was first a dairy farm. Professor Fernando Cortes Beaman bought this farm in 1875. In the late 1880s, Professor Beaman started turning part of his farm into a park. He built dance pavilions and found mineral springs there.
In 1890, William Gibbs McAdoo helped extend trolley tracks. These tracks went along Magnolia Avenue all the way to the park. This connected Chilhowee Park with Downtown Knoxville. Later that year, a group called the Lake Park Springs Addition Company bought the park. This company was formed by Beaman and his partners. They also helped develop the neighborhood next to the park.
Big Exhibitions and Famous Visitors
In 1910 and 1911, Chilhowee Park hosted two special events. These were called the Appalachian Expositions. Their goal was to show how much Southern industries had grown. Many important people visited these events. Former president Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the 1910 exposition. President William Howard Taft spoke in 1911.
These expositions featured many cool things. There was a large exhibit hall designed by John R. Graf. A beautiful Tennessee marble bandstand was designed by R. F. Graf. Students from Knoxville College even built a special building. This building showed the history of African Americans in the city. The expositions also saw the first airplane and zeppelin flights in East Tennessee. They also helped local artists Lloyd Branson and Catherine Wiley become more famous.
In 1913, the park hosted another important event. It was called the National Conservation Exposition. This event promoted protecting the environment in the Southern Appalachian mountains.
New Owners and Fun Events
A furniture store owner named James G. Sterchi bought Chilhowee Park in 1920. He then leased it to the East Tennessee Division Fair. This fair later became known as the Tennessee Valley Fair. In 1926, the City of Knoxville bought the park. They continued to lease it for the fair.
In the 1930s, Joe "Smoky" Ellison opened one of Knoxville's first bowling alleys at the park. Many famous performers also came to Chilhowee Park. For example, jazz musician Louis Armstrong performed there in February 1957.
A Special Day for Freedom
On August 8, 1863, Andrew Johnson was the Military Governor of Tennessee. On this day, he freed his personal slaves. For many years in the early 20th century, August 8th became a special day. It was the only day that African Americans in Knoxville were allowed to visit Chilhowee Park. This day was celebrated as a holiday by many African Americans in Tennessee.
