East Tennessee is full of many historic sites, and today we’re going to dive into the third-oldest building in Knoxville, Tennessee, and what is considered to be the most haunted, The Bijou Theatre.
The theater has had thousands of people visit since its doors opened in 1909. The hotel began its journey in 1809, when Thomas Humes, the developer, bought the property in hopes of creating an extravagant hotel, tavern and multiple storefronts. Construction officially began in 1815, but Thomas Humes sadly passed before the hotel would be completed. After his death, the hotel still came to be with over a dozen rooms, a bar, a ballroom and a dining room.
Once the hotel was open to the public, the name changed multiple times, as well as ownership and management. In just a little over 10 years, the hotel was owned by seven different people. The first name the Bijou hotel went by was the Lamar Hotel, and at least five U.S. presidents visited during the first few decades after its opening…