Middlesboro’s strange history

By Mike Steely Anyone visiting Cumberland Gap National Park may be missing an interesting side trip to the little Kentucky town next door. Middlesboro has a long and very odd history and is well worth a visit. Just beyond the Cumberland Gap highway tunnel going north...

Go to Jail, Go Directly to Jail…

By Mike Steely If you’ve played Monopoly you know that card well. Drawing it sends you to jail in the game and you sit there and miss two turns unless you roll doubles or have a “Get Out of Jail” card. If you’re a law or history buff you might like to take a drive and...

Land of Arches at Pickett State Park

By Mike Steely One of the most rustic and wondrous areas within a couple of hours drive from Knoxville can be found at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park. The CCC stands for the Civilian Conservation Corps which worked to create the park, as the Depression Era federal...

Our neighbor to the east, Jefferson City

By Mike Steely Did you know our neighbor to the east was once known as Mossy Creek? Yep, until 1901 that’s what Jefferson City was called but was renamed in honor of President Thomas Jefferson. The city has about 8,000 residents, is the home of Carson-Newman College...

Taking the Rockwood Loop

By Mike Steely Want to visit a town that was founded along a pre-historic trail? If you begin in Knoxville and take Interstate 40 west you’ll come to Kingston. The next town is Harriman. If you take that exit you can turn left off the exit and head southwest to...

Remembering Alex Haley

  By Mike Steely Ever look for something you’ve prized over the years and have no idea what you’ve done with it? I once had letters from several people like Jimmy Carter before he was president, Alex Haley when he lived in our area, author Stephen King and other...