James White Fort

James White Fort
Location: Knoxville, TN

James White Fort was a much more interesting experience than I ever expected. I really didn't know anything about the fort. In fact, I thought it was a military fort but found out on my tour that in fact it was just a fort for James White and his family. It was fenced in not to protect it from attacks but to keep its livestock from getting out.

The fort doesn't really look like anything impressive from the road. I had driven past it many times but never had any desire to take a tour of it. It also looked much smaller from the outside than it actually is. I was surprised by the size of the complex and by the amount of buildings within it. I thought the fort was free to tour, but it actually cost $5. The price was in no way unreasonable, and in return I received a cultural experience that I will never forget.



As I entered the front door, I found myself in a small gift shop/entrance area. There was a friendly old man sitting behind the desk. He informed me that I had two options: I could take the hand-out about the fort and take a self-guided tour or he could personally take me on a tour of the fort. At first I opted for the self-guided tour, but after about 10 minutes I realized that my entire experience would be far more enjoyable if I asked the man to take me on a tour instead. This was the best choice I made. The friendly old man was a retired volunteer who was more passionate about the history of Tennessee than anyone I have ever met. James White Fort consists of lots of buildings, but it isn't the largest museum complex. Yet, this old man managed to take me on a very detailed hour and a half guided tour. I actually didn't mind it at all. He was so passionate about the subject matter that it made it all very interesting to listen to.



The first building we entered was the main family house of the Whites. The interior of the cabin had been kept as much in its original form as possible. It was obvious that the Whites must have been a very wealthy family because the craftsmanship of the cabin was impeccable. The artifacts within the house were set up nicely. I'm not sure how many of the artifacts were original to the family, but the table in the middle of the room did belong to the Whites. The other items in the room were at least from the correct time period if not original possessions of the family. I really liked how there were no ropes or barriers blocking you off from any part of the house. I could get as close to all the artifacts as I wanted, as long as I didn't touch any of them.

As the little old man showed me each artifact in the house, he also told me about the history of behind each item. I learned more in that hour and a half than I have at all my other museum visits combined.

The fort also included a kitchen alongside the main family cabin. The kitchen was also very interesting to visit because it too was filled with many items from that time period. It also smelled wonderful on the inside, like a Cracker Barrel restaurant.



Besides the family home and the kitchen, there were many other cabins on the property. The family cabin was actually the original cabin, but the other cabins were reconstructed in later years. The other cabins originally served as guest houses for the many people who visited the Whites. Now each cabin is set up differently. One cabin contained all the artifacts that people had donated. It was like a little museum of random Appalachian artifacts. Another cabin was constructed on the inside to look like one of the original guest cabins. Inside of it was a real loom that I even got to touch. Yet another cabin was set up in the style of a blacksmith shop. There had been a blacksmith living in the fort with the Whites, and although this cabin was a recreation, it was historically accurate to some extent.

I give my visit to James White Fort two big thumbs up. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of preservation within the fort. Even more, I was thoroughly entertained and informed by my enthusiastic guide. James White Fort is definitely worth the $5 dollar entrance fee.