History Class Sharing Tennessee River Heritage
Students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have been researching historic sites along the Tennessee River as part of a long-term project to educate people about the area’s natural and cultural heritage.
The capstone project for students taking a public history course during the spring 2025 semester was part of a partnership with the Tennessee RiverLine, an initiative of UT Extension aimed at enhancing economic development, improving public health, promoting resource stewardship, and ensuring expanded access for the 2.4 million residents and visitors in diverse river communities across four states.
“The class’s effort will support the development of a regional Storytelling and Interpretation Plan for the Tennessee RiverLine that will identify themes, methods, and partners to help reveal some of the hidden narratives of one of North America’s most storied rivers,” said Executive Director Brad Collett. Ultimately the effort is expected to include interpretive signs and experiences along the Tennessee River, as well as web- and app-based content.
Teaching Professor Pat Rutenberg serves on the steering committee for the plan, and each of her 13 students researched two cultural sites. “They conducted their research at the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, UT’s Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, digital archives, and secondary scholarly sources,” she said.
Writing for the Public
The students wrote a 75-word “label” for each site, plus they created extensive bibliographies for further reading.
“I’m used to composing and compiling information in an essay format, but by their nature these plaques are to be condensed and ‘digestible’ for a public audience,” history major Joseph Whitten said. “Thus, being able to present information in a concise way while also having enough substance to capture the interest of anyone is a skill that I’ve had to develop.”
One of his subjects was a treaty signed in 1791 between the US government and Indigenous people.
“The Treaty of the Holston was implemented at a severe disadvantage to the Cherokee and other native tribes of this area, but without it the instruments of Tennessee’s statehood would not be possible,” he said. “Being able to compose an informational plaque that respects native history and their views while also making it approachable to the general public requires some finesse.”
Community Partnerships
The course Place as History: Introduction to Public History draws not only history majors and minors but also students majoring in art history with a museum and curatorial studies concentration, according to Rutenberg.
The students explore public history spaces in the Knoxville area, talk with professionals, and serve internships at places such as the East Tennessee Historical Society, Blount Mansion, Beck Cultural Exchange Center, Mabry-Hazen House, Green McAdoo Cultural Center, Knoxville History Project, Knoxville Museum of Art, Marble Springs, and other area museums.
Past projects have included curating exhibits and researching buildings removed from Knoxville during redevelopment in the mid-20th century.
“I read about the Tennessee RiverLine project, and I thought that this would be a great collaboration for my public history class,” said Rutenberg, who then met with Collett. “Brad visited our class and told them about the Tennessee RiverLine. He arranged for an all-day Saturday field trip to Blythe Ferry and the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park, which includes a section of the Trail of Tears along and over the Tennessee River.”
The spring 2025 course focused on the impact of waterways, memory, and public history, with the students researching the Tennessee River’s natural assets and cultural heritage.
For example, Jonah Webb researched the return of lake sturgeon to the river. Ripley Owen’s interest in the relations between immigrants and Indigenous peoples led to exploring the property marker at Southwest Point Fort in Kingston, and Cambree Gliessner studied enslaved people brought down the river in the 1780 Donelson party. One of Kory Littreal’s projects investigated the Gay Street Bridge in Knoxville.
“We are taking a critical part of Appalachian and southern United States history and bringing it to the forefront,” said Jarred Humes, a history major and museum studies minor whose research centered on industry and the river.
“Researching these places for the Tennessee RiverLine gives the opportunity for us as aspiring historians to give back to our community,” said Olivia Platt, a junior history major with a museum studies minor who focused on the Moccasin Bend National Archeological District in Chattanooga.
“The Tennessee RiverLine is the modern land-grant mission in action,” Collett said. “As a former faculty member myself, it gives me great pride to see my vision for campus-wide participation come to life with students and faculty from diverse disciplines making unique contributions to the broader RiverLine initiative. The history department and College of Arts and Sciences are among the nine departments and schools and seven UT Knoxville colleges that have helped advance the Tennessee RiverLine initiative since 2016.”
By Amy Beth Miller