Sequoyah Hills facts for kids
Sequoyah Hills is a cool neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It's named after a famous Cherokee scholar named Sequoyah (who lived from about 1767 to 1843). He invented the Cherokee alphabet, which was a way for his people to read and write!
This neighborhood is located near Kingston Pike, between downtown Knoxville and West Knoxville. Sequoyah Hills was one of Knoxville's first suburbs, starting in the 1920s. Today, many people who live there are quite wealthy. You can see lots of amazing houses from the mid-1900s, designed by famous architects like Charles I. Barber and Francis Keally.
The area used to be farmland called Looney's Bend. But in the 1920s, two smart business people, E. V. Ferrell and Robert L. Foust, started developing it. They wanted to create a perfect place for Knoxville's rich families to live, away from the busy city. Even though the Great Depression caused Foust's project to fail, Sequoyah Hills still grew into the beautiful neighborhood he imagined.
Knoxville's first ever Dogwood Arts Trail started on Cherokee Boulevard in 1955. Also, in 1979, some of the early landscape designs from Foust's "Talahi" development were added to the National Register of Historic Places. These are called the Talahi Improvements.
Contents
Where is Sequoyah Hills?
Sequoyah Hills sits on a piece of land that sticks out into the Tennessee River. This area is called Looney's Bend because of how the river curves around it. The neighborhood has the river on its east, south, and west sides. To the north, it's bordered by Kingston Pike (US-70/US-11).
The land here is quite hilly. There's a small cliff, about 10 to 15 feet high, along the river's edge. From there, the land slowly goes up, reaching about 40 feet above the river. This means many houses on the higher parts have amazing views of the river and Knoxville in the distance!
Sequoyah Park covers most of the south side of the neighborhood. It's in the flat area between the river and the cliff. Cherokee Boulevard is a special road with a grassy area in the middle, and it curves in a U-shape around the edge of the land. Another main road, Scenic Drive/Southgate Road, runs through the middle. There's also a small shopping area called Council Point, located where Kenesaw and Keowee avenues meet.
History of Sequoyah Hills
Early Days
People have lived in what is now Sequoyah Hills for a very long time! Native Americans were here as early as the Late Woodland period (around 500 to 1100 A.D.). You can still see proof of this: a 1,000-year-old Indian mound in the middle of Cherokee Boulevard. By the 1700s, the Cherokee people controlled this area. The neighborhood's namesake, Sequoyah, was born nearby around 1767.
In 1796, a man named Moses Looney bought a large piece of land here, about 700 acres. He and his family lived on this land for many years, and the area became known as "Looney's Bend." Other early landowners included James Park, who later became Knoxville's mayor, and Drury Armstrong, who built the famous Crescent Bend house.
The oldest house still standing in Sequoyah Hills is at 715 Scenic Drive. It was built in the 1850s as a smaller house on Allen Johnson's farm.
How the Neighborhood Grew
In 1890, Francis Huger bought over 450 acres in Sequoyah Hills. He wanted to move a steel mill there, but a financial crisis in 1893 stopped his plans. In 1910, Peter Blow built a house across the river and ran a ferry to Sequoyah Hills. Blow's Ferry Road, which led to the ferry, might have been built on an old trail.
In 1907, some Knoxville business people started the Cherokee Country Club. They built a clubhouse with amazing views of the river and the Great Smoky Mountains. The current building was designed in 1928. In 1913, trolley tracks were extended to the area, which helped it grow. Sequoyah Hills officially became part of Knoxville in 1917.
As cars became popular, wealthy people in Knoxville started moving out of the crowded city to more open areas. By 1920, several fancy homes had been built near Sequoyah Hills.
The Vision of Talahi and Sequoyah Hills
In the mid-1920s, E. V. Ferrell began building many homes in Sequoyah Hills. He built Cherokee Boulevard (named for the Indian mound) and improved Scenic Drive to connect his land. Ferrell chose the name "Sequoyah Hills" to go with Cherokee Boulevard. By 1924, several houses were built, and many lots were sold.
In 1926, Robert Foust bought 100 acres of land to create a top-notch neighborhood. He called it "Talahi," which means "standing oak forest" in Cherokee. Foust wanted Talahi to be a place where "all the ugliness of city life has been shut out." He believed it would blend the "Indian past, a technical future, and a natural forest setting."
Foust hired landscape engineer Earle S. Draper to design Talahi. The plans included curvy streets, keeping old trees, and putting power lines underground. Lots had to be at least 5,000 square feet and only for single-family homes. Foust wanted all houses to be in English Cottage or American Colonial Revival styles, though this rule changed later. He also planned a country club by the river.
Between 1927 and 1929, Foust built several beautiful features, like entrance pillars, fountains, and a park (Papoose Park). Talahi opened for sales in the spring of 1929. But sadly, only one lot was sold before the stock market crashed later that year. Lots that were supposed to sell for thousands of dollars were suddenly worth only hundreds. His finances were ruined, and sadly, he passed away in September 1933.
Cool Buildings and Features
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Talahi Improvements
|
|
The Panther Fountain
|
|
 Location in Tennessee
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Cherokee Boulevard, Iskagna Drive, Kenesaw Avenue, Keowee Drive, Talahi Drive, Taliluna Avenue and Tugaloo Drive Knoxville, Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Area | 18 acres (7.3 ha) |
| Built | 1929 |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002447 |
| Added to NRHP | December 26, 1979 |
Talahi Improvements
Even though Robert Foust's plans for Talahi were cut short, he did finish some amazing landscape features. These include gateposts at both ends of the subdivision on Cherokee Boulevard, two fountains, a park, special streetlights, and stone benches. The roads were originally made of concrete, and you can still see parts of it on Talahi Drive, Iskagna Drive, and Taliluna Avenue.
The Talahi Improvements are mostly found where Talahi Drive meets Cherokee Boulevard and where Talahi Drive meets Taliluna Avenue. In the middle of these intersections are two fountains: "Sunhouse Fountain" and "Panther Fountain." Papoose Park, surrounded by an iron fence, is in the middle of Talahi Drive. Stone walls with benches form a circle around the Cherokee Boulevard/Talahi Drive intersection.
Sunhouse Fountain is a round stone fountain with twelve small posts, each decorated with a sunburst design. Panther Fountain is also round, with a tall stone in the middle. Water used to come out of panther heads on its sides. Many of the designs on the gateposts and fountains are inspired by Cherokee art and the Art Deco style.
Houses to See
- The Jenkins House on Cherokee Boulevard was built in 1955. It was designed by famous Knoxville architect Ben McMurry, Jr. In 2008, a magazine called Oxford American featured this house as one of the best modern homes in the Southeast!
- The University of Tennessee president's house (940 Cherokee Boulevard) is a beautiful Georgian Revival-style home. It was built in the 1930s. The University of Tennessee bought it in 1960 and used it as the home for its president until 2009. This was the only lot sold in Talahi before the company faced financial problems.
- The Thomas House (715 Scenic Drive) is the oldest house still standing in Sequoyah Hills. It was built in the 1850s as a small house on a farm.
- 726 Scenic Drive is a one-story house built in 1948. It's a "Gunnison home," which was a type of pre-made house that became popular after World War II.
- 937 Scenic Drive is a two-story Neoclassical-style house built in 1924. It was designed by the architectural firm Barber & McMurry.
- The Lockett House (1065 Scenic Drive) is another two-story Neoclassical-style house, built in 1931. It was designed by Baumann and Baumann. This property even has an old log cabin that was moved from Jefferson County!
- 1079 Scenic Drive is a two-story Art Moderne house built in 1935. It has a very sleek, modern look.
Other Important Buildings
- Sequoyah Elementary School The oldest part of the school, facing Sagwa Drive, was built in 1929. It was designed by the architectural firm Barber McMurry.
- Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church This church was started in 1947, and its current building was finished in 1954.
Famous People from Sequoyah Hills
Many interesting people have lived in Sequoyah Hills! Some of them include:
- Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr.
- Businessman Jim Clayton, who owns Clayton Homes
- Author Alex Haley
- Members of the Haslam family, including former Governor Bill Haslam
- Author Cormac McCarthy
- Actress Patricia Neal
- Tennessee Volunteers football coach Robert R. Neyland
- Actor David Keith
- Former Knoxville mayors George Roby Dempster and Benjamin Morton
- Photographer James Edward Thompson
