Volunteer State, Unwavering Spirit

In 1866, Jasper Newton 'Jack' Daniel began producing whiskey in a small town in Tennessee that would become as famous as the whiskey itself.

Lynchburg sits in a hollow surrounded by hills, where pristine Cave Spring water provides the foundation for Jack Daniel's distinctive flavor.

The company has remained in Lynchburg ever since, building a distillery that attracts visitors from around the world.

What makes Jack Daniel's unique isn't just the whiskey—it's the people and the place.

The whiskey is charcoal mellowed, a process that gives it exceptional smoothness, and it's aged in hand-crafted barrels made from American white oak.

Today, Jack Daniel's is synonymous with Tennessee, and Tennessee with American craftsmanship.

Jack Daniel's begins with local corn, rye, and barley malt, mixed with water from Cave Spring.

This mash is fermented using the company's own yeast strain, a secret recipe passed down through generations.

The resulting 'beer' is distilled and filtered through maple charcoal—a process called Lincoln County Process that defines Tennessee whiskey.

The clear whiskey is then barreled in new, charred white oak barrels and aged in warehouses where the Tennessee climate causes the wood to expand and contract, extracting flavors and color.

Master distillers sample barrels regularly, waiting for the perfect moment when the whiskey reaches peak maturity.

Each batch is carefully blended to maintain consistent flavor before bottling.

Dolly Parton opened Dollywood in 1986 as a tribute to her Smoky Mountain heritage and the artisans who keep Appalachian traditions alive.

Set in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, the park isn't just an amusement park—it's a living museum of mountain culture.

From blacksmiths forging iron the old-fashioned way to moonshiners demonstrating traditional techniques, Dollywood celebrates the skills and crafts that define Tennessee.

The park features rides designed by local craftsmen, shows featuring local musicians, and restaurants serving authentic mountain cuisine.

Dolly's vision was to create a place where families could have fun while learning about their heritage.

Today, millions visit each year to experience Appalachian culture at its finest.

Creating experiences at Dollywood involves hundreds of skilled artisans, performers, and craftspeople.

The park's blacksmiths work in traditional forges, shaping iron tools and decorative items using techniques passed down through generations.

Carpenters build and maintain rides and structures using traditional joinery and modern safety standards.

The park's costume department creates authentic-looking period clothing for shows, researching historical patterns and using period-appropriate fabrics.

Culinary teams prepare traditional Appalachian recipes, from sourdough bread baked in wood-fired ovens to preserves made from locally-sourced fruits.

Every detail is crafted with care, ensuring visitors get an authentic taste of mountain heritage.

Born in the coal-mining town of Beech Grove, Tennessee, Ernie Ford rose from humble beginnings to become one of America's most beloved country and gospel singers.

His deep baritone voice and genuine warmth made him a national treasure, but his greatest contribution was preserving and promoting Appalachian musical traditions.

Ford's 1949 hit 'Sixteen Tons' became an anthem for working people, but his true legacy lies in his gospel recordings and his efforts to showcase the music of his native Tennessee.

He recorded over 50 albums, won multiple Grammy Awards, and hosted popular television shows that brought country music to mainstream America.

Ford's recordings of traditional mountain songs helped preserve a musical heritage that might otherwise have been lost.

Ernie Ford's recording process was built on authenticity and respect for the material.

Working with producers who understood country and gospel traditions, he approached each song as a story that needed to be told.

His recordings featured traditional instrumentation—acoustic guitars, banjos, fiddles, and mandolins—played by skilled Nashville session musicians.

Ford had perfect pitch and remarkable vocal control, but he never let technique overshadow emotion.

His gospel recordings used arrangements drawn from the Sacred Harp tradition, with careful attention to harmonies and phrasing that honored the source material.

Every recording session was treated as an act of cultural preservation as much as entertainment.

A.P.

'Jack' Bush founded Bush's Beans in 1908, selling brown molasses beans from a wagon in Chestnut Hill.

The business remained small until 1968, when Jack's son, A.D.

Bush, took over and began expanding distribution beyond Tennessee.

The real breakthrough came in the 1980s with the creation of the famous 'Duke' character, whose stories about family recipes and secret ingredients made Bush's a household name.

Today, Bush's Beans operates from the same Tennessee town where it began, producing millions of cans of beans each year.

The company is still family-owned, now in its fourth generation, and they still use recipes developed over a century ago.

Bush's isn't just a food company—they're keepers of American comfort food traditions.

Bush's Beans production begins with premium beans sourced from American farmers, primarily in North Dakota and Michigan.

The beans are inspected for quality, cleaned, and sorted before cooking.

Bush's secret recipes are prepared in massive kettles, where beans are simmered with their proprietary sauces for hours.

The sauce recipes are closely guarded secrets, developed over decades and refined through countless test batches.

After cooking, beans are canned using state-of-the-art equipment that seals each can to preserve freshness.

Every batch is tested for flavor, texture, and quality.

The famous Duke's Dog Food commercials are filmed at the Tennessee facility, featuring the Bush family's own dogs as actors.

Frederick W.

Smith wrote a term paper at Yale outlining an integrated logistics system that would change the world.

That paper became FedEx, which began operations in 1973 with a single flight from Memphis to 25 cities.

Today, FedEx operates the world's largest cargo airline and handles millions of packages daily.

The company chose Memphis for its headquarters because of its central location and excellent weather for flying.

FedEx pioneered the concept of time-definite delivery, creating an entire industry around overnight shipping.

From critical medical supplies to e-commerce packages, FedEx has built the infrastructure that keeps America's economy moving.

The company's SuperHub at Memphis International Airport is one of the busiest cargo facilities in the world.

FedEx's logistics network is a marvel of modern engineering.

Packages arrive at sorting facilities where automated systems read barcodes and route them to the correct destinations.

At the Memphis hub, packages are sorted on a system called the 'Automated Sort Facility,' which can process 100,000 packages per hour.

Aircraft are loaded based on sophisticated algorithms that optimize routes and minimize transfer times.

FedEx operates a 'hub-and-spoke' system, where packages flow through central sorting facilities before reaching their destinations.

The company uses predictive analytics to forecast demand, ensuring capacity when needed.

Every package is tracked in real-time, giving customers visibility from pickup to delivery.

Nissan chose Tennessee for its first U.S.

assembly plant in 1983, betting that Southern hospitality and skilled workers would create the perfect environment for manufacturing.

The Smyrna plant, located just outside Nashville, has become one of the most productive automotive facilities in North America.

Here, Nissan builds some of its most popular models, including the Rogue SUV and the Frontier pickup truck.

The plant employs thousands of Tennesseans, many of whom have built their careers learning automotive manufacturing techniques.

Nissan's commitment to Tennessee extends beyond manufacturing—the company has invested in local education, infrastructure, and community programs.

The Smyrna plant represents the successful fusion of Japanese engineering and American craftsmanship.

Building a Nissan vehicle in Smyrna is a precision operation involving hundreds of skilled workers and advanced robotics.

Assembly begins with stamping, where massive presses shape sheet steel into body panels.

These panels are welded together in the body shop, where robots and humans work together to create the vehicle's structure.

The paint shop applies multiple layers of coating, each baked on for durability and finish quality.

In final assembly, engines, transmissions, and interior components are installed.

Every vehicle undergoes rigorous quality checks, including track testing where each car is driven to ensure it meets Nissan's standards.

The plant uses lean manufacturing principles to minimize waste and maximize efficiency.