Taking historic Highway 25W through the mountains

Taking historic Highway 25W through the mountains A Day Away By Mike Steely Before the construction of I-75 through the mountains between Caryville and Jellico, Tennessee, most of the traffic heading north and south took Highway 25W. When the interstate north or south...

Visiting Big Stone Gap

Visiting Big Stone Gap A Day Away By Mike Steely Just over two hours northeast of Knoxville is a special small town loaded with history, scenery and myth. Big Stone Gap, Virginia, is in Wise County and near the Virginia-Kentucky state line and at the foot of a gap in...

Visiting those ol’ East Tennessee Jails

Visiting those ol’ East Tennessee Jails A Day Away By Mike Steely Here in East Tennessee we are blessed or cursed to have so many old abandoned houses of correction. Yep, scary and historic old jails. And you don’t have to go far to visit one of those old calabooses....

Visiting Somerset

Visiting Somerset A Day Away By Mike Steely Somerset, Kentucky, is one of those small southeastern towns in the Blue Grass State that is worth an afternoon visit this summer. Its history is a bit different than other rural towns in our neighboring state and a day trip...

Secret Shelter at the Greenbrier is worth a visit

Secret Shelter at the Greenbrier is worth a visit A Day Away By Mike Steely When I was stationed in Washington, D.C., in the late 1960s I kept hearing stories of a secret shelter for members of Congress. I remember traveling back and forth from Coast Guard...

Regional History 101 for newcomers

Regional History 101 for newcomers More Than A Day Away By Mike Steely If you are new to our area and a bit confused or puzzled by some of our places, names, or roads here are a few things you might like to know. Tazewell Pike doesn’t lead to Tazewell; it leads to...