Everything You need to know about James White Fort and Blount Mansion

Congratulations! You’ve made it past the title to the actual post. Probably, you’re one of my friends, or you’re a real history buff. I realize deciding to write about everything you need to know about James White Fort and Blount Mansion is a bit risky.

History can have the reputation of being dry and boring. We all remember those seemingly never-ending history classes and the endless dates and facts we had to memorize. But history seems to come alive when you can actually see and touch artifacts. So let’s get started.

I’ve lived in Knoxville for over thirty years, and I’ve never even noticed James White Fort. It is nestled in downtown Knoxville at 205 East Hill Avenue across the street from the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. It’s quite interesting to see this old fort surrounded by tall modern buildings.

When you decide to visit, you’ll want to check their website before you go. Hours of operation vary depending on the season. From December to March, they are open Monday-Friday from 10am-4pm. April to November they are open Monday-Saturday from 930-5pm. Word of warning…they are usually closed on Saturdays when UT plays at home and the site is used for football parking.

Once you get to the parking area, ignore the sign that says parking is $10. This sign is for those who utilize the parking for other purposes. If you are visiting the Fort, there is no charge for parking.

There are handicapped parking spaces near the entrance and the website says there is a gate that can be opened to allow access because there are three steps leading up to the entrance. Just bear in mind that certain areas of the Fort are not handicapped accessible. The paths around the fort are brick, so it is a little uneven.

As you enter the gift shop/entrance admittance is $10. They do offer AAA, Senior and Military discounts. Or you can access the History Museums of Knoxville Pastport (more about this later).

While there is no docent tour, there are QR codes throughout the Fort which provide an audio tour. In addition, when you arrive, you are given a handout that mimics the audio tour. It also provided QR codes in case you miss them on the buildings.

You might be sitting there asking the same question I was when I first started researching this. Who the heck was James White, and why should I even care. For those of you who know, please don’t judge…I didn’t go to school here in Tennessee, so I never had Tennessee history.

So, for those of us that have no idea who James White is, here’s the abbreviated version. James White is considered Knoxville’s founder, and his home is considered the first home in Knoxville.

Now White was originally from North Carolina. He was rewarded for his service in the Revolutionary War with a land grant of 1000 acres. He came to the area that would become Knoxville in 1783. White began building the two-story log house in the fall. Apparently, this house was a big deal because it had a chimney and glazed windows.

White ended up having so many people staying in his house that he began to add on. First, he added a kitchen which was separated from the main house by what is called a dog trot (I kid you not). You’ll need to visit to find out why. And he kept adding buildings.

Currently, there is a smoke house, a weaving house, guest house, blacksmith, and a gift shop and some kind of office that is closed to the public. Oh, I can’t believe I forgot the outhouse. …. Can I just say how glad I am that I didn’t live back then?

I think it was. It was actually a very interesting place. I enjoyed the audio tour because it allowed me to go at my own pace, which allowed plenty of time to take pictures. It also allowed me to go back to some buildings that were more interesting than others.

This is not something that is going to take you an afternoon to go through. I would allow maybe two hours and that’s if you take your time going through every building.

So why write about both James White Fort and Blount Mansion in one post?  Remember when I said that James White was considered the founder of Knoxville?  Well, it seems like William Blount was the one who nudged him along to get it done.

William Blount was originally from North Carolina and served in the Revolutionary War. He also participated in the Continental Congress, signing the US Constitution as a delegate from North Carolina.

President George Washington gave Blount the position as the first territorial governor of the Southwest Territory (which included all of present-day Tennessee). With that position came the additional position of Superintendent of Indian Affairs. One of Blount’s first responsibilites was to resolve an ongoing dispute with the Cherokees. After signing the treaty on the banks of the Holston River, Blount later decided to build his home not far from there.

Here’s where our two guys join forces. In 1791, Blount asked James White if he would sell some land to form a capital for the Southwest Territory. The capital became known as Knoxville.  

Blount’s home is believed to be the first non-log cabin constructed in Knoxville. It was known as the “house of many eyes” because of the windows.  The house served not only as Blount’s home, but also the territorial capital.

From this home, “Blount spearheaded the successful effort to have the southwest territory admitted to the union as Tennessee – our nation’s sixteenth state – in June 1796.” Because of this, Blount Mansion is considered the Birthplace of Tennessee. And even though it’s rather small, it is probably called a mansion because the territorial governor lived here.

Blount went on to become one of the state’s first two United States Senators only to be expelled from the Senate for conspiring with Great Britain. And to find out why, you’ve got to visit the Mansion, or just Google it I guess. Even though they kicked him out of the US Senate, Blount was well loved in Tennessee and served in the state senate.

Blount Mansion has the distinction of being the home of a US Constitution signer. It is Knoxville’s only National Historic Landmark and the city’s oldest operating museum. It is also the only public garden in the city’s center and is maintained by the Knoxville Garden Club.

You’ll hear this and other stories when you visit Blount Mansion. It’s located at 200 West Hill Avenue. Don’t park in the first parking area but continue down until you see the Blount Mansion Visitor Center. You can purchase your admission tickets here. Adults are $10 with discounts for AAA and seniors. The hours are 10am-4pm Tuesday-Saturday with the last tour starting at 3pm. They are also open on Sunday from 12-4.

They do offer a virtual tour on their website, but when you click on it, you get an error message.

The tour at the mansion begins with a brief video in the Visitor Center and then you are guided through each building by a docent. They have some very interesting stories to tell, but you are on a time limit, and you cannot access the buildings later as they are locked. You are allowed to walk among the grounds, but I really wanted to go back into some of the buildings.

I’ve given you a very abbreviated history of these two houses. There’s so much more I could tell you, but hearing from the docent at Blount Mansion and the audio tour at James White Fort is so much better. You can actually see everything they are talking about.

If you want to do both in one day, I’d suggest doing James White Fort in the morning, stop for lunch downtown on Market Square and then do Blount Mansion in the afternoon. Or better still, take a Saturday visit the Fort in the morning, head over to Market Square Market, and then head out to Blount Mansion.

In addition to the two historical houses listed above, Knoxville has 5 other historical houses: Marble Springs, Ramsey House, Crescent Bend, Mabry-Hazen House, and Westwood. Each of these houses has an interesting story to tell about different time periods in Knoxville.

If you’re even remotely interested in visiting all the houses, I’d suggest you purchase the “Historic House Museums of Knoxville Pastport”. Yeah I know, the title is a little hokey, but it saves you some money. You can find it here .

It can only be purchased in person at any of the houses except Crescent Bend. It  is $40 and includes admission to all the houses and to the Museum of East Tn History. In my opinion, it’s a good deal and a good project for a rainy afternoon.  

So, have you ever been to James White Fort or Blount Mansion? If so, add a comment about what you thought below.

** My opinions about the accessibility of a business, park, or any other place mentioned on my website are strictly my opinions. Only you are aware of any and all of your accessibility issues, and only you can safely make decisions on what is right for you.

Historical Sources: https://blountmansion.org, https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/william-blount-1749-1800/,https://www.jameswhitesfort.org/, Handout from James White Fort