Totally Tennessee

Today, I have the honor of writing the inaugural post for Totally Tennessee. For this article, I thought that it would be fitting to do a little history on the state of Tennessee. Before we get to that topic, I would like to tell you what you can expect from this new blog. I will be writing on the many wonderful things that can be found all over Tennessee from Dollywood in the Smoky Mountains to The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga to The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville to Beale Street in Memphis and the World’s Fair Park in Knoxville. It will not stop there as I plan to discuss the old and new here. Be sure to check in daily for the newest post.

When we travel back nearly 12,000 years, we find that the area that is now known as Tennessee was originally inhabited by Paleo-Indians. If we fast forward in time, we find that Tennessee was first admitted to the Union in 1796 as the 16th state. In 1861, the great state of Tennessee secede from the Union to join the Confederate States of America. In 1864, Andrew Johnson from Tennessee was elected as Vice President and would be the successor after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865. Tennessee had it first centennial celebration in 1897, one year late. At that time, they erected a full scale replica of the Parthenon for this celebration. This is located in Nashville in what is now known as Centennial Park.

Modern Tennessee represents a truly progressive state. With the labs at Oak Ridge, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and the educational institutions all around the state, Tennessee is a leader in the sciences. When you look at the cultural phenomena that is Rock and Roll, the Blues, and Country music, Tennessee is also leading the way. Throw in the excellent sports teams, the vast natural areas, and an agricultural heritage and Tennessee is a state that has seemlessly moved into the modern era.

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