The Hill is the colloquial name for the location of various academic buildings on the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
's campus. It comprises the oldest part of the university, and is located at the eastern side of the campus. There are two concentric roads around the Hill. University buildings ring both routes, with
Ayres Hall
Ayres Hall is a central iconic and historic landmark building at the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The building was designed by Miller, Fullenwider and Dowling of Chicago, and completed in 1921. It is named for Brown Ayres ...
located at the apex. The sweeping lawn in front of Ayres Hall that drops to Cumberland Avenue is one of the largest open spaces on the campus. Programmatically, the Hill is populated primarily by engineering and science programs. Other university programs, as well as the dormitories and administrative headquarters, are located west of the Hill.
Along with
Neyland Stadium
Neyland Stadium ( ), is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several National Foot ...
and the Torchbearer statue and eternal flame, the Hill is one of the most recognizable symbols of the university.
The Hill was originally known as Barbara Hill, in honor of the daughter of Governor
William Blount
William Blount (March 26, 1749March 21, 1800) was an American Founding Father, statesman, farmer and land speculator who signed the United States Constitution. He was a member of the North Carolina delegation at the Constitutional Convention o ...
.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
had previously recommended that the college relocate from its confining single building on State Street in downtown Knoxville to a site where it could spread out. In the Summer of 1826, the trustees of what was then known as East Tennessee College explored the location west of the city and soon purchased it for $600. While excavating to construct the first buildings on the site, they found two forgotten graves of early settlers who had died before Knoxville had a cemetery. By the Fall of 1828, East Tennessee College had relocated to the new site.
[Neely, Jack. ''Knoxville's Secret History''. Knoxville: Scruffy City Publishing, 1995, pp. 81-83. Retrieved 2012-10-27] During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
(1861–1864) the Hill was a fortified position southeast of
Fort Sanders known as
Fort Byington. It played a key role during the
Siege of Knoxville
The siege of Knoxville (November 19 – December 4, 1863) saw Lieutenant General James Longstreet's Confederate forces besiege the Union garrison of Knoxville, Tennessee, led by Major General Ambrose Burnside. When Major General William T. Sh ...
.
References
University of Tennessee campus
Tennessee in the American Civil War
University and college academic buildings in the United States
{{Tennessee-university-stub