Visiting Jellico, Tennessee’s ‘First’ Town

By Mike Steely The little town of Jellico is, in a way, the “first” town in Tennessee. That’s true in a way if you’re headed south on I-75 from the northern states. The town, which is my birth place, straddles the Kentucky border and was once the “Beer Drinking...

Do you say ‘You all’ or ‘Y’all’?

By Mike Steely I was driving back from shopping recently and saw an Allstate billboard that said “Round here it’s Y’Allstate.” That got me to thinking about how our accents have changed over the years. While we may be used to the local accents you don’t have to travel...

Cas Walker subject of new book, presentation

By Mike Steely Those of you too young or too new to our area may probably wonder what’s all the hubbub about that old man, Cas Walker? For those of us from this area old enough to remember black and white television and 45 rpm records, the old man  was an icon on...

Visiting the forts in our area is historic fun

By Mike Steely We are so privileged in East Tennessee and Knox County to have so many historic sites surrounding us, especially the number of early forts. Within an easy day’s drive are fortifications built long before statehood and fort sites built during the Civil...