Dr. Michael E. Woods, of the University of Tennessee will speak about

The Presidential Visits to Knoxville

on Thursday, September 4, 2025 at 6pm

Join us for a fascinating evening with Dr. Michael E. Woods!

Dr. Woods is a Professor and Director of the Andrew Jackson Papers & U.S. Political History at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of South Carolina in 2012.

He studies the political and cultural history of the nineteenth-century United States, with particular interest in partisanship and the politics of sectionalism and slavery from the 1830s through Reconstruction. He is also the Director of The Papers of Andrew Jackson.

Roughly half of all U.S. presidents have visited Knoxville while in office, but the city loomed especially large in presidential travel itineraries during the late 19th and early 20th century. This lecture explains why. By exploring visits by Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, and Theodore Roosevelt, we can understand Knoxville’s importance to presidents eager to promote post-Civil War reconciliation, strengthen the Republican Party in the South, or pursue a third-party bid for the White House.

• The special speaking event will be at Blount Mansion Visitors Center, 200 West Hill Avenue, Knoxville TN 37902.
• Limited free parking onsite
• $5 Donation suggested at the door. Cash and card accepted
• RSVP to Rose@BlountMansion.org

For Donations & Memberships to the Blount Mansion Association, please make your tax deductible gift here.

For Donations to our Blount Mansion Centennial Endowment Fund, please make your tax deductible gift here.