History of the Garden

Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum (KBGA) is a 44-acre public garden located in East Knoxville, just two miles from the center of downtown.

The land that is now the Botanical Garden reflects the history of human presence in Tennessee, having likely been home to the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) people and later ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East). Before that there were Mississippian chiefdoms across what is now the state dating back to 800 A.D.

The modern history of the property began in the 1780’s with a land grant given to David Wessel Howell of Buncombe County, North Carolina for his “exemplary” service during the American Revolutionary War. Ten years before Tennessee became a state David Howell planted an orchard, established a family farm and began selling fruits and vegetables to local families and businesses. He also began selling the trees, seeds and small plants settlers heading west needed to begin their own farms and gardens.

David’s farm slowly grew and several generations followed in their father’s footsteps. In the late 1870’s David’s great- grandson Sampson Sylvanus Howell established the SS Howell Nurseries and began to grow and sell ornamental plants in addition to the edibles that they had been selling for nearly one hundred years.

S.S. Howell passed the business down to four of his sons – Bruce, Richard, Carroll and Cole. Bruce and Richard, the eldest brothers, incorporated the business as the Howell Nurseries, Inc. in 1916 and changed their focus to ornamental plants. Under the two brothers the Howell Nurseries grew to include 13 locations stretching from Tennessee to Florida, including 1,100 acres in Sweetwater, Tennessee where the brothers and their kin developed many of the plants they became known for, including the Burford Holly (Ilex cornuta ‘Burfordii’) and the Cherokee Chief Dogwood (Cornus florida ‘Cherokee Chief’).