Timeline

The name King's Port was accepted in the late 18th century. It does not stem from King George or any other crown, but from Col. James King, who owned the King’s Mill Station at the mouth of Reedy Creek and used the Holston River to ship commodities. The success of his business gave the city its name, because the area was being referred to as King’s Port, which eventually evolved into Kingsport.

Col. James King settles on the Holston River and conducts his shipping business, King’s Mill Station, at the mouth of Reedy Creek. The area came to be known as King’s Port.

Population: 31

Evidence of a high school in King's Port was documented located on the banks of Reedy Creek.

Professor Copenhaver was named the first principal of King's Port High School. Student Body: 40

Robert E. Lee School (dba Oklahoma School) opened on Myrtle and Sevier Streets. Student Body: 12

J. Fred Johnson sells 1200 acres of land that is now Bays Mountain Park to Kingsport Waterworks Corporation for construction of the dam to be used for the city’s population. This dam created a 44-acre lake and served the city until 1944.

Population of the Model City 7,182

City of Kingsport incorporated and re-chartered, first Mayor James W. Dobyns. Photo: Kingsport Public Library Archives

Local Kingsport Red Cross Chapter is chartered during WWI with J. Fred Johnson serving as First Chairman (American Red Cross founded in 1881). Photo: American Red Cross of Northeast Tennessee

Demolished in 1960.

First Sullivan County/Kingsport soldier to die in World War I. A street, a bridge and an American Legion Post were all named after him.

Homestead Hotel built for Grant Leather Company.

Kingsport High School graduates 3 students.

Eastman Kodak founder, George Eastman, was in search of an area with suitable quantities of methanol and acetone. He set his sights on Kingsport, Tennessee, and it's forests.

Photo from the Archives of the City of Kingsport.

Kingsport Press established with John B. Dennis as Chairman of the Board. First contract was with Woolworth chain for mass production of a miniature clothbound series of the classics. Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.

Riverview Hospital on Netherland Inn Road was formed.

Borden Mills Plant and Kingsport Utilities started.

This building is now John Sevier Middle School.

Photo from the Archives of the City of Kingsport.

Kingsport Foundry opened.

The Kingsport Music Club was founded September 18, 1927. The first president was Mrs. Malcolm Morison.

Prior name was Oklahoma Grove. Douglass was a Rosenwald School. Julius Rosenwald was an industrialist from Chicago, the first CEO of Sears, Roebuck and Company. He established a foundation to fund the construction of hundreds of school buildings for African-American children in the early 20th century.

Mason-Dixon formed. Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.

A tornado strikes in March. Red Cross develops first Community Disaster Plan and TVA electricity and flood control plans put in place.

Holston Valley Community Hospital dedicated with 53 beds and nine bassinets on August 9, 1935. Photo from Kingsport Public Library Archives.

Jimmy Quillen becomes youngest newspaper publisher in the United States- Kingsport Mirror.

McKeller Field (Tri-Cities Airport) built.

Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.

Civic Auditorium built.

Kingsport's first large scale apartment complex completed. Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.

WKPT Radio begins broadcasting.

Robert E. Lee and Riverview homes.

Tennessee Eastman, a government contractor, constructed Holston Ordinance Works to manufacture explosives during World War II. They stopped production in 1945 but reactivated in 1949 and continue operation today. Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.

Santa Train begins.

Thomas E. La Guardia Jr., a board member of Cut Rate Grocery (1934-1945) which was owned by Thomas E. La Guardia Sr., made an impact on his customers, employees and within the community. He later became President of Giant Food Markets from 1945-1984 and was also the founder of Jiffy Markets convenience stores (1956-1984). Not only did Thomas E. La Guardia Jr. make an impact on business in Kingsport but also through serving on hospital boards Holston Valley Medical Center, Wellmont Health Systems, Christine LaGuardia Phillips Cancer Center and many more. Not only have these businesses made an impact on Kingsport but, our community has made an impact by supporting small business throughout the years.

Kingsport Symphony formed.

Chamber of Commerce formed.

Freedom Train stops in Kingsport. More than 11,000 came to see. Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.

Takes first call December 18.

Harvey Brooks and wife, Ruth Haire Brooks, farm land was inundated by construction of Ft. Patrick Dam and forced relocation and building of their new home, Allandale Mansion. She died in 1962, and when he died in 1969, Mr. Brooks left the house and 25 acres to the City of Kingsport.

New Douglass High School opens in Riverview.

Warriors Path State Park is acquired from the TVA for recreational use. Named for the Great Indian Warpath used by the Iroquois in war raids against the Cherokee and other tribes, the park is 950 acres around the Ft. Patrick Henry Reservoir and Duck Island on the South Fork of the Holston River.

Kingsport chosen by US Department of State as part of a Department sponsored observation tour of American city governments.

Cerebral Palsy Center /Palmer Center for Crippled Children (now Early Childhood Learning Center and part of city schools) opened on Fort Henry Drive.

Tennessee Eastman Aniline Plant Explosion on October 4, 1960, at 4:42 p.m. was a terrible tragedy in Kingsport’s history which caused Eastman to institute new safety review programs. Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.

J. Fred Johnson Memorial Library opens in old Post Office building.

Stone Drive completed.

Kingsport Press on strike in one of the nation’s longest strikes, continuing from March 11 through the spring of 1967. Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.

384 African-American students and 16 teachers integrate from Douglass School to Dobyns-Bennett High School.

Bays Mountain first opens to visitors as a park with a strict 100-car limit. It is the largest city-owned park in the state of Tennessee.

Kingsport Press merges with Arcata National Corporation. In the 1990s, Quebecor Printing, a company located in Canada, purchased Arcata Graphics.

Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.

Kingsport Mall completed. Interstate 81 built.

The Planetarium and the Nature Interpretive Center at Bays Mountain Park open.

Largest graduating class ever at Dobyns-Bennett High School, 512 students

Indian Path Medical Center opens for healthcare in Kingsport.

Portion of Long Island dedicated to the Cherokee Nation.

Farmers Market begins in parking lot of First Presbyterian Church.

Kingsport Fun Fest begins this Fall as a summer community event. Events are an effort to unite residents, foster a belief that Kingsport is a caring community and good place to live and work.

The Christine LaGuardia Phillips Cancer Center at Holston Valley Medical Center is located in Kingsport, TN. Today, the Christine LaGuardia Cancer center is the largest and premier cancer program of Northeast TN/Southwest VA recording 1,029 analytic cases in 2005. Clinical Trials continue to grow and education and support groups are stronger than ever.

Interstate 181 (future I-26) established as an interstate designation of US-23, connecting Johnson City to Kingsport.

Coach Van Huss named National Coach of the Year for men’s basketball.

Kingsport Tomorrow/Vision 2017 process has far-reaching implications on city plans.

June 30, 1990, Coach Walter “Buck” Van Huss dies at the age of 71 during open-heart surgery. He was six victories from being the winningest high school basketball coach in history and was looking forward to his next season with the DB Indians. Van Huss had a 1,021-313 record in 37 years of coaching and led Kingsport to the state tournament eight of his first 14 years at that school.

Graham Clark is named Head Football Coach at Dobyns-Bennett High School. Coach Clark is the longest-serving coach in the school's history.

Archives of the City of Kingsport opens (first municipal archive in Tennessee).

Meadowview Marriott opens with 195 rooms; 30,000 square feet of meeting space.

Lafe Cook joins Kingsport City Schools as Dobyns-Bennett Director of Bands. Mr. Cook is the longest-serving band director in the school's history.

Economic Summit breathes new life into Kingsport.

Red Cross Chapter assigns 309 new disaster certificates for volunteers after 9/11 reignites spirit of service.

Blazier-Wilson Hall (known as RCAT or Regional Center for Applied Technology) opens as first building in Academic Village downtown.

Interstate 181 becomes extension of I-26 from Johnson City to the I-81 intersection (Tri-Cities Crossing) in Kingsport.

United States Congressman longer than any Tennessean in history.

Scott Adams Memorial Skate Park and Domtar Park open.

Red Cross Chapter renamed American Red Cross of Northeast Tennessee. Chapter manages Tennessee response to Gulf Coast Hurricane Katrina, serving 20,000 families and raising $1.6 million locally to support relief efforts.

Boundless Playground opens at Warriors Path State Park, a unique one-of-a-kind play area for children with universally accessible equipment.

Regional Center for Health Professions opens as the second building in Academic Village.

The Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM) opens.

Kingsport Higher Education Center opened & wins Innovations in American Government Award from The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Phillips-Campbell Hall (Kingsport Center for Higher Education) opens as the fourth and flagship building in Academic Village.

Pal Barger Regional Center for Automotive Programs opens as the fifth building in Academic Village.

PEAK (Professionals Engaged in Advancing Kingsport) begins a young professional movement, becomes largest in Tennessee.

Kingsport Carousel opens as one of the most highly successful volunteer projects the city has accomplished. By December 31, the venue welcomes 50,000 riders.

ONEKingsport Summit promises to make Kingsport the premier destination in Northeast Tennessee for people to live, work, raise a family and for businesses to grow and prosper.

Kingsport celebrates 100 years on March 2, 2017, at the Kingsport Farmer's Market.