Kingsport Spirit

In my marketing bullet points for attracting newcomers to our region, I always talk about the natural assets that are God-given.

Our region enjoys:

• Cool summers reminiscent of New England
• Mild winters comparable to Atlanta
• High/Low temperature ranges akin to California’s Wine Country
• Ample rain for lush green vegetation like the Pacific Northwest
• Sunny days comparable to the Carolina Coast
• Four perfectly balanced seasons
• A natural shelter from tornadoes/hurricanes by our beloved mountains
• Midway between the Great Lakes & Gulf or the Atlantic & Mississippi.

I thought my process of factual deduction was quite unique until I found a 1903 book called, “The History of Southwest Virginia (1746-1786)” by Lewis Preston Summers. Remember, Tennessee did not become a state until 1796, so some of the earliest historical accounts of the Holston River (Hogoheegee) are found in journals of Virginia and North Carolina.

In it, I found the following passage describing our region. And although it doesn’t say so, the “delegated assemblage of the chiefs of the Indian tribes” might have been held on Long Island, the sacred Cherokee meeting place which is now in Kingsport, Tennessee:

There you have it. These beautiful valleys truly are Eden–acknowledged by the Great Spirit of the Native Americans.

Let us ever be grateful for the opportunity to live here and treat it accordingly.