James White's Fort is a reconstruction of the original frontier settlement that became Knoxville. The site preserves several log structures including the original cabin built by General James White in 1786, when this was the edge of the American frontier and Cherokee territory was immediately to the south.
The museum tells the story of the earliest European settlement in this part of East Tennessee, the founding of the town, and the fraught relationship with the Cherokee nation during the territorial period. It is a small but well-presented site, and the contrast between these rough-hewn log buildings and the downtown streets visible just outside is striking. Open Tuesday through Saturday.