Town of the Week, July 18, 1998

Take a visit to Kingsport, Tennessee; listen in.

Kingsport, Tennessee

What do Madison, New York City and a town in Tennessee have in common? Each employed famed city planner John Nolen. He was enlisted in the early 1900s to design America's first model city in the northeastern corner of Tennessee.

So 80 years ago, in an area historic for nearly two centuries, along the Holston River at William King's shipbuilding port, Nolen laid out the town of Kingsport. Its design was executed by Clinton MacKenzie, placing residential neighborhoods and the famous church circle on high ground, industry along the river, and a commercial district with row houses in between.

The founder of Eastman Kodak, George Eastman, was drawn by the area's beauty and abundant coal in 1920 to establish Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport. Today, it employs more than 11 thousand people in a community of 43,000 residents.

Other sizeable manufacturers are Quebecor, which binds more than 300 million books annually for shipment worldwide; AFG, the second largest glass manufacturer in the country; and Willamette's Kingsport Paper Mill.

Kingsport is home to the most visited state park in Tennessee, Bays Mountain. Kingsport also offers theatre guild, symphony and youth orchestras. Visitors can experience life as it was generations ago; at Exchange Place, the Netherland Inn and Allendale Mansion.

Thousands of people are flocking to town this week and next for Fun Fest, the annual July event of music, games and sporting events. It's a town where the distractions are considered only natural; our Town of the Week, Kingsport, Tennessee.

Big Mary In 1916, a circus stopped in to entertain the folks of Kingsport. It seems that one of the trainers was harrassing the elephant Big Mary with a stick, and the furious Mary retaliated by stomping him to death. (Rumor has it the trainer was not a very nice man, and Mary was the type of elephant to bear a grudge.) Fearing the bad press and resulting loss of customers, the circus decided to make an example out of Mary to reassure the public and teach the other animals what happens to rebels. Come read Big Mary's sad story at roadsideamerica.com.

Tennessee Tourism Info Kingsport Home Page

Slogan: "America at its best" Insects: Firefly & Ladybug Gem: River pearl Tree: Tulip poplar Poem: Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee Wildflower: Passion flower Animal: Raccoon

Info for "Didja Know?" and "Fun Facts" compiled from the Tennessee Official State Page Tennessee Blue Book and Roadsideamerica.com.