Kingsport Spirit

If you know anything about Batman, you know that Bane is a villain. But Kingsport’s Bain is one of the good guys. I’m always fascinated to learn the names of the people who built this town from scratch, names that were otherwise unfamiliar to me and perhaps lost to time. They may not have been noted in the history books or had any monuments named after them, but their contribution was critical, nonetheless. That’s the story of John Bain.

151 times. That’s how many times Kingsport’s John Bain is mentioned in the newspaper. Among the who’s who of his pallbearers was J. Fred Johnson, father of Kingsport. If you’re a Kingsport history buff, you’ll recognize many of the other pallbearer names: Huffaker, McLellan, Warrick, McCrary, Underwood, Fuller, Brockman, Hauk, Cox, Herndon, Long, Goerdel, Freels, Tipton, Reed, Pannell, Yancey, Keener, Worley, McAmis, Todd, Platt, Jennings, and Hutchins (and that’s not all of them).

As I dug into the clippings, I discovered tidbits of a typical community booster and the personification of “The Kingsport Spirit” that built this town. It is a spirit of mutual helpfulness and a willingness to submerge self-interest for the for the greater good. In fact, the newspaper said, “During his residence in Kingsport, Mr. Bain made many friends through his constant efforts to make this a better community in which to live.” Sounds like The Kingsport Spirit to me!

John Bain was a native of Liverpool, England. He came to the U.S. in 1887. He was a traveling salesman before coming to the fledgling city of Kingsport in 1917 and opening Bain Five & Ten Cent Store (the store that preceded Palace Barber Shop on Broad Street). If you’ve been following the local news lately, that’s one of the buildings in the 100 block of Broad Street that was recently designated as a historic district.

He spent the last 13 years of his life in Kingsport, not inside the city limits, but that didn’t deter his enthusiasm for boosting the model city. How do I know that? Because the “John Bain House” on Hillcrest is mentioned numerous times. Hillcrest wasn’t a part of the city until 1960 at the earliest.

He was a member of the board of directors of the original 1921 Merchants Club, which preceded its closest counterparts, the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Kingsport Association, by a quarter century. “It was decided that a banquet shall be given by the club sometime in the near future. All of the retail men in Kingsport are to be invited to this banquet.” Sounds like the first iteration of what became the now infamous Kingsport Chamber Dinner held annually. “It was unanimously agreed by the merchants that a ‘trade week’ be put on in Kingsport. Arrangements were made for an intensive advertising campaign…to get thousands of out-of-town people in Kingsport, and to introduce them to the city.” Sounds like the Downtown Kingsport Association‘s promotions, except they’re now monthly.

He was one of the “68 prominent citizens and business men of Kingsport having signified their intention of joining a Business Men’s Club (1921). He was one of the designated speakers to “Boost Kingsport!” in the “able speeches given here…at the enthusiastic meeting of business men.”

He also had a fun-loving side as noted by his participation in the Kiwanis Club’s “snappy, peppy” meetings. “Rigged up in a true scotch bonnet Kiwanian Bain rendered two very pleasing selections on the accordion.”

He was vice president of Farmers & Merchants Bank (1926). The bank failed during the banking crisis which led to the Great Depression. Its ornate front was hidden for many years behind indiscriminate siding but was uncovered several years ago. Unfortunately, it has fallen into a state of disrepair that is likely unrecoverable.

He was one of the “thirty odd” democrats from Sullivan County to attend the State Convention (1924).

He was manager of “The Economy Store” on Broad Street (1927).

Mrs. John Bain helped organize Clean Up Week with the Civic League (1924) alongside names like Mrs. C.P. Edwards, Jr., and Mrs. W.A. Allen. It was a meticulous campaign that involved preachers, Boy Scouts, and the newspaper. Citizens were admonished to clean up, paint up, and fix up their homes and public streets and alleyways. Sounds like the predecessor to annual Spring Clean Up events by Keep Kingsport Beautiful and Kingsport Public Works.

When they decided to build a new home on today’s Memorial Boulevard (near John B. Dennis Highway) in 1927, it was big news. They moved in November of 1927. Farmers & Merchants Bank failed in June of 1929 and the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929, in an event called “Black Tuesday” that led to the Great Depression for the next decade. He passed away in March of 1930 and Mrs. Bain authorized the sale of all furniture in May of 1930. They only got to enjoy their new home for 3 years before the world changed.

Kingsport was built by people like John Bain who came from all over. They embraced the idea of a model city, a model community if you will. They worked hard, volunteered, organized, and tried to make life better for all residents. Unfortunately, no one is immune to national circumstances that can descend in the blink of an eye and change everything. The Bains are no different. That doesn’t change the fact that they put their heart and soul into this town, and we all owe them a great debt of gratitude that is long overdue.