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Kingsport Spirit

Jeff Fleming's unique take on the Kingsport Spirit with stories of faith, family, people, places, & history of his hometown and surrounding region. Jeff retired in 2019 after serving the City of Kingsport for 35 years, rising from planning intern to city manager.

  • History
  • Move To Kingsport
  • People
  • Motivation
  • My Family
  • 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…

    Jeff Fleming

    June 26, 2026
    History, People, travel
    America 250, family-history, genealogy, revolutionary-war, sec football, tennessee, Tennessee 250, texas, texas a&m, texas independence, texas republic
  • The Mixed Messages of Appalachia

    We took the granddaughters to see Toy Story 5 at Hilton Head this week. As we were watching the opening ads, a Mountain Dew trailer depicting a fictitious scene from Tennessee in 1948 popped up on the big screen. A theatre full of people saw a ‘hoedown’ with stereotypical images of Appalachia–bibbed overalls, banjos, and…

    Jeff Fleming

    June 25, 2026
    economy, Move To Kingsport
    Appalachia, economic development, fiction, History, migration, news, politics, relocation, travel
  • 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…

    Jeff Fleming

    June 18, 2026
    History, My Family, People
    455th Bomb Group, America 250, History, kingsport, liberty, life, memorial-day, military, patriot, Tennessee 250, Virginia 250, world war ii, writing
  • River Crossings and the Story of Pactolus

    Recently, the Kingsport Times-News reported that the Sullivan County Commission deliberated acceptance of grant funding to upgrade the swinging bridge over the Holston River in Bluff City. The article reminded me that development in a county like Sullivan, which is divided by the Holston River, has always been shaped by river crossings. First came fords…

    Jeff Fleming

    June 16, 2026
    History
    adventure, bristol, Heritage, hiking, History, Johnson City, kingsport, nature, Pactolus Iron Works, tennessee history, travel
  • Please join us for Kingsport’s Best!

    Ticket link for Kingsport’s Best The Kingsport Community Foundation’s mission is simple but powerful: to honor the legacy and embrace the future. That mission is personal to me. After my brother Larry’s death — my only sibling — he was honored with The Knoxville Award, recognizing his life, service, and impact. He took the spirit…

    Jeff Fleming

    June 11, 2026
    People
    Community, foundation, giving, kingsport, philanthropy
  • What IRS Migration Data Says About Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia

    Every year, the Internal Revenue Service releases migration data based on address changes reported on individual income tax returns. It is not perfect. It does not count every person, and it should not be confused with Census population estimates. But it is one of the best tools available for understanding where tax-filing households are moving…

    Jeff Fleming

    June 9, 2026
    economy
    college, History, income, income tax, irs, migration, news, norheast tennessee, population, southwest virginia, travel
  • What Do Charlotte & Kingsport Have In Common?

    Recently, a friend who lives in Kingsport’s Fairacres visited Charlotte and sent me a photograph of a sign from a walkabout she took in Historic Independence Park. She knew right away, when she saw the name John Nolen, that I would be interested. Nolen was Kingsport’s designer, too. The sign noted that Independence Park was…

    Jeff Fleming

    June 8, 2026
    Uncategorized
    History, housing, transit, travel
  • Sullivan 250 | 1780: When the War Passed Through Sullivan County

    Sixth in a 12-part monthly series to commemorate Sullivan County’s role in the 250th birthday of the United States of America June 2026 | 6 of 12 By 1780, the Revolutionary War had reached the frontier in force. For the Overmountain settlements, the struggle shifted from simply holding on to taking action. The implications went far…

    Jeff Fleming

    June 4, 2026
    History, People
    America 250, American History, american revolution, art, books, Declaration of Independence, History, lifestyle, photography, politics, revolutionary-war, south carolina, Sullivan 250, Tennessee 250, travel, virginia, writing
  • Long (Island) Before Kingsport

    I found a reference — new to me, at least — during a recent visit to the East Tennessee History Museum in Knoxville. The exhibit (on display through February 14, 2027) is “Lines Were Drawn: The Treaty of Holston and Its Legacy,” and one map stopped me in my tracks. It showed Long Island of…

    Jeff Fleming

    June 3, 2026
    History
    America 250, american revolution, genealogy, History, Northeast Tennessee, revolutionary-war, Sullivan 250, Tennessee 250, tourism, travel, visit kingsport
  • From Flag Swingers to World Champions: Dobyns-Bennett’s Color Guard Tradition

    The Dobyns-Bennett Band traces its beginning to 1926, when Professor S.T. “Fess” Witt organized the first school band and helped launch what would become one of Kingsport’s proudest traditions. By the fall of 1940, the band was already growing in size, visibility, and community support. Fourteen years after its founding, Dobyns-Bennett added a new visual…

    Jeff Fleming

    June 2, 2026
    Move To Kingsport, People
    band history, color guard, Community, Dobyns-Bennett, flagswingers, marching band, marching band history, winter guard
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