Kingsport Tennessee History and Heritage Trail

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The building that was known as Yancey’s Tavern from around 1782 until the 1840s was initially constructed around 1777-1779 by James Hollis Sr. The building was constructed along Island Road, the first wagon road and longest road still in use in Tennessee. Its physical location is just outside of Kingsport on TN 126, in between the historic sites of the Deery Inn and the Netherland Inn. Since its construction, the building has been used for several various purposes, including as a home, a tavern, a stage stop, a post office, a family farm, and a cemetery. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

2. Exchange Place

Exchange Place will take you back to agricultural life in the scenic Tennessee Valley of the 1830s, 40s and 50s. Exchange Place is a beautiful living history site boasting over a dozen rustic cabin-style historic structures and buildings, and the site is complete with gardens, crops and heritage breed livestock. Come retreat into the past and join us by checking out our website to see our upcoming events and festivals!

3. Douglass High School (TN)

This was the largest school to serve African-American youth from the Upper East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Southeast Kentucky regions. It was also the largest school between Knoxville, TN and Roanoke, VA.

4. Church Circle

Church Circle in Kingsport is part of the original 1919 City Plan for the unique layout of the city. The layout of Kingsport, as one of the first professionally planned and privately financed cities in modern America, features a main street with a shopping district which leads directly into the Church Circle roundabout, consisting of four notable brick church buildings, which were the first to be constructed in modern Kingsport. The Circle was designed by William Dunlap, a railroad engineer, and refined by John Nolen, then city planner. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 because of its cultural and historical values and unique layout which is viewed as a cornerstone of planned urban design.

5. Clinchfield Railroad Station

The Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Passenger Train Station, or the Clinchfield Railroad Station, in Kingsport, was built in 1916 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Constructed from the design of New York architect Clinton McKenzie, the station was no longer in service starting in 1954.

6. Long Island of the Holston River Historical Marker

This historical marker on Netherland Inn Road was dedicated by the Tennessee Historical Commission in honor of a site that became the state's first National Historic Landmark. The island is about four miles long and roughly half-a-mile in width and became a site of trade and numerous important events in the 18th century. This island within the Holston River was Cherokee land and an important strategic area for Natives and the eventual settlers who arrived to trade and seek partnerships with the tribes who controlled the island and surrounding land until the end of the century. Because of the island's location near the river’s north and south forks, it became a site of commerce and the springboard for explorers and traders in Tennessee and Kentucky. The Long Island of the Holston River also served as the beginning of Daniel Boone’s prominent Wilderness Road when he and 30 men wielding axes initiated the trail-making in the 1770s.

7. Old Kingsport Presbyterian Church

This structure is used by the oldest congregation in Kingsport, Tennessee, which was organized in 1820. The leader of the church, Dr. Frederick Ross, had the building constructed by using his slaves as the laborers in 1846. The slaves were also members of the church, although they (the enslaved church members) left with Dr. Ross in 1852, as he moved to Huntsville, AL. Soon thereafter, the national Presbyterian church split in 1858 over slavery. Kingsport Presbyterian aligned itself with the anti-slave faction soon after it was discovered they belonged to the pro-slave faction of the national church.

8. Netherland Inn and Museum

Visited by several United States' presidents including Presidents Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson and James K. Polk, The Netherland Inn and Museum is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The structure dates back to the early 19th century, although the exact date of its construction remains unclear. The restored hotel is part of the Boatyard Historic District of Kingsport, Tennessee, located along the Holston River. The inn is the only National Historic Site which functioned as both a boatyard and a stagecoach stop and has been rebuilt and restored with antique furnishings.

9. Allandale Mansion

Kingsport's Allandale Mansion, often called Kingsport's "White House," was built in 1949 by cattle ranchers Ruth and Harvey Brooks. The Brooks family willed the mansion to City of Kingsport in 1969, and it quickly became one of the centers of Kingsport social and community life. Visitors to the mansion can view exhibits about the Brooks family, as well as view the home's original furnishings and art. Visitors can also tour the barn and gardens. The mansion was part of a working farm that produced ward-winning cattle. The gardens may be the most beloved part of the mansion, created by the same designer who worked for President Eisenhower.

This Tour is a Thematic Tour or Heritage Trail.

Kingsport Tennessee History and Heritage Trail

Created by Douglas J Harding on August 4th 2019, 11:37:47 am.

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Prior to the 18th Century, the area which now makes up Kingsport was inhabited by Cherokee Native Americans. Sometime in the late 1700s, entrepreneur Wililam King established a boatyard along the Holston River at present day Kingsport. For a short period during the 1980s, the town was known as Franklin. In the early 1800s, the towns of Christianville and Rossville were established, and in 1822, they merged to form a town known as King's Port. In December 1864, a small battle of the Civil War was fought in the town. Kingsport as it is today began developing around 1910 with the arrival of its railroad which led to significantly increased business, visitors and residents in the region. In 1916, city planner of Massachusetts John Nolen designed the layout of Kingsport as it remains today.

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Kingsport Tennessee History and Heritage Trail

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