A century ago, if you were walking around downtown Knoxville, looking for something to do,

there was one reliable spot where there was always a crowd.

You could make your way to the corner of

clinch and Prince right near the post office and then you would queue up and

and wait your turn in the line. And in the distance you could see this seven foot tall or nate

pillar with large glass windows on each side. You might chat with some of the people

in line. Some of them came and stood in this line every single day.

And these folks were given a nickname.

They were called The Leiners.

And what were these Leiners leaning around to get a glimpse of? It wasn't some

breaking news report, it wasn't local gossip. It was the Daily Weather Report.

I'm Delantheuris, and this is Atlas Obscura,

celebration of the world's strange, incredible,

and wondrous places.

Today, we take a trip to Knoxville, Tennessee to visit what

was once the hottest spot to be on a weekday morning and what is now one of the

very last weather kiosks left in the country.

Okay, so what is so special about a weather kiosk?

When you think of a kiosk, you think of a little hut, you know, an info booth or a place to buy a newspaper on the way to the train. Cities are filled

with little kiosks doing different things but in the early 1900s the weather

kiosk was a huge deal.

I think the first time I touched it, I thought, gosh, this is real.

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