Kingston Pike, Knoxville
Encyclopedia
Kingston Pike is a highway in Knox County, Tennessee
, USA, that connects Downtown Knoxville
with West Knoxville
, Farragut
, and other communities in the western part of the county. The road follows a merged stretch of U.S. Route 70
and U.S. Route 11
. From its initial construction in the 1790s until the development of the Interstate Highway System
in the 1960s, Kingston Pike was the main traffic artery in western Knox County, and an important section of several cross-country highways. The road is now a major commercial corridor, containing hundreds of stores, restaurants, and other retail establishments.
The old Kingston road was originally built in the 1790s to connect Knoxville with Fort Southwest Point
at what is now Kingston
. During the Civil War
, Confederate
and Union
forces fought several skirmishes along the Kingston road as they struggled for control of Knoxville. The Kingston Turnpike Company was chartered in 1866 to improve the Kingston road, and by 1893 had extended the improved road to the county line. From the 1920s into the 1950s, Kingston Pike was a major stopover for tourists traveling along the Dixie
and Lee
highways, which intersected at Kingston Pike.
Starting with the completion of West Town Mall
in 1970, Kingston Pike developed into Knoxville's largest retail corridor. Historian Jack Neely once wrote, "If suburban sprawl had a local name, it would be Kingston Pike." The road is now home to "an enclosed shopping mall, a big-box mall, over 100 strip malls, 100 chain restaurants," and "more acreage of asphalt surface parking than any other street in the Knoxville MSA
."
community just across the Knox-Loudon county line. East of the L&N tracks, Kingston Pike continues into the Fort Sanders and downtown areas as Cumberland Avenue. West of Dixie Lee Junction, US-70 continues westward to Kingston, while US-11 veers southwestward to Lenoir City
.
The westernmost Kingston Pike street address is the now-vacant Court Cafe building (13110) at the county line, and the easternmost is the Metron Corporation (2309). The two-block section of road between the county line and the US-70/US-11 split is typically considered Kingston Pike, although its businesses (e.g., Dixie Lee Nursery and Dixie Lee Fireworks) have "Highway 11 East" street addresses. US-70 west of Dixie Lee Junction is sometimes casually referred to as Kingston Pike or Kingston Highway, although its street addresses simply use "Highway 70 East." Before major highway construction in the 1960s, Kingston Pike followed a more winding route beyond Bearden
, as evidenced by the numerous sideroads named "Old Kingston Pike." On some maps, Hines Valley Road, which intersects US-70 at Eaton Crossroads (just north of Lenoir City), is referred to as "Old Kingston Pike."
Along with US-70 and US-11, Kingston Pike is part of State Route 1. Kingston Pike runs roughly parallel with a merged stretch of Interstate 40
and Interstate 75
, which passes just to the north. Along with Knoxville and Farragut, communities linked by Kingston Pike include Sequoyah Hills
, West Hills
, Bearden, Ebenezer Mill, and Concord
.
trail. This trail ran westward to Sinking Creek (about 10 miles west of Knoxville), where it turned abruptly southward and passed through the modern Concord area. The trail then crossed the Tennessee River and continued southward to the Overhill Cherokee
towns in the Little Tennessee Valley
.
By 1788, this trail had been incorporated into the North Carolina Road, the main route connecting settlements in East Tennessee with settlements in the Nashville
area. In 1792, the newly-created Knox County commissioned Charles McClung
, a surveyor who had drawn up the original plat of Knoxville the previous year, to build a public road from Knoxville to Campbell's Station (modern Farragut). This road, originally about 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, was extended to Kingston by 1800.
For much of its early history, the Kingston road remained a dangerous route. In 1792, the home of Ebenezer Byram (for whom the Ebenezer community is named) was attacked by a band of Creeks. The following year, a small Cherokee
force attacked Cavet's Station, which stood about three miles east of the Ebenezer home, killing 12 of the station's 13 inhabitants. During the early 19th century, highwaymen stalked the more isolated stretches of the Kingston road, and by 1820, the section of the road just west of Bearden had been nicknamed "Murderers' Hollow."
marched north from Chattanooga in hopes of taking Knoxville from Union forces under Ambrose Burnside
, who had occupied the city in September of that year. Longstreet wanted to attack the city from the south, but due to fortifications in South Knoxville, he was forced to cross the Tennessee River at Huff's Ferry in Loudon
, and march on Knoxville from the west. To give his troops time to strengthen Knoxville's fortifications, Burnside executed a series of maneuvers to delay Longstreet's advance down the Kingston road.
On November 16, a portion of Burnside's troops engaged Longstreet's vanguard, led by General Lafayette McLaws
, at the Battle of Campbell's Station
. This engagement, which lasted about six hours, allowed the greater part of Burnside's forces to make their way back down the Kingston road to Knoxville. As Burnside's chief engineer Orlando Poe
worked feverishly to fortify the city, Union cavalry commander William P. Sanders
executed a delaying action just west of town near the Bleak House, buying Poe another 36 hours before falling mortally wounded.
With Knoxville fortifed, Longstreet surrounded the city and settled in for a siege. He set up his headquarters at the Bleak House, and his staff set up offices at Knollwood
and Crescent Bend
. On November 29, after a two-week siege, Longstreet ordered McLaws to march against Fort Sanders, an earthen bastion overlooking the Kingston road from the north. The assault was beaten back, however, and Longstreet withdrew a few days later.
By 1913, trolley tracks had been constructed along Kingston Pike as far west as Lyons View Pike, leading to residential development and the construction of apartment buildings along the 2000 and 3000 blocks. Kingston Pike was paved with a hard surface in the early 1920s, reflecting the rise of automobile travel. By the end of World War II
, Kingston Pike had been expanded to a four-lane road.
with beaches in the South. The Lee Highway was primarily an east-west route that connected Arlington, Virginia, with California
. The two routes joined in downtown Knoxville and diverged at the US-70/US-11 split at the Knox-Loudon line, which thus became known as the Dixie-Lee Junction.
The automobile traffic along the Dixie and Lee highways brought a tourism boom to Kingston Pike. Beginning in the 1920s, businesses catering to this thru-traffic sprang up along the length of the road from Bearden to Dixie Lee Junction. Tourist camps, predecessors to the modern motel, were among the earliest of these businesses, and included Knoxville's first motel, Edd's Tourist Camp, which was established in Bearden in the late 1920s. Restaurants also began to appear, many of which used flashy signs, unusual Streamline Moderne architecture, and names such as the "White Dot Barbecue Stand," the "Oki-Doke Cafe," and the "Wonder Lunch Room" to attract passing tourists. Drive-in theaters and skating rinks began to appear along Kingston Pike during the 1950s.
The development of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s and 1960s brought an end to the Dixie Lee Highway period. Interstate 40
and Interstate 75
, which run roughly parallel to Kingston Pike, siphoned off most of the area's interstate traffic, and most of Kingston Pike's tourism-related businesses closed. Only a few buildings from Kingston Pike's Dixie Lee Highway period have survived to the present day, most notably the 11-70 Motor Court near Farragut, the Naples Restaurant in Bearden, and Dixie Lee Fireworks and the old Court Cafe building at Dixie Lee Junction.
In 1961, Knoxville annexed a large stretch of land along Kingston Pike west of Sequoyah Hills, bringing several unincorporated communities into the city. The opening of West Town Mall
in the 1970s resulted in the collapse of retail shopping in downtown Knoxville, and Kingston Pike became Knoxville's primary commercial corridor.
in 1996. The houses, concentrated primarily on the road's 2000 and 3000 blocks, were constructed circa 1834–1930, and are thus representative of the period before strip malls and other retail outlets came to dominate the road. Architectural styles in the district include Federal
, Georgian Revival, Bungalow
, Tudor Revival
, Queen Anne, Neoclassical Revival, and Spanish Colonial Revival.
Several buildings located along Kingston Pike are listed individually on the National Register, but are not part of the historic district. These include the Ossoli Circle Clubhouse
(2511), the Tyson Junior High building (2607), the Benjamin Morton House
(4084), Knollwood (6411), and the Avery Russell House
(11409). The Baker Peters House
(9000) was built before the Civil War, but is ineligible for listing due to numerous modifications. Several other listings are located just off Kingston Pike, ranging from the 1806-era Statesview
in Ebenezer to the 1954 Hotpoint Living-Conditioned Home in West Hills.
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
, USA, that connects Downtown Knoxville
Downtown Knoxville
Downtown Knoxville is the downtown area of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It contains the city's central business district and primary city and county municipal offices. It is also home to several retail establishments, residential buildings, and the city's convention center...
with West Knoxville
West Knoxville
West Knoxville is the section of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, that lies west of the city's downtown area. It generally stretches from Sequoyah Hills on the east to the city's border with Farragut on the west...
, Farragut
Farragut, Tennessee
Farragut is a town in Knox and Loudon counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, and is generally a suburb of nearby Knoxville. Farragut's population was 20,689 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area...
, and other communities in the western part of the county. The road follows a merged stretch of U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east–west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
and U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
. From its initial construction in the 1790s until the development of the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
in the 1960s, Kingston Pike was the main traffic artery in western Knox County, and an important section of several cross-country highways. The road is now a major commercial corridor, containing hundreds of stores, restaurants, and other retail establishments.
The old Kingston road was originally built in the 1790s to connect Knoxville with Fort Southwest Point
Fort Southwest Point
Fort Southwest Point was a federal frontier outpost at what is now Kingston, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Constructed in 1797 and garrisoned by federal soldiers until 1811, the fort served as a major point of interaction between the Cherokee and the United States government as...
at what is now Kingston
Kingston, Tennessee
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Roane County, Tennessee, United States, and is adjacent to Watts Bar Lake. Kingston, with a population of 5,264 at the 2000 United States census, is included in the Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area....
. During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
and Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
forces fought several skirmishes along the Kingston road as they struggled for control of Knoxville. The Kingston Turnpike Company was chartered in 1866 to improve the Kingston road, and by 1893 had extended the improved road to the county line. From the 1920s into the 1950s, Kingston Pike was a major stopover for tourists traveling along the Dixie
Dixie Highway
The Dixie Highway was a United States automobile highway, first planned in 1914 to connect the US Midwest with the Southern United States. It was part of the National Auto Trail system, and grew out of an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final result is better understood as a small network of...
and Lee
Lee Highway
The Lee Highway was a National Auto Trail in the United States connecting New York City and San Francisco, California via the South and Southwest. It was named after Robert E...
highways, which intersected at Kingston Pike.
Starting with the completion of West Town Mall
West Town Mall
West Town Mall is an upscale shopping mall located in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Opened in August 1972, this one-level mall is located in the western portion of Knoxville in the West Hills community. West Town Mall is located along Interstates 40/75 and Kingston Pike...
in 1970, Kingston Pike developed into Knoxville's largest retail corridor. Historian Jack Neely once wrote, "If suburban sprawl had a local name, it would be Kingston Pike." The road is now home to "an enclosed shopping mall, a big-box mall, over 100 strip malls, 100 chain restaurants," and "more acreage of asphalt surface parking than any other street in the Knoxville MSA
Knoxville Metropolitan Area
Knoxville Metropolitan Area is the third largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in Tennessee. It consists of Knoxville, Tennessee as its central city and the following counties:*Anderson*Blount*Knox*Loudon*Union...
."
Route
Kingston Pike is a four-lane road that runs westward for approximately 20 miles (32.2 km) from the L&N tracks just east of Alcoa Highway to the divergence of US-70 and US-11 in the Dixie Lee JunctionDixie Lee Junction, Tennessee
Dixie Lee Junction is an unincorporated community in Loudon County, Tennessee, United States, situated at the intersection of U.S. Route 70 and U.S. Route 11. The community is named for its historical location at the junction of the eastern leg of the Dixie Highway and the Lee Highway...
community just across the Knox-Loudon county line. East of the L&N tracks, Kingston Pike continues into the Fort Sanders and downtown areas as Cumberland Avenue. West of Dixie Lee Junction, US-70 continues westward to Kingston, while US-11 veers southwestward to Lenoir City
Lenoir City, Tennessee
Lenoir City is a city in Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 8,642 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area....
.
The westernmost Kingston Pike street address is the now-vacant Court Cafe building (13110) at the county line, and the easternmost is the Metron Corporation (2309). The two-block section of road between the county line and the US-70/US-11 split is typically considered Kingston Pike, although its businesses (e.g., Dixie Lee Nursery and Dixie Lee Fireworks) have "Highway 11 East" street addresses. US-70 west of Dixie Lee Junction is sometimes casually referred to as Kingston Pike or Kingston Highway, although its street addresses simply use "Highway 70 East." Before major highway construction in the 1960s, Kingston Pike followed a more winding route beyond Bearden
Bearden (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Bearden is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, located along Kingston Pike in West Knoxville. Developed primarily as an agrarian community in the 19th century, this neighborhood now lies at the heart of one of Knoxville's major commercial corridors...
, as evidenced by the numerous sideroads named "Old Kingston Pike." On some maps, Hines Valley Road, which intersects US-70 at Eaton Crossroads (just north of Lenoir City), is referred to as "Old Kingston Pike."
Along with US-70 and US-11, Kingston Pike is part of State Route 1. Kingston Pike runs roughly parallel with a merged stretch of Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
and Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
, which passes just to the north. Along with Knoxville and Farragut, communities linked by Kingston Pike include Sequoyah Hills
Sequoyah Hills, Tennessee
Sequoyah Hills is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, located off Kingston Pike between the city's downtown area and West Knoxville. Initially developed in the 1920s, Sequoyah Hills was one of Knoxville's first suburbs, and today is home to some of the city's most affluent residents...
, West Hills
West Hills (Knoxville, Tennessee)
West Hills is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, located just off Kingston Pike in West Knoxville. Initially developed in the 1950s, West Hills was Knoxville's first major post-World War II subdivision, and the first subdivision to consist primarily of modern ranch-style houses...
, Bearden, Ebenezer Mill, and Concord
Concord, Knox County, Tennessee
Concord is an unincorporated community in Knox County, Tennessee, United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an historic district. The United States Geographic Names System classifies Concord as a populated place...
.
Early history
What is now Kingston Pike was originally part of a Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
trail. This trail ran westward to Sinking Creek (about 10 miles west of Knoxville), where it turned abruptly southward and passed through the modern Concord area. The trail then crossed the Tennessee River and continued southward to the Overhill Cherokee
Overhill Cherokee
The term Overhill Cherokee refers to the former Cherokee settlements located in what is now Tennessee in the southeastern United States. The name was given by 18th century European traders and explorers who had to cross the Appalachian Mountains to reach these settlements when traveling from...
towns in the Little Tennessee Valley
Little Tennessee River
The Little Tennessee River is a tributary of the Tennessee River, approximately 135 miles long, in the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States.-Geography:...
.
By 1788, this trail had been incorporated into the North Carolina Road, the main route connecting settlements in East Tennessee with settlements in the Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
area. In 1792, the newly-created Knox County commissioned Charles McClung
Charles McClung
Charles McClung was an American pioneer, politician, and surveyor best known for drawing up the original plat of Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1791. While Knoxville has since expanded to many times its original size, the city's downtown area still roughly follows McClung's 1791 grid...
, a surveyor who had drawn up the original plat of Knoxville the previous year, to build a public road from Knoxville to Campbell's Station (modern Farragut). This road, originally about 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, was extended to Kingston by 1800.
For much of its early history, the Kingston road remained a dangerous route. In 1792, the home of Ebenezer Byram (for whom the Ebenezer community is named) was attacked by a band of Creeks. The following year, a small Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
force attacked Cavet's Station, which stood about three miles east of the Ebenezer home, killing 12 of the station's 13 inhabitants. During the early 19th century, highwaymen stalked the more isolated stretches of the Kingston road, and by 1820, the section of the road just west of Bearden had been nicknamed "Murderers' Hollow."
Civil War
In November 1863, Confederate forces under General James LongstreetJames Longstreet
James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
marched north from Chattanooga in hopes of taking Knoxville from Union forces under Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
, who had occupied the city in September of that year. Longstreet wanted to attack the city from the south, but due to fortifications in South Knoxville, he was forced to cross the Tennessee River at Huff's Ferry in Loudon
Loudon, Tennessee
Loudon is a city in and the county seat of Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 4,476 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located in eastern Tennessee, southwest of Knoxville, on the Tennessee River...
, and march on Knoxville from the west. To give his troops time to strengthen Knoxville's fortifications, Burnside executed a series of maneuvers to delay Longstreet's advance down the Kingston road.
On November 16, a portion of Burnside's troops engaged Longstreet's vanguard, led by General Lafayette McLaws
Lafayette McLaws
Lafayette McLaws was a United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, at the Battle of Campbell's Station
Battle of Campbell's Station
The Battle of Campbell's Station was a battle of the Knoxville Campaign of the American Civil War, occurring on November 16, 1863, at Campbell's Station, , Knox County, Tennessee....
. This engagement, which lasted about six hours, allowed the greater part of Burnside's forces to make their way back down the Kingston road to Knoxville. As Burnside's chief engineer Orlando Poe
Orlando Poe
Orlando Metcalfe Poe was an United States Army officer and engineer in the American Civil War. After helping General William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea, he was responsible for much of the early lighthouse construction on the Great Lakes.-Early life:Poe was born in Navarre, Ohio...
worked feverishly to fortify the city, Union cavalry commander William P. Sanders
William P. Sanders
William Price Sanders was an officer in the Union Army in the American Civil War, who died at the Siege of Knoxville.-Birth and early years:...
executed a delaying action just west of town near the Bleak House, buying Poe another 36 hours before falling mortally wounded.
With Knoxville fortifed, Longstreet surrounded the city and settled in for a siege. He set up his headquarters at the Bleak House, and his staff set up offices at Knollwood
Knollwood (Bearden Hill)
Knollwood is an antebellum house at 6411 Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It is also known as Knollwood Hall, Major Reynolds House, the Tucker Mansion and Bearden Hill...
and Crescent Bend
Crescent Bend
Crescent Bend is a historic home at 2728 Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee. The building is known as Crescent Bend because of its location on a bend of the Tennessee River. It is also known as the Armstrong-Lockett House, Longview and Logueval...
. On November 29, after a two-week siege, Longstreet ordered McLaws to march against Fort Sanders, an earthen bastion overlooking the Kingston road from the north. The assault was beaten back, however, and Longstreet withdrew a few days later.
Kingston Turnpike
In May 1866, the Kingston Turnpike Company was chartered with the intention of improving the Kingston road to the Knox County line. The following year, Professor R. L. Kirkpatrick resurveyed the first five miles of the road, which were then macadamized by a crew led by Colonel R. F. Bibb. The new road was also raised, and ditches were added to facilitate drainage. Knox County purchased the Kingston Turnpike Company in 1892, and completed the improved turnpike to the county line in late 1893.By 1913, trolley tracks had been constructed along Kingston Pike as far west as Lyons View Pike, leading to residential development and the construction of apartment buildings along the 2000 and 3000 blocks. Kingston Pike was paved with a hard surface in the early 1920s, reflecting the rise of automobile travel. By the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Kingston Pike had been expanded to a four-lane road.
The Dixie Lee Highway
From the 1920s until the late 1950s, Kingston Pike was known as the "Dixie Lee Highway," as it lay along a merged stretch of two cross-country auto-tourism routes— the Dixie Highway (which followed US-70 through the area) and the Lee Highway (which followed US-11). The Dixie Highway, conceived in 1915, was a north-south route that connected cities in the Midwestern United StatesMidwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
with beaches in the South. The Lee Highway was primarily an east-west route that connected Arlington, Virginia, with California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The two routes joined in downtown Knoxville and diverged at the US-70/US-11 split at the Knox-Loudon line, which thus became known as the Dixie-Lee Junction.
The automobile traffic along the Dixie and Lee highways brought a tourism boom to Kingston Pike. Beginning in the 1920s, businesses catering to this thru-traffic sprang up along the length of the road from Bearden to Dixie Lee Junction. Tourist camps, predecessors to the modern motel, were among the earliest of these businesses, and included Knoxville's first motel, Edd's Tourist Camp, which was established in Bearden in the late 1920s. Restaurants also began to appear, many of which used flashy signs, unusual Streamline Moderne architecture, and names such as the "White Dot Barbecue Stand," the "Oki-Doke Cafe," and the "Wonder Lunch Room" to attract passing tourists. Drive-in theaters and skating rinks began to appear along Kingston Pike during the 1950s.
The development of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s and 1960s brought an end to the Dixie Lee Highway period. Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
and Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
, which run roughly parallel to Kingston Pike, siphoned off most of the area's interstate traffic, and most of Kingston Pike's tourism-related businesses closed. Only a few buildings from Kingston Pike's Dixie Lee Highway period have survived to the present day, most notably the 11-70 Motor Court near Farragut, the Naples Restaurant in Bearden, and Dixie Lee Fireworks and the old Court Cafe building at Dixie Lee Junction.
Later development
With the advent of the automobile in the 1920s, Knoxville's more affluent residents began fleeing urban neighborhoods for suburbs on the city's periphery. One of the earliest such suburbs was Sequoyah Hills, which was established just off Kingston Pike in the 1920s. After World War II, Kingston Pike experienced an explosion in suburban development. The establishment of suburbs such as West Hills led to a 38% population increase in the Kingston Pike area during the 1950s.In 1961, Knoxville annexed a large stretch of land along Kingston Pike west of Sequoyah Hills, bringing several unincorporated communities into the city. The opening of West Town Mall
West Town Mall
West Town Mall is an upscale shopping mall located in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Opened in August 1972, this one-level mall is located in the western portion of Knoxville in the West Hills community. West Town Mall is located along Interstates 40/75 and Kingston Pike...
in the 1970s resulted in the collapse of retail shopping in downtown Knoxville, and Kingston Pike became Knoxville's primary commercial corridor.
Kingston Pike Historic District
The Kingston Pike Historic District consists of two dozen houses and apartment buildings added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1996. The houses, concentrated primarily on the road's 2000 and 3000 blocks, were constructed circa 1834–1930, and are thus representative of the period before strip malls and other retail outlets came to dominate the road. Architectural styles in the district include Federal
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
, Georgian Revival, Bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
, Tudor Revival
Tudorbethan architecture
The Tudor Revival architecture of the 20th century , first manifested itself in domestic architecture beginning in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 19th century based on a revival of aspects of Tudor style. It later became an influence in some other countries, especially the British colonies...
, Queen Anne, Neoclassical Revival, and Spanish Colonial Revival.
Several buildings located along Kingston Pike are listed individually on the National Register, but are not part of the historic district. These include the Ossoli Circle Clubhouse
Ossoli Circle
The Ossoli Circle is a women's club located in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Founded in 1885 as a literary society, the club is a charter member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, and the first federated women's club in the South...
(2511), the Tyson Junior High building (2607), the Benjamin Morton House
Benjamin Morton House
The Benjamin Morton House is a historic home located at 4084 Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was constructed in 1927, and designed in the Colonial Revival style by the noted Knoxville architectural firm, Baumann and Baumann. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. The...
(4084), Knollwood (6411), and the Avery Russell House
Avery Russell House
The Avery Russell House is a historic home located at 11409 Kingston Pike in Farragut, Tennessee.The brick, two story structure was built as an inn in 1835 by Samuel Martin in the Federal style...
(11409). The Baker Peters House
Baker Peters House
The Baker Peters House is an antebellum house located on the south side of Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee, near the intersection of Peters Road and Kingston Pike. The house is a two-story Greek Revival structure. It has a porte-cochere on the east side for carriages, and a rear wing that...
(9000) was built before the Civil War, but is ineligible for listing due to numerous modifications. Several other listings are located just off Kingston Pike, ranging from the 1806-era Statesview
Statesview
Statesview, or States View, is a historic house located on South Peters Road off Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Built in the early 1800s by early Knoxville architect Thomas Hope and rebuilt in the early 1820s following a fire, Statesview was originally the home of surveyor Charles...
in Ebenezer to the 1954 Hotpoint Living-Conditioned Home in West Hills.
Notable houses
- Crescent BendCrescent BendCrescent Bend is a historic home at 2728 Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee. The building is known as Crescent Bend because of its location on a bend of the Tennessee River. It is also known as the Armstrong-Lockett House, Longview and Logueval...
(2728), also called the Armstrong-Lockett House, a Federal-style brick house built by Drury Paine Armstrong (1799–1856) in 1834.
- Van Dyke Apartments (2742), a two-story Spanish Colonial Revival-style brick apartment building constructed in 1927.
- 3024 Kingston Pike, a two-story brick Georgian Revival-style house built in 1930.
- Monday Apartments (3039), a two-story Spanish Colonial Revival-style brick apartment building constructed circa 1928.
- The Nicholas (3051–3065), a three-story Spanish Colonial Revival-style apartment building constructed circa 1930.
- H. L. Dulin House (3100), also called Crescent Bluff, a two-story Neoclassical-style house constructed in 1915 and designed by architect John Russell PopeJohn Russell PopeJohn Russell Pope was an architect most known for his designs of the National Archives and Records Administration building , the Jefferson Memorial and the West Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.-Biography:Pope was born in New York in 1874, the son of a successful...
. From 1961 until 1987, this house was home to the Dulin Art Gallery, which eventually evolved into the Knoxville Museum of ArtKnoxville Museum of ArtThe Knoxville Museum of Art is a contemporary art museum located at 1050 World's Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee. The KMA is committed to developing exhibitions by emerging artists of national and international reputation.- History :...
. The Dulin House was listed individually on the Register in 1974.
- George Taylor House (3128), a two-story Queen Anne/Neoclassical house originally constructed in 1900, and remodeled in 1929 by Charles I. BarberCharles I. BarberCharles Irving Barber was an American architect, active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, and vicinity, during the first half of the 20th century...
of the firm, Barber & McMurry.
- Bleak House (3148), also called Confederate Memorial Hall, a two-story Italianate-styleItalianate architectureThe Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
house originally constructed in 1856 by Robert H. Armstrong, and remodeled in 1930. This house was listed individually on the Register in 1984.
- Westwood (3425), a two-story Queen Anne/Richardsonian Romanesque house built in 1890 by J. E. Lutz, and designed by the architectural firm, Baumann BrothersBaumann family (architects)The Baumann family was a family of American architects who practiced in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the surrounding region, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It included Joseph F. Baumann , his brother, Albert B. Baumann, Sr. , and Albert's son, Albert B. Baumann, Jr....
. This house was listed individually on the Register in 1984.
In popular culture
- Kingston Pike is mentioned in the song The Ballad of Thunder RoadThe Ballad of Thunder Road"The Ballad of Thunder Road" is a song performed and co-written by actor Robert Mitchum in 1957, with music by composer Jack Marshall. It was the theme song of the movie Thunder Road. The song made the Billboard Hot 100 twice, in 1958 and 1962, and while it never peaked higher than #62, it racked...
as the location where a young moonshineMoonshineMoonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
runner died in a car crash.