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Rotary Club of Kingsport marks a century of service
On December 11, 1923, the Kingsport Times made a historic gesture by dedicating its entire front page to honor the charter celebration of the Rotary Club of Kingsport. Among the founding members, J. Fred Johnson stands out as the visionary behind the term, “Kingsport Spirit”. Other charter members included Frank Cloud, who held the distinction…
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First time visitors’ visceral response
Recently, I was giving a tour of Kingsport to a group of ladies from Richmond, Virginia. It was their first visit to East Tennessee. They were very much “Old Virginia” in the sense that their roots went back to ancestors who had discovered the new world and never saw a reason to venture any further.…
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Social Media’s Surprising Boost: How One Comment Reinforces the Value of Home
The use of technology and social media is a two-edged sword. Sometimes we become disheartened by the seemingly perpetual barrage of negative comments on just about everything. On the bad days, it’s enough to make you want to stop trying. Then out of the blue something happens that restores your faith. Lately, I’ve been sharing…
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1926 State of the City
Yesterday, Kingsport City Manager Chris McCartt gave the annual State of the City address. It’s an exhausting task to put it together–I speak from experience. It forces us to pause from our daily grind and reflect on our community’s progress, challenges, and vision. I always leave energized, optimistic, and grateful. But I’m also empathetic to…
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The First 11W “Super-Highway” Wasn’t Stone Drive
My first recollection of the term “super-highway” was in reference to Stone Drive in the early 1960s. But did you know that Kingsport’s first “super-highway” was built at least 20 years earlier? Kingsport was incorporated in 1917 as a compact, walkable town. The founders wanted to create a model city with a variety of housing…
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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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Home Sweet Home (To Me)
There’s a saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Lately, I’ve been thinking about how this applies to communities. I always enjoy traveling, but I always look forward to coming home. I enjoy a good trip to the beach, or visiting a large urban center, or attending a stadium event. Those are things I can’t get at home,…
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Postcards – A Window to the Soul
A longtime childhood friend was going through a box of her late grandfather’s things and found several linen postcards of scenes from Kingsport in the early 1940s. She generously sent them to me. Long before text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, Zoom, or FaceTime, postcards were the shortest, simplest way to check-in, say hello, and express feelings…
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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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