Introduction

Being the full blown history nerd that I am, when I relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2007 the first thing I did was hit the book stores and picked up as many local history books as possible. One of the first lines that caught my eye was, “Knoxville was a wide open town.” That one line has fueled a fire in my soul to search out the seedy side of the Scruffy City’s past, that line and my love of smelly old beer halls. It may not be healthy, but I am truly fascinated with tales of the old Red Light district, of the taverns, saloons, and bar rooms! I can just picture the colorful characters like Kid Curry the outlaw stumbling down Central into Ike Jones’ Saloon to drown his cares in that apricot brandy. I can almost see the sporting men and loose women carrying on into the early hours.

The reason I started this project is to learn more about these devilish dens and the men and women who filled them each night. I also wanted a way to share my discoveries with others who may be interested in the subject. So belly up to your monitor and enjoy a round of eighty proof history on me…