Category: History
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The Very First Census Provides Shocking Insights
On a recent visit to the Kingsport Public Library, I came across a stack of books slated for removal. Most were duplicates of old census records for various Tennessee counties and surrounding states. Since these records are now readily available online, it makes sense that Kingsport wouldn’t need to store documents for counties in Middle…
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Is Kingsport Growing or Dying?
I know I’m a city planning geek who thinks way too much about this stuff, but have you ever wondered what the “right size” for a city really is? Of course, the answer depends on individual preferences. But even if you find a city that feels like the perfect fit, how can you be sure…
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Patriots to Pioneers: Tracing My Connection to Becky Boone
I grew up hearing stories about my father’s roots in Clintwood, Virginia, in Dickenson County. It’s just over an hour’s drive north of Kingsport, Tennessee, near Virginia’s border with Kentucky. I still treasure my copy of Meet Virginia’s Baby, a book highlighting Dickenson County, the youngest in the Commonwealth, formed in 1880. What I didn’t…
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First Families of Tennessee
First Families of Tennessee was established by the East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) in 1993 as a Tennessee Bicentennial project. Membership is open to anyone who can prove direct descent from a person or persons living in what is now Tennessee before or by statehood in 1796. I began my First Families journey recently. My…
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Butterfly, Tenn.
Occasionally as I scan old maps of our area, I stumble across a place name that has been lost to time. Such is the case of “Butterfly, Tenn.” located at the intersection of Reservoir Road and Bays Mountain Park Road. When post offices first began, there was a need for official place names that could…
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Kingsport in the 1890s, the Bridge Between the Boat Yard and the Model City: The E.C. Barnes Story
Many know Kingsport as the “Model City” incorporated in 1917, but it didn’t happen from a blank slate with a big bang. Before the planned city, there was a thriving riverport community. King’s Port (or Boat Yard) was settled in 1761, incorporated in 1822, and faded after the Civil War as railroads replaced boats as…
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Cornerstone of a Community: The Stone Family Story
Tom Parham was recently inducted into the Dobyns-Bennett High School Alumni Hall of Fame. These are Jeff Fleming’s remarks upon his induction. I want to tell you a story with all the triumphs, tragedies, and unexpected twists of a bestseller. But this isn’t fiction—it’s the story of the Stone family, a family whose history is…
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Kingsport’s Bain vs. Batman’s Bane
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…
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Ross N. Robinson
Generations of Kingsport eastside students have grown up singing, “Let’s give a cheer to RNR, to the colors white and blue”. As a John Sevier alumnus, RNR’s archrival, I never gave much thought to the man behind the school’s name. In my formative years, RNR might as well have been in a neighboring city. The…
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The Little Girl of Rotherwood Mansion
Virgealia “Jill” Denny Looney Ellis was a leap year baby in 1928. Since 2024 is a leap year, I wanted to honor her. Mrs. Ellis was the counselor for generations of students at both Douglass High School (before integration) and Dobyns-Bennett High School (after integration), including me. She made a lasting impression, and I was…
Kingsport Spirit 