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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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Is Northeast Tennessee growing too fast?
When people worry about Northeast Tennessee growing too fast, looking at other mid-size cities across Tennessee is helpful. Middle Tennessee’s market is undeniably white-hot, so it’s no surprise that the top four cities are from that region. But the disparity may surprise you. Those four cities account for 60% of all the homes sold. Northeast…
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The Hidden Costs of Coastal Living
As you likely know, I’ve been involved with Move To Kingsport for 25 years. Upon retirement 5 years ago, I began managing the program on a part-time basis for Visit Kingsport. Marketing my hometown has become part of my psyche, so I thought I’d share some insights we are asked by new citizens and those…
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Recharge: Life Lessons from My Watch
For some reason, I let my watch battery drain to zero. It’s an older Fitbit, which means it needs a specific charging cord with a USB plug. That complicates things because I can’t just set it on a charging pad by my bed like Apple users do. This disruption in routine often leads to a…
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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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Welcome to Northeast Tennessee, America’s First Frontier
I was asked to provide a welcome and introduction of “Carrollyn, The Recovering Californian” at the Tennessee Planning Convention held at MeadowView Marriott Conference Resort. The conference was hosted by the State of Franklin Chapter. Nearly 200 attendees came from Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and all points in between. I saw many of you at…
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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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Looking Back and Leading Forward
These are remarks by Jeff Fleming made at last night’s 90th Birthday celebration of United Way of Greater Kingsport. When Danelle asked me to say a few words, I thought of Keith Parker’s dynamic speaking style. He’s young, tall, charismatic, and witty…all things I am not. But she needed a local history buff for tonight’s…
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Lessons from Grassy Creek: The Man He Didn’t Have to Be
In 1976, when he was 34 years old, Bob Moore married Carol Salyer and gained a 6-year-old son, Timothy. To put things in perspective, Bob would have been about the same age as his grandsons Zack Fleming and Zachary Salyer are now. Just 6 years and 9 months into their marriage, Bob & Timothy lost…
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Kingsport Spirit 