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James White's Fort
New and old together
Knoxville's SunsphereSome history about KAT (Knoxville Area Transit )
Knoxville's rich history in public transportation dates back to 1876 when the first street cars of the Knoxville Street Railway Company were pulled by horses and mules along tracks on Gay street.
In 1888 the Knoxville Real Estate Company bought a large tract of land in East Knoxville. To Help sell the property they laid track and ran a steam dummy from Gay Street out to their property. A second steam dummy connected downtown with Fountain Head (now Fountain City). This line helped transform the North Knoxville area from farmland to a resort area.
On May 1, 1890 the first electric street car ran from Gay Street to Lake Ottossee (now Chilhowee Park).
The first buses were introduced in 1929.
On August 1, 1947 street cars made their last run in Knoxville. From that time on buses have been the mainstay of public transportation in Knoxville.
During the 1950's shuttle bus service began on the University of Tennessee campus and it continues to day carrying more than 40,000 student every month.
