William S. Rule, Editor. Standard History of Knoxville, Tennessee, with Full Outline of the Natural Advantages, Early Settlement, Territorial Government, Indian Troubles and General and Particular History of the City Down to the Present Time. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1900.

Rule's Standard History of Knoxville is considered the primary resource for the city's history up to 1900.

Charles Reeves recently produced a reprint edition of this book. Charles' edition has an index, which is not available in any other printed or CD-ROM version. Please click the image at left to order your copy at Amazon. A few cents from your purchase will be returned to us to help support this Web site.

Chapters available on this site are bolded and clickable in the list below.

• Chapter One: Natural Advantages
• Chapter Two: Initial Movements Towards Settlement
• Chapter Three: Early Settlement
• Chapter Four: Founding of Knoxville
• Chapter Five: Under Territorial Government
• Chapter Six: Indian Troubles
• Chapter Seven: Territorial Legislature
• Chapter Eight: Life of the People
• Chapter Nine: Municipal Affairs
• Chapter Ten: Military History
• Chapter Eleven: Manufacturing Interests
• Chapter Twelve: Commercial Matters
• Chapter Thirteen: Banking
• Chapter Fourteen: Transportation
• Chapter Fifteen: The Press
• Chapter Sixteen: Educational Matters
• Chapter Seventeen: Church History
• Chapter Eighteen: The Bench and Bar, Including the Court of the Watauga Association
• Chapter Nineteen: Medical History
• Chapter Twenty: Public Institutions
• Chapter Twenty-one: Societies
• Chapter Twenty-two: Cemeteries

Remaining chapters are being transcribed!