Category: People
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Model City Matriarchs
Mark your calendars for this very special presentation! There are three ways to participate: (1) Attend in person, (2) watch the livestream on the Archives Facebook page, or (3) watch it on the Archives YouTube channel that will be uploaded a few days after the event.
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Milton DeVault and Team Kingsport
I recently visited what our guide called a “museum of stories.” Rather than focusing mainly on artifacts, it sought to preserve the lives of ordinary people. Many visitors were descendants trying to piece together their family histories. That experience reminded me of a conversation. My niece introduced me to a friend in Knoxville who mentioned…
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A City Is Something We Build. A Community Is Something We Create.
I can’t tell you how many times people stopped me during Fun Fest to say “thank you” and express how they felt about living in a place like Kingsport. They did not necessarily mean the City of Kingsport. They meant the Kingsport community. They were not really thanking me personally. I happened to be a…
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Why Kingsport Is Called the Model City
Kingsport’s municipal election is underway, with early voting through August 1 and Election Day on August 6. This is a good time to remember why we are called the Model City. The name is often associated with Kingsport’s physical plan—Church Circle, an orderly street system, and a balanced layout for businesses, neighborhoods, parks, and schools.…
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John Cook—A Life Lived in America’s Best Idea
Several years ago, I was watching Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan’s PBS documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, when I saw a reference to John Cook. I immediately texted my friend Lafe Cook, longtime director of the Dobyns-Bennett High School Band. “Is that your dad?” When Lafe answered yes, I was smitten, but I had…
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From Old Kingsport to Dobyns-Bennett: An Intuitive Chronology for the D-B Band Centennial
The Dobyns-Bennett High School Band centennial is best understood as the story of how Kingsport’s school identity moved from scattered rural and county schools to a modern city school system. The band was formed in 1926, the same year Kingsport’s high school moved to Wateree Street, took the name Dobyns-Bennett High School, and began a…
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Maybe Others See Kingsport More Clearly Than We Do
I recently saw a Facebook post that said, “Kingsport gets the least credit of the three cities, and it’s not even close.” Then the commenters jumped in, comparing them. Here is a hot take: It is perfectly fine to be a citizen of the region. You can live in one community and enjoy everything the…
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The Surprising Tennessee Road to Texas Independence
Full disclosure: I’m down a rabbit hole researching a trip to the Tennessee at Texas A&M game this November. You know me, I can’t just enjoy a football weekend. I have to seize the opportunity to explore the surrounding area. That led me to a suggested side trip to Washington-on-the-Brazos, where delegates adopted the Texas…
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Son, Never Forget
Some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around Kingsport’s Independence Day parade. We lived one block from the parade route. I remember the rush of anticipation when the American flags started going up on the light poles. By dawn’s early light on the Fourth of July, I was as excited as a kid on Christmas…
