James Agee Park

James Agee Park, Fort Sanders, Knoxville

I was asked recently about the funding for James Agee Park. The gentleman who asked was interested in helping with the park in some way. I believe he mistook me for the person who was appointed to an interim position on city council. I didn't point out his mistake, choosing instead to direct him to the only person I know who would have information on the park: R.B. Morris.

James Agee Park, Fort Sanders, Knoxville

I know very little about the park. I remember when R.B. and others lobbied the city for a plot of land in the Fort Sanders area. James Agee was at 15th and Highland and lived there early in his life. That home is the setting for his classic work A Death in the Family. Of course, the home was demolished and an apartment building replaced it. 15th Avenue was renamed James Agee in 1999. Unfortunately, it becomes Philip Fulmer Way as it crosses Cumberland.

Enscription at the entrance to James Agee Park

If you read the site entitled James Agee Park History, you will find that the title is misleading. It gives the background of James Agee, but not the history of the park itself. Another portion of the city's website says it was dedicated in 2003, gives directions (corner of Laurel and James Agee), and mentions the Agee quote engraved at its entrance: "To those who in all times have sought truth and who have told it in their art or in their living."

Shoes and boots dangling from power lines just north of James Agee Park

More embarrassing than not knowing anything about funding was the fact that I didn't even know the location of the park. As much as I had cheered for the efforts to secure it and as close as I live to it, I had never tried to find it. Initially I walked up James Agee thinking I would see it. I didn't without looking at the address. I think during one pass I was blinded by the hanging shoes I've photographed before. I heard someone call this a mobile. Does anyone know the story behind that?

Marker on columns at the entrance to James Agee Park

After securing the address, I took another turn and sadly, I was underwhelmed when I found it. There are a few benches, some overgrown flowerbeds and a small path winding in a circle around a very small plot of ground. It turns out I had walked past it many times without realizing it was a park of any kind. There are stone colunms at the entrance, but I'd assumed they belonged to one of the large homes located on either side of the park and that the park itself was part of the lawn.

As I mentioned earlier, there is the one quote visible in the cement if you look for it. It is unattributed. The words "James Agee Park" are inscribed on the columns, but they aren't easily viewable from the street. There is a street sign that states it is a park, but that, also, it is, ironically, not on the street. There is nothing further about who James Agee might have been for the benefit of the uneducated passerby. Certainly there is no statue, which would certainly be appropriate.

I'm glad the effort was taken to secure this small memorial to such an important Knoxvillian. I appreciate each person who worked to make it happen. I simply wonder if we couldn't do a little more. What about a statue? I've heard talk of erecting statues of coaches and players on the UT campus, what about a little love for a Pulitzer Prize winner? Could there be a historical other marker that states he was born just north of that spot or at least lists his works?

Park Benches in James Agee Park

Until something more is done, there is a very small, slightly desheveled park with a couple of benches on which you might sit and contemplate the amazing shooting star that was James Agee. Visualize your own statue.

Not-so-Smart Smart Car

Please forgive me my vehicle fetish. I never realized I had one until I started this blog. Since I almost always have a camera on hand when I'm walking about downtown I take pictures of what catches my attention and I've been surprised at how often that object of my attention turns out to be a vehicle. In this case, it was a Smart Car.

Smart Car, Fort Sanders, Knoxville

What makes a Smart Car so smart? Is it because it can slip into little places no other car and driver would attempt? Is it because it looks smart? Because its owner is probably smarter than me or you? Because it gets insane gas mileage?

I'm not sure, but for some reason I thought of these cars as somehow above the laws of physics that govern us mere mortals and our very physics-bound cars. I hadn't realized I felt this way until I encountered this particular Smart Car in Fort Sanders. For some reason it completely startled me to see one in this condition. It didn't really seem so smart after all.

Smart Car, Fort Sanders, Knoxville, February 2011

On the other hand, I doubt it was pushed into the parking space where I found it, so, if in fact it is still running when it looks like the front end has been smashed in far enough to break the driver's ankles, maybe it really is pretty smart.

Random Homes in Fort Sanders, Part Two

Here are more of the homes that caught my eye as I recently walked through Fort Sanders. I realize one of them is a church, but I thought it was interesting. It seemed to be missing something, as if its soul had been misplaced or somehow truncated. A missing soul would seem to be a serious problem for a church. I'm speaking of the building only, of course. It just seems to lack something that I can't name.

Home on Highland Avenue, Fort Sanders, Knoxville

Home on Highland, Fort Sanders, Knoxville

There were several homes in its immediate area that caught my eye. All of them are located on Highland Avenue. Two were directly beside the church pictured above and one was across the street from them. In two of the three someone was working at a computer just inside the window as I took my photographs. If I'm ever arrested for spying on people you guys are going to have vouch for me.

Home in Fort Sanders, Trying Desperately to Cling to its Christmas Spirit.

These homes were fairly well kept and were probably recognizable when James Agee walked this street as a little guy. Still, they could all use some work and any house that slips into disrepair in this section of town becomes at risk. As an example, the edge of a building visible to the right of the house in the shot above is the apartment complex built over the foundation of James Agee's boyhood home, which brings us to the subject of the next blog: James Agee Park.

Random Homes in Fort Sanders, Part One

Home in Fort Sanders, Knoxville

There are many great homes in and around Fort Sanders. Some of them are lovingly cared for by single-owner occupants. Some of them are sub-divided into as many apartments as could be carved from their insides. In many cases these, or others that are rented as a whole are falling apart. Stories of absentee landlords allowing their property to fall apart, crumble and generally degenerate are probably as old as the neighborhood itself.

Home in Fort Sanders, Knoxville

Home in Fort Sanders, Knoxville

Still, even with the obvious decay, it isn't hard to imagine how grand this part of Knoxville once was and wish it could attain that same grandeur once more. The difficulty in such a proposition is that to renovate, restore and rescue a home of this age, and in the case of many of them, of this size is enormous. It really takes someone with access to large amounts of money and a willingness to continue expending it through the coming years.

Once Grand, Now Falling Apart, Home in Fort Sanders, Knoxville

Most of us couldn't consider doing it and I really appreciate the people who do. As for the people who could do better, but choose to allow these once elegant homes to fall apart while they milk the last pennies from hapless UT students they possibly can, I don't know how they sleep at night.

Smaller Homes with Character, Fort Sanders, Knoxville

Home with alternating colors of siding, Fort Sanders, Knoxville

I'll post another round in part two. I'm sure that there are many more that deserve attention, but I'll at least share a few that caught my eye.

Knoxville's Mini-Rainbow Row?

Residential demolition was so thorough in downtown Knoxville, that in the main part of the city proper there are very few structures standing that were originally intended as homes. Some of those have suffered "improvements" over the years and have been diminished in their claims to original construction. Remarkably, some that have survived are among the oldest built on the site: The James White home, the Blount Mansion and a handful of others. Row homes, which were once common downtown are now only represented in their historic form by Kendrick Place.

Rainbow Row, Charleston, S.C., photo by Sasha Azevedo

Charleston has, of course, done a much better job at preserving historical structures. The famous "Rainbow Row" pictured above, features historic homes of alternating colors.

Knoxville's Rainbow Row? Eleventh Street, Knoxville, February 2011

We don't have anything that can quite compare, but we do have a row of Victorian homes, currently under repair and renovation by Knox Heritage, that remind me a little of that famous row. They are located on Eleventh Street in the Fort Sanders neighborhood, just a few yards from the Green House featured previously.

Fire Damage, Victorian home, Eleventh Street, Knoxville

Sadly, a closer look reveals the damage from an early morning fire last spring. The middle home appears to have repairs to the fire damage underway, but the one most damaged doesn't seem to have repairs underway. I know the damage was extensive, but I hope the home can be saved. Two homes don't make a very good rainbow.

Knox Heritage (ca 1888) Home Recieves LEED Certification

Knox Heritage Green House, Fort Sanders, Knoxville, February 2011

This will be the first in a series of posts centered in the Fort Sanders area. The densest populated area in east Tennessee, the neighborhood is known for its student housing and its proximity to the University of Tennessee campus. It is also home to many Victorian era structures in various states of beauty and decay. James Agee lived in this neighborhood, though sadly the home he remembered as he wrote A Death in the Family was destroyed in favor of bland apartments for students.

View of the Knoxville Museum of Art from the Green House

That was the old way of doing business in Knoxville. In this new era (I'm feeling optimistic today) we preserve homes and even make them better. Such is the case with the Victorian Home restored by Knox Heritage, located at 1011 Victorian Way (formerly 1011 Laurel Avenue, just off Eleventh Street) and dubbed the Green House. Not only was it returned to its original grandeur, it was built with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind, demonstrating that you can have old without the sins of the fathers. In this case, the home comes equipped with two solar power devices, one for heating water and one for generating electricity. The home is now being offered for sale.

View of the former Eleventh Street Coffee House (great coffee!) from the Green House

Other homes in the area are also in various states of restoration, while many languish and as recently as this past year, some are still being destroyed. If you are interested in older homes, I'd encourage you to take a stroll through Fort Sanders. Maybe you'll be inspired to take on a (large and expensive, but very loving) project. If that is out of your means or capabilities, maybe you'd like to join Knox Heritage and support their work. In the meantime, over the next few days, I'll give you a peak at some of the sites in the neighborhood.

Knox Heritage "Green House," Fort Sanders, Knoxville, February 2011

Dale Mackey Presents Seminar on Social Media: A Blog about Blogging

Dale Mackey discusses Social Media, Redeemer Church, Knoxville, February 2011

It had to happen eventually: I finally got some training in this blogging thing. Actually, the workshop, sponsored by the Knoxville Writer's Guild and presented by Dale Mackey at the Redeemer Church in Fort Sanders was about more than blogging. It was about the changes in the ways that people connect in 2011. Facebook, blogging, Twitter and issues like work flow, content, photographs, building networks and on the list goes. Somewhere around forty people crammed into a room at Redeemer Church at Highland and 17th for the two-and-a-half-hour session.

I attended because I want my blog to do as well as possible. How do you know when a blog is doing well? As of today, thirty-one people are notified about new posts via the registration form in the right-hand column. Another forty-one are followers, meaning they have subscribed to the blog, also available to the right of this post, so they can read it via RSS feeds.

Participants discuss their interest in Social Media.

On average, I have about a hundred people read the blog each day. Many of them are repeat visitors. Of the hundred, five will be from other countries. Twenty will be from out of state. Fifteen will be from Tennessee towns outside of Knoxville. Breaking it down like that says there are about sixty Knoxvillians reading each day and it seems that could be better. There are about two thousand who live downtown alone.


Dale Mackey, Social Media Workshop, Knoxville, February 2011

I learned that I'm doing some things pretty well and I could definitely do some things better. On the positive side of the ledger, I've got a focused topic that I stick to pretty well, I'm posting often, I'm writing as well as I know how and I respond to people pretty quickly. On the other side of the ledger, my photographs could be better, so I'm going to continue working on that. Also, I should probably start producing some video, but that will have to wait for a while. I'm still pondering some of the other pieces we discussed today. I doubt I'll ever twitter. I probably do, however, need some sort of Facebook presence.

So, there will be some changes. Some will not be obvious, but others may be. If you have suggestions for me, I'd love to read them - either in a comment below, or in a private e-mail here. I want to make this blog the best I can make it. In the meantime, check out this video we viewed in our conference today regarding the explosion of social media. It is a couple of years old, so things have changed a bit, but it is pretty amazing.

R.B. Morris and Marshall Chapman at the Laurel Theater

Marshall Chapman, R.B. Morris, Laurel Theater, Knoxville, January 21, 2011

Suddenly Knoxville is doing what it often does: offering so many wonderful (or even amazing) concerts that a person can't make them all. I've always thought it was feast or famine in Knoxville. It would seem we would wait months for a concert that I was excited about and all of a sudden too many to attend (or afford) would be announced. This has been compounded in recent years with the advent of selling tickets months in advance of the actual concert.

R.B. Morris, Laurel Theater, Knoxville, January 21, 2011

This weekend was so packed with music there was no way to take it all in. I really wanted to hear Jenna and the Accidentals at the Crown and Goose (Friday and Saturday night), but I had to catch Marshall Chapman while she was in town (Friday night) and she offered the bonus of R.B. Morris who is always great to see. Saturday night two other offerings conflicted with Jenna: The Black Lillies CD release party at the Bijou, for which we'd had tickets for ages, and Fred Eaglesmith at the Shed in Maryville. The pain of missing the Shed show was eased by the fact that I got to see him for about thirty minutes at WDVX on Saturday afternoon and also by the fact that I find it very difficult to get in my car and drive to hear music when there is so much within walking distance.

Marshall Chapman, Laurel Theater, Knoxville, January 21, 2011

So, the musical weekend started Friday night at the wonderful Laurel Theater located in the Fort Sanders section of downtown. Honestly, even though it is only about a mile from my home, I'll confess: I drove. I know, I know. Still, it was twenty-something degrees and the wind was howling. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. When America falls because of its gasoline addiction, that .02 of a gallon will be on my head. I'm sorry, my fellow Americans.

R.B. Morris, Laurel Theater, Knoxville, Janaury 21, 2011

The house was packed with people who seemed to appreciate both artists and may who knew each artist's catalogue. Both R.B. and Marshall have acted (she plays Gwyneth Paltrow's manager in the current release Country Strong), published books, recorded and written many songs. The evening was heavy on the songs, but also included readings from each of them. She read from her book They Came to Nashville which includes stories of various country music stars and their adventures on first arriving in Nashville. Her description of pursuing Willie Nelson for an interview in the book was priceless. R.B. read from his current collection of poetry, Keeping the Bees Employed which is only available for purchase through his website. Each of them also have an album out from which they played several songs. Marshall's latest is Big Lonesome and R.B.'s is Spies, Lies and Burning Eyes, also available at his website.

Marshall Chapman reads from They Came to Nashville, Laurel Theater, Knoxville

Each of the writers has a distinctive style, but as they swapped songs back and forth, the constant theme of the evening was the capacity of each to relay larger truths in stories and songs about common events. In her song "Call the Lamas" is both hilarious and provocative. Other highlights included Sick Of Myself and Riding With Willie. She's been described as a "southern Patty Smith" and that's pretty understandable when you see her in concert with her rock and roll posturing, lips pouted, eyes defiant and music set firmly on the edge. She has enjoyed considerable success for someone who doesn't quite fit the pre-measured boxes into which we place popular music in these days. Her songs have been recorded by such artists as Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris, Sawyer Brown, John Hiatt and Joe Cocker among many others.

R.B. Morris reads from Keeping the Bees Employed, Laurel Theater, Knoxville

R.B. has been recorded by John Prine. To hear him tell it, that is the only cover he's gotten. This is something I have a hard time understanding. So many of his songs are incredibly well-crafted and some of them are stunning displays of intellectual and musical art. He did Empire on Friday night and that song gives me chills every time I hear it. Its soaring, melodic elegy for a culture in decline is as provocative as any anthematic song you'll encounter. If you have nothing by R. B., that link gives you a very good place to start. That song and City, which was clearly written about Knoxville and conjures images of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem are as good a pair of songs as virtually any songwriter could ever hope to have to his or her credit.

The audience for the show filled the Laurel Theater and was filled with star power of its own. Authors Jean McDonald, Fred Brown, Don Williams and Marilyn Kallet, musicians Jay Manneschmidt and Maggie Longmire, local and national music impresario Ashley Capps as well as local public servants new city councilman Charles Thomas, municipal judge John Rosson and Madeline Rogero (who R.B. introduced as Knoxville's next mayor). I was fortunate they let me in the door.

R.B. sings a final song, Laurel Theater, Knoxville, January 21, 2011

In the end, a very appreciative crowd and two very talented friends swapping songs made for a very happy evening in Fort Sanders. To see who's coming to the Laurel Theater next you can find the listing on the Jubilee Arts web site. It's a great series in a great venue.

Early Evening in Fort Sanders

When I started this blog, I fully expected to write about a very large area from Fourth and Gill, to Happy Holler through the Old City, across downtown proper to the river and over to UT and Fort Sanders. "Oh, but I was so much bolder then, I'm humbler than that now." In the year since moving downtown, I realize how strongly I don't want to drive when I'm home. Since I don't own a bicycle, that leaves my feet. I enjoy walking, but I have limits. The occasional foray into UT or Fort Sanders requires that the weather be nice and the day be leisurely. I've never walked to Happy Holler and I've only walked to Fourth and Gill once. So, my neighborhood is large, but smaller than I planned.

World's Fair Park, Knoxville, October 2010

Recently I did make one of those longer walks, across the Great Divide that is Henley Street. It's faster to run across between cars, but it is more pleasant to walk the pedestrian bridge, crossing above the fray. I paused on the Clinch Avenue viaduct to take a photo of the World's Fair Park. It really has grown up to be a nice place.

Shoe Art, off Laurel Avenue, Knoxville, October 2010

Further into Fort Sanders I found this view. Do you think students live somewhere in this vicinity? I'm not sure I'd like this much footwear dangling outside my home, but I have to admit it is kind of cool in a college-daze sort of way.

Sun Setting on Southern Section of the Knoxville Skyline - View from Laurel Avenue

There was also this pretty good view of the southern section of Knoxville's Skyline from Laurel Avenue.

Amy Greene, Knoxville Writer's Guild, Laurel Theater, Knoxville

The reason for the walk was to attend a reading by Amy Greene from her book Bloodroot at the October meeting of the Knoxville Writer's Guild. Amy grew up in the Morristown area and her book is set in the Appalachians and follows a family through multiple generations using several narrators. The portions she read were captivating. There is no mistaking the influence of Lee Smith, but then, how could anyone read literary fiction set in Appalachia and not think of Lee Smith?

Amy Greene reading from Bloodroot, Knoxville Writer's Guild

The reviews have been very kind to the book and Amy seems like a very promising writer. You might want to check out the book and you might want to check out the next Knoxville Writer's Guild meeting if you like your entertainment of the literary persuasion. November 4, Michael Knight will read from his new novel The Typist: A Novel.

And we should have great walking weather for at least one more meeting!