Kingsport 100

Celebrating the Kingsport Spirit • 2017

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Timeline

1800

1800s - City of King's Port

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.
1800

1800s - Col. James King

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.
1833

1822 - City of King's Port

Population: 31
1870

1870s - King's Port High School

Evidence of a high school in King's Port was documented located on the banks of Reedy Creek.
1877

1877 - King's Port High School

Professor Copenhaver was named the first principal of King's Port High School. Student Body: 40
1900

1900 - Robert E. Lee School

Robert E. Lee School (dba Oklahoma School) opened on Myrtle and Sevier Streets. Student Body: 12
1914

1914 - J. Fred Johnson

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.
1915

1915 - Population

Population of the Model City 7,182
1917

1917 - First Baptist Church established

1917

1917 - City of Kingsport incorporated

City of Kingsport incorporated and re-chartered, first Mayor James W. Dobyns. Photo: Kingsport Public Library Archives
1917

1917 - Local Kingsport Red Cross Chapter

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
1917

1917 - Kingsport Inn opened

Demolished in 1960.
1917

1917 - First Christian Church Established

1917

1917 - First Presbyterian Church established

1918

1918 - Hagan Hammond dies in WWI

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.
1918

1918 - Homestead Hotel built

Homestead Hotel built for Grant Leather Company.
1919

1919 - Kingsport High School

Kingsport High School graduates 3 students.
1919

1919 - Kingsport Book Club formed

1919

1919 - Construction of White City

1920

1920 - Allen Dryden Sr., opens first architectural firm

1920

1920 - Tennessee Eastman Founded

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.
1921

1921 - Kingsport Public Library opened

1921

1921 - Andrew Jackson School opens

Photo from the Archives of the City of Kingsport.
1921

1921 - Abraham Lincoln School opens

1922

1922 - Kingsport Press established

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.
1922

1922 - Riverview Hospital

Riverview Hospital on Netherland Inn Road was formed.
1925

1925 - Borden Mills and Kingsport Utilities

Borden Mills Plant and Kingsport Utilities started.
1926

1926 - Dobyns-Bennett High School building opens

This building is now John Sevier Middle School.
1926

1926 - Holliston Mills begins operating

Photo from the Archives of the City of Kingsport.
1927

1927 - Kingsport Foundry

Kingsport Foundry opened.
1927

1927 - Kingsport Music Club founded

The Kingsport Music Club was founded September 18, 1927. The first president was Mrs. Malcolm Morison.
1928

1928 - Douglass School for African Americans built

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.
1930

1930 - PET Dairy opens

1932

1932 - Mason-Dixon

Mason-Dixon formed. Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.
1933

1933 - Tornado

A tornado strikes in March. Red Cross develops first Community Disaster Plan and TVA electricity and flood control plans put in place.
1935

1935 - Holston Valley Community Hospital

Holston Valley Community Hospital dedicated with 53 beds and nine bassinets on August 9, 1935. Photo from Kingsport Public Library Archives.
1936

1936 - Jimmy Quillen

Jimmy Quillen becomes youngest newspaper publisher in the United States- Kingsport Mirror.
1936

1936 - City Mission founded

1937

1937 - McKeller Field

McKeller Field (Tri-Cities Airport) built.
1937

1937 - Original Legion Pool opens

Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.
1939

1939 - Civic Auditorium

Civic Auditorium built.
1939

1939 - Downtown Merchants Association formed

1939

1939 - Garden Apartments

Kingsport's first large scale apartment complex completed. Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.
1940

1940 - WKPT Radio

WKPT Radio begins broadcasting.
1940

1940 - Kingsport Housing Authority opens housing projects

Robert E. Lee and Riverview homes.
1941

1941 - Wallace News opens

1942

1942 - Tennessee Eastman constructed Holston Ordinance Works

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.
1942

1942 - J. Fred Johnson Stadium and Park open

1943

1943 - Santa Train

Santa Train begins.
1944

1944 - J. Fred Johnson dies

1945

1945 - Saint Dominic School opens

1945

1945- Cut Rate Grocery and Giant Food Markets

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.
1946

1946 - Kingsport Symphony

Kingsport Symphony formed.
1946

1946 - First Soapbox Derby held

1947

1947 - Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of Commerce formed.
1947

1947 - Kingsport Theater Guild formed

1947

1947 - John B. Dennis dies

1948

1948 - Freedom Train

Freedom Train stops in Kingsport. More than 11,000 came to see. Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.
1948

1948 - Kingsport Lifesaving Crew begins

Takes first call December 18.
1949

1949 - Allandale Mansion built

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.
1949

1949 - Television comes to Kingsport

1949

1949 - Ridgefields Country Club opens

1951

1951 - Douglass High School opens

New Douglass High School opens in Riverview.
1952

1952 - Warriors Path State Park

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.
1952

1952 - Women’s Auxiliary at Holston Valley formed

1953

1953 - American Legion Fourth of July Parade begins

1954

1954 - Kingsport selected as a test site for Polio vaccine

1955

1955 - Kingsport chosen by US Department of State

Kingsport chosen by US Department of State as part of a Department sponsored observation tour of American city governments.
1956

1956 - Pal's opens

1957

1957 - Cerebral Palsy Center/Palmer Center opens

Cerebral Palsy Center /Palmer Center for Crippled Children (now Early Childhood Learning Center and part of city schools) opened on Fort Henry Drive.
1960

1960 - Tennessee Eastman Aniline Plant Explosion

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.
1961

1961 - J. Fred Johnson Memorial Library

J. Fred Johnson Memorial Library opens in old Post Office building.
1962

1962 - Stone Drive

Stone Drive completed.
1963

1963 - Kingsport Press goes on strike

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.
1965

1965 - Girls Inc. of Kingsport chartered

1966

1966 - School integration

384 African-American students and 16 teachers integrate from Douglass School to Dobyns-Bennett High School.
1967

1967 - Dobyns-Bennett High School opened in new building

1967

1967 - Holston River Bridge collapsed

1968

1968 - Bays Mountain opens

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.
1968

1968 - Glen Bruce park dedicated

1969

1969 - Netherland Inn placed on National Register of Historic Places

1969

1969 - Kingsport Press merges with Arcata

Kingsport Press merges with Arcata National Corporation. In the 1990s, Quebecor Printing, a company located in Canada, purchased Arcata Graphics.
1969

1969 - Allandale bequeathed to City of Kingsport

Photo from Archives of the City of Kingsport.
1970

1970 - Kingsport Mall

Kingsport Mall completed. Interstate 81 built.
1971

1971 - Bays Mountain Park

The Planetarium and the Nature Interpretive Center at Bays Mountain Park open.
1971

1971 - Kingsport University Center at Allandale opens

1972

1972 - Largest graduating class at Dobyns-Bennett High School

Largest graduating class ever at Dobyns-Bennett High School, 512 students
1974

1974 - Downtown Kingsport Association organized

1974

1974 - Indian Path Medical Center

Indian Path Medical Center opens for healthcare in Kingsport.
1975

1975 - Remodeled American Legion Pool opens

1976

1976 - Portion of Long Island dedicated

Portion of Long Island dedicated to the Cherokee Nation.
1976

1976 - Fort Henry Mall opens

1977

1977 - Farmers Market begins

Farmers Market begins in parking lot of First Presbyterian Church.
1977

1977 - Cora Cox earns Tennessee Teacher of the Year Award

1979

1979 - Holston Valley Hospital performs first open heart surgery

1980

1980 - Fun Fest begins

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.
1982

1982 - Greenbelt construction begins

1983

1983-The Christine LaGuardia Phillips Cancer Center

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.
1985

1985 - Kingsport recognized as a Main Street Community

1985

1985 - Interstate 181 established

Interstate 181 (future I-26) established as an interstate designation of US-23, connecting Johnson City to Kingsport.
1985

1985 - Coach Van Huss Coach of the Year

Coach Van Huss named National Coach of the Year for men’s basketball.
1986

1986 - Justice Center built

1988

1988 - Survivor’s Club (now Kingsport Historical Society) is founded

1988

1988 - Farmstead Museum at Bays Mountain opens

1989

1989 - Friends of Allandale Established

1989

1989 - Kingsport Tomorrow/Vision 2017

Kingsport Tomorrow/Vision 2017 process has far-reaching implications on city plans.
1990

1990 - Coach Walter “Buck” Van Huss dies

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.
1991

1991 - Renaissance Center opens

1991

1991 - Arcata becomes Quebecor

1993

1993 - Graham Clark named Head Football Coach at DB

Graham Clark is named Head Football Coach at Dobyns-Bennett High School. Coach Clark is the longest-serving coach in the school's history.
1994

1994 - Kingsport Archives

Archives of the City of Kingsport opens (first municipal archive in Tennessee).
1994

1994 - Eastman spins off from Kodak

1995

1995 - Hunter Wright Stadium built

1996

1996 - Meadowview Marriott opens

Meadowview Marriott opens with 195 rooms; 30,000 square feet of meeting space.
1996

1996- Thomas E. LaGuardia, Jr. became the first President of Wellmont

1997

1997 - Kingsport named All-American City

1997

1997 - Lafe Cook joins Kingsport City Schools

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.
1998

1998 - Downtown Heritage trail dedicated

1999

1999 - Economic Summit

Economic Summit breathes new life into Kingsport.
2002

2002 - Red Cross Chapter assigns 309 New Disaster Certificates

Red Cross Chapter assigns 309 new disaster certificates for volunteers after 9/11 reignites spirit of service.
2002

2002 - Blazier-Wilson Hall opens

Blazier-Wilson Hall (known as RCAT or Regional Center for Applied Technology) opens as first building in Academic Village downtown.
2003

2003 - Interstate 181 becomes extension of I-26

Interstate 181 becomes extension of I-26 from Johnson City to the I-81 intersection (Tri-Cities Crossing) in Kingsport.
2003

2003 - Kingsport Symphony renamed Symphony of the Mountains

2003

2003 - Jimmy Quillen dies

United States Congressman longer than any Tennessean in history.
2005

2005 - New parks open

Scott Adams Memorial Skate Park and Domtar Park open.
2006

2006 - Red Cross Chapter renamed

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.
2006

2006 - Riverview Splash Pad opens

2007

2007 - Boundless Playground opens

Boundless Playground opens at Warriors Path State Park, a unique one-of-a-kind play area for children with universally accessible equipment.
2007

2007 - Quebecor closes

2008

2008 - Sculpture Walk begins in Downtown Kingsport

2008

2008 - Regional Center for Health Professions opens

Regional Center for Health Professions opens as the second building in Academic Village.
2009

2009 - RCAM opens

The Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM) opens.
2009

2009 - Kingsport Higher Education Center

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.
2009

2009 - Phillips-Campbell Hall (Kingsport Center for Higher Education) opens

Phillips-Campbell Hall (Kingsport Center for Higher Education) opens as the fourth and flagship building in Academic Village.
2010

2010 - V.O. Dobbins, Sr. Complex opens

2010

2010 - Pal Barger Regional Center for Automotive Programs opens

Pal Barger Regional Center for Automotive Programs opens as the fifth building in Academic Village.
2011

2011 - Kingsport Farmers Market Building opens

2013

2013 - Kingsport Aquatic Center opens

2013

2013 - PEAK (Professionals Engaged in Advancing Kingsport) begins

PEAK (Professionals Engaged in Advancing Kingsport) begins a young professional movement, becomes largest in Tennessee.
2014

2014 - Welcome Center opens

2015

2015 - Kingsport Carousel opens

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.
2015

2015 - ONEKingsport Summit

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.
2016

2017- Kingsport Centennial

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

Legacy Sponsors

  • Holston Valley Medical Center
  • Regional Eye Center
  • Eastman
  • Kingsport Convention and Visitor Bureau
  • Eastman Credit Union
  • Honda Kingsport

Legacy Media Sponsors

  • WJHL/ABC Tri-Cities
  • Kingsport Times News
  • 98.5 WTFM Radio
  • VIPSeen

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