Speedway Circle

Speedway Circle is a Tennessee historical marker in Knox County.

Get directions ↗Start a road trip Historical trails

Speedway Circle traces the route of Cal Johnson’s Racetrack, a half-mile oval famous for horse racing, from ca. 1897 to 1915. Born enslaved, Calvin F. Johnson (1844-1925) became one of Knoxville’s most creative businessmen, owning real estate and a chain of saloons. A horseman and ultimately one of the state’s wealthiest African American businessmen, he developed this track. In 1910, Johnson’s Racetrack accommodated Knoxville’s first airplane landing. Later, it saw early automobile races. The track was redeveloped in 1926 for houses.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1829 · Tennessee (A. Finley, 1829) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1832 · Kentucky (Finley, 1832) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1838 · Kentucky (T.G. Bradford, 1838) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1844 · Kentucky (H. S. Tanner, 1844) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1845 · Kentucky, Tennessee. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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Marker text and location from the Tennessee Historical Commission, as the Commission publishes them on its marker map.

Speedway Circle

Historical maps covering this location

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