The fascade of the Sevier County Courthouse is truly unique. The small ornate dome can be seen from…read moreseveral blocks away. The galvanized dome towers 75' over the building. Seth Thomas Company designed the clock tower. The Courthouse as built in 1895, completed in 1896. This is the fifth courthouse to serve the county. The Beaux-Arts Classicism structure is constructed of brick and limestone. The building construction cost $21,000 in 1896. A historical marker on the Square indicates that the bricks for the courthouse were made by a local notable African-American mason, Isaac Dockery. The building was expanded and remodeled starting in 1971. During the remodel, the original Seth Thomas clock was removed and repainted. The clock works are on display in the lobby area of the Courthouse. In 1971, the Courthouse became listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I visited the lobby of the working Courthouse. The Sheriff deputies on duty were friendly and offered me information about the building. Several cases of local historical artifacts are displayed in the lobby. A bust of Governor John Sevier, the first governor of Tennessee and county namesake, stands in the lobby. I found free parking around the Courthouse Square. A statue of Dolly Parton stands on the Square. The Courthouse is a great place to visit if you like history.

Beautiful buildings, Very clean and the people in the tag/registration office were very nice. There…read morewas quite a line but they moved it very efficiently and all windows were open.

Located along US-70 / 25W, this marker point out the history of the city…read more The marker reads, "Permanently settled 1783. Francis Dean built meeting house where Revolutionary Cemetery remains. Jan., 1793, commissioners of County Court, Jefferson Co., Territory South of the River Ohio, located county seat here. Dean donated land & Samuel Jack laid off town. Named for Martha Dandridge, wife of George Washington." Dandridge is the county seat for Jefferson County and is considered the second oldest town in Tennessee (behind Jonesborough). The town was named for Martha Dandridge Washington, the wife of the first president of the United States which may have led to its being saved later. When the Tennessee Valley Authority proposed the Douglas Dam on the French Broad River in 1942, it would have flooded downtown Dandridge, which was situated below the proposed reservoir's high-water mark. Residents of the town petitioned then First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, pointing out that Dandridge was the only town in the United States named for the wife of George Washington. The Tennessee Valley Authority constructed a levee between downtown Dandridge and the reservoir. The new levee rises almost immediately behind the Town Hall, and runs roughly parallel to Main Street. This is marker number 1C 41 and it was erected by the Tennessee Historical Commission. [Review 20101 overall - 457 in Tennessee - 1077 of 2023.]

All gave some, some gave all is a well done war memorial monument to our veterans that made the…read moreultimate sacrifice that sits right off the extremely popular parkway in Gatlinburg that features millions of tourists and shoppers annually. The memorial features a monument of solider boots and a rifle along with brick paved walkway honoring vets. Overall a wonderful tribute in a place that is bound to get tons of eyes for recognition.

We visited the historic Graphite Reactor here as part of our conference. It's a huge piece of…read morehistory, how we understood nuclear reactions and the development of isotopes. No photos were allowed outside so what I have is from inside.

Got a partial tour of the vast Oak Ridge National Lab. Got to see the site of the first nuclear…read morereaction during the Manhattan Project. Afterwards got to see some of the enormous Spallation Neutron Source. Tons of really technical stuff most of which was way over my head. The history of Oak Ridge is fascinating and it was great to be able to see some of the lab in person. There is much, much more to the lab including the Y-12 National Security Complex and the US Department of Energy. Maybe on another visit. Right now my brain is full.

David welcomed my wife and I to the Museum, gave us a mini tour and showed us a newspaper piece…read morefrom The Oregonian after seeing that I was coming from Portland, Oregon. It was nice to see his father in one of the old photos where he was a butcher for Y12 during the Manhattan Project. It was nice to see people from those days were still visiting and the generations after them as well. Definitely an interesting place to see for anyone passing by!

The visitor center is located in the Childen's Museum of Oak Ridge. To be honest, I was expecting…read moremore out of the visitor's center since a lot of the time there's a small associated museum or exhibits, but it was quite bare with only a small looping video. I liked the concept of the park in that you get to explore the community, but since the bus tour wasn't running with no plan or date when it would come back, it was hard to make a cohesive plan. I would say plan on visiting the K-25 history center + overlook and the American Museum of Science and Energy for sure, and then just wandering around the community looking at the placards. If you're into the stamps, there's a three part stamp (the rest of the parts are in Hanford, Washington and Los Alamos, New Mexico).

Don't get me wrong, I love my local weather guy. Award-winning meteorologist and all around nice…read moreguy. But he's not a weather kiosk. I wish we had more of these things. This kiosk in downtown was installed in 1912 and was designed in 1908 by Professor Charles F. Marvin of the Weather Bureau's Instrument Division. It is four feet square and has 30-inch panels on each side that used to hold weather maps, forecast information, and instruments for measuring temperature, humidity, and rainfall. Unfortunately, the proliferation of radios in the 1920's and then televisions in the 1940's brought the end of the kiosk's role. Thankfully, while this one fell into disuse, it was restored and while it doesn't report the weather any more, it does have some interesting information on East Tennessee history. Worth a stop when you're downtown. [Review 19564 overall - 388 in Tennessee - 535 of 2023.]

I have been in libraries from the United Kingdom to Yokota Japan and all points from California to…read moreDelaware. Without a doubt the Farragut Branch is at the very top of the list. Great staff who are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Keep up the outstanding work. Larry Thornhill

I love libraries and this one is no exception. The workers are helpful (and disinfect the counters…read morebetween patrons). This branch is on the small side but has a good variety of books and children's videos. They have an inter-library loan system which will deliver to your home library from another local branch, so that's convenient and can be done online. My favorite things about this library are the ereader free loans (I get a new book to read almost weekly) and the location. It is in the same lot as Founder's Park, which is amazing to explore. In our previous states/towns, we had tremendous programming for both kids and adults and kids sections with toys and areas for imagination play. I haven't seen much programming listed or any kids area (aside from books) at this branch, but I am crossing fingers that this is due to COVID and not the norm. I guess we'll see!

Friendly and helpful staff are always ready to help. The staff is always available and have gone…read morethe extra mile for me on different occasions. While I'm not involved with the children's programs, I see them to be an emphasis here. On occasion, my research into a local history fact was only successful because a staffer took the time to help.

Who doesn't love FREE? I know we pay through taxes for these glorious book havens, and dang, it is…read moreSO worth it. My family makes the most of our awesome local libraries. Both OR and Knox library systems have beefed up their digital offerings due to COVID and my Kindle has gotten a workout. The Libby app allows you to request putting ebooks on hold and OR Library website allows you to place physical items on hold for easy pickup. There are racks of free books in the entry atrium, too. My kids love the child room, full of learning toys, a fort to climb, rocking chairs, crafts, and of course, books galore. There is a gorgeous view of the courtyard with a fountain and the great playground that lies beyond. The staff is friendly, knowledgable, and helpful. They always have printables with puzzles, coloring pages, book lists, and schedules for events and story time. We love our library!