Tag: genealogy
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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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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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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…
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The Story Hidden in Church Circle
I was recently asked why half of the four church buildings on Kingsport’s historic Church Circle are Methodist. As a history buff, I knew why, but it occurred to me that others may not. Long before Kingsport became the Model City, Methodist worship had already taken root here. Organized Methodism in this region dates to…
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The Founding Father Hidden in Kingsport’s Land Records
I find tidbits of Kingsport history in the most unexpected places. This week, it came from a Retired Police Officers magazine out of Long Island, New York, where Kingsport has quietly placed a small ad for years. Inside was an article on the burning of Norfolk in 1776, and there, in the middle of that…
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Sullivan 250 | From Fort Robinson to Fort Patrick Henry: Building a Defense Network in the Holston Valley
Second in a 12-part monthly series to commemorate Sullivan County’s role in the 250th birthday of the United States of America February 2026 | 2 of 12 As British colonial interests pushed beyond the Appalachians, travel followed established Indigenous routes such as the Warriors’ Path through Virginia’s Great Valley to Long Island of the Holston—an…
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Sullivan 250 | Long Island of the Holston: Where the Frontier Converged (1 of 12)
First in a 12-part monthly series to commemorate Sullivan County’s role in the 250th birthday of the United States of America Before Sullivan County existed, before Tennessee had a name, there was Long Island of the Holston. Lying along a broad bend of the Holston River near present-day Kingsport, the island and its surrounding flats…
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Of Time and Time Zones
The change to or from daylight saving time always throws me off. It takes a good couple of weeks to feel normal again. I’ve long wished we could settle on one consistent time year-round, but I understand it’s not as simple as it sounds. When I lived briefly in Middle Tennessee, I remember the sun…
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From Magic to Momentum: Playing the Long Game in Kingsport
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the natural life cycle of a city—of any built environment really. When you are a city manager, the challenges you face are based on when you arrive on the scene during that life cycle. If it’s a brand-new city, you have a clean slate. But there’s no infrastructure. So you…
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The Very First Census Provides Shocking Insights
On a recent visit to the Kingsport Public Library, I came across a stack of books slated for removal. Most were duplicates of old census records for various Tennessee counties and surrounding states. Since these records are now readily available online, it makes sense that Kingsport wouldn’t need to store documents for counties in Middle…
Kingsport Spirit 