James White, The Founder of Knoxville, came to the future site of Knoxville in the early 1780s.

His service in the Revolutionary War earned him a land grant of 1,000 acres.

White built the first permanent structure, his two-story log cabin, in 1786.

Two years later, White enclosed the log cabin and other structures with a stockade fence for protection from wild animals.

White was a friend of the Cherokee Indians in the surrounding area. White negotiated several Cherokee and white settler treaties.

White opened his home in peace and to trade with him.

The courtyard of the Fort was used as a stable for domesticated animals such as horses, cows, pigs and sheep.

The area around the Fort was cleared of trees, and the vegetable gardens and tobacco crop were grown for food and commerce.

James White partitioned part of his land in October 1791 to establish the town which would become Knoxville.

The Fort was restored and opened to the public in 1970 by the City Association of Women’s Clubs.

Today more than 10,000 visitors tour the Fort each year and experience the frontier lifestyle through hands-on interpretation including Open Hearth Cooking, Blacksmithing and Spinning.