Society for Industrial Archeology 2025 Fall Tour - Knoxville, Tennessee

Registration opens Thursday, July 31 at noon Eastern Time.

SIA Fall Tour, Knoxville, Tennessee, September 25-27, 2025

Knoxville is the largest city in East Tennessee and is situated within the Tennessee Valley, formed by the Appalachian Mountains to the east and the Cumberland Mountains to the west, providing a topography characterized by isolated “hollers” historically prone to flooding. The tribulations of this Appalachian region inspired the formation of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933, the largest public utility in the United States. Knoxville is now surrounded by TVA energy sites, including hydroelectric, coal, nuclear, natural gas, and renewables. Knoxville is also located just 20 miles from Oak Ridge, the “Secret City” developed by the federal government during the Manhattan Project when they constructed three facilities to aid in the production of an atomic weapon: X-10 (now Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Y-12, and K-25 (now East Tennessee Technology Park). This history inspired the theme for the 1982 World’s Fair hosted in Knoxville, known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition. During this time, media dubbed Knoxville the “scruffy little city,” a nickname embraced by residents today.

The 2025 Fall Tour will include TVA infrastructure and Manhattan Project historic sites, as well as the genesis of Knoxville’s other nickname, the “Marble City.” Many of the historic quarries have now been repurposed and incorporated into Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness, a well-developed community asset unique to Knoxville. Fall Tour attendees will also glimpse into East Tennessee’s private industries, including a process tour of Del Conca’s tile factory in Loudon. Stops will also include food processing facilities, such as Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams – slow-cured since 1947, Bush’s Beans – “that beautiful bean company”, and Sweetwater Valley Farm – where robots milk cows in farmstead cheese production.

Full event information here: https://www.sia-web.org/sia-2025-fall-tour/

MEMBER REGISTRATION

All registration fees, including late fees, are on a per-person basis. Please submit a separate registration for each participant.

Each participant must be a 2025 national SIA Individual or Household member.

Cost for the Fall Tour is $595 per person. THIS REGISTRATION FEE IS ALL INCLUSIVE. It covers a full day of tours on Friday and Saturday, a pre-tour on Thursday, and breakfast, lunch and dinner for all three days. You must be staying at the event hotel to get the free breakfast.

PLEASE BE SURE TO ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS ON THE REGISTRATION FORM. REQUIRED FIELDS (those with a red asterisk) MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE YOUR REGISTRATION CAN BE ENTERED INTO YOUR SHOPPING CART.

Please email us at siaevents@siahq.org, if you have any questions.

Cancellation & refund Policy: https://www.sia-web.org/society-for-industrial-archeology-sia-conference-refund-information/