Category: History
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Kingsport’s First War Hero: Rogan Showalter
Every now and then you come across a story that needs to be told. I’ve lived here my whole life–an avid Kingsport history buff–and never knew. As I was preparing for the upcoming Betty Gibson Memorial Lecture at the Kingsport Archives and decided I wanted to know more about her. It turns out I’m very…
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The First Volunteers Saved Nashville
Lately, I’ve been reading the book, “Franklin: America’s “Lost State” (Gerson, 1968). It’s a deep dive into the period of history of Americans residing west of the Appalachian Mountains from the end of the American Revolution in 1783 until 1791 when additional states beyond the original 13 were admitted to the union. Virginia had long…
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Of Vols & Gators
The University of Tennessee Volunteers & University of Florida Gators are bitter enemies in the Southeastern Conference. Many know that legendary Gator coach Steve Spurrier hails from Johnson City, Tennessee, but did you know that Gainesville, Florida–home of the Gators–is named after General Edmund Pendleton Gaines of Kingsport, Tennessee? The name “Volunteers” stems from the…
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A Favored Land.
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: 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…
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Big Stone Gap.
By Jeff FlemingMarch 29, 2023 I can summarize my familiarity with Big Stone Gap into six things: (1) the legendary football legacy of the Powell Valley Vikings, now merged with the Appalachia Bulldogs to form Union High School, (2) the presence of Mountain Empire Community College, (3) interaction with LENOWISCO in transportation planning across state…
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Sobel, Valk, and the American Dream.
By Jeff Fleming, KingsportSpirit.comas published in the Kingsport Times-NewsMarch 26, 2023 Kingsport lost two iconic names last month–Norman Sobel and Sarah Valk. With so many trying to divide us these days, it’s important to remember that Kingsport was founded as a melting pot of people from around the region and around the globe. It was…
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Walnut Hill, the most historic home you’ve probably never heard of.
I remember when City Manager Ray Griffin wanted stationary commemorating the three phases of Kingsport history—settlement, the first incorporation (1822), and the second incorporation (1917). That’s right, Kingsport was incorporated twice. The actual port city was incorporated in 1822 but lost its charter after the Civil War. The current city was incorporated in 1917. The…
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Antebellum Ridgefields?
I bet many people don’t associate the name “Ridgefields” with “antebellum”. It’s best known as the Olmsted-designed mid-century golf community. That’s right, Olmsted, the same firm that designed Central Park in NYC, Biltmore Estate in Asheville, the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and White House, and the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, among…
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The little girl of Rotherwood Mansion
Virgelia “Jill” Ellis was a Kingsport treasure. I was blessed to be asked to deliver her eulogy in 2021. She freely shared her life stories of growing up in times that are hard for us to imagine and uncomfortable to discuss. A time of segregation and the struggle for civil rights. She was kind, optimistic,…
Kingsport Spirit 