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Kingsport TN from Cement Hill

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kptfmcementhill

“A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF KINGSPORT, TENN., FROM “THE CEMENT HILL”
This postcard is interesting for several reasons, the first being that it was actually used, so there’s a postmark on the back.  It was mailed in 1931 from Kingsport by a couple passing through on the way to Knoxville and addressed to a lady in Reidsville North Carolina, R.F.D. #6.
It’s also a reasonably scarce issue by T.J. Stephenson of Kingsport (he took the picture) and printed by Tichenor Dual Views (Tichenor Brothers of Cambridge MA), plate #121031.  You don’t have to look very carefully to see that it is a black & white photograph that’s been rather crudely colored in by the publisher.  Stephenson had a whole line of postcards with pictures of Kingsport taken in the mid- to late-20s.  I love these cards and don’t have all in the series.  I saw one of Catawba Street that I so badly wanted to snatch out of the owner’s hand and sprint off with, but, sadly, I didn’t.

Penley’s (Funtastics)

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This building, on the corner of Roller and Sullivan Streets,  is going to be gone soon.  The area around the newly-developed former Kingsport Press/Quebecor lots is now catnip for developers.  Of course, that will also do away with this example of primitive wall art.
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Milhorn Appliance

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This is early work for me.  It was done in 1975 and I was living, again, in the apartments upstairs.  I’d lived there as a kid and lived there when I got out of service. This was the old Latimer Chevrolet building. At the time, the concrete ramp that allowed cars to be driven to the second floor was still there.  I know that because I’d go down the back steps to the second floor, and cross over the ramp to a side door. I’d go out that door, climb down the ladder to the alley and head up to John Sevier Junior High (now the Renaissance Center). The apartments were put in after WWII and, according to the received story, were the first in Kingsport to have air conditioning units.  This is located at 315 Cherokee Street.  I don’t know who painted that sign, either.

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The Indian

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This used to be on Memorial Boulevard, roughly between 93 and Harbor Chapel Road, on the right as you’re ascending the hill.  Later, it was Abe’s Pies (the pies were pretty good).  I’ve heard that John Barker had a speaker in it connected to a microphone so he could surprise tourists (this was, after all, originally a tourist attraction).  It’s now on Stone Drive (Robert E. Lee Highway) at a well-regarded barbecue place.  It’s been refurbed since I drew this.  I’ve also heard that, at one time, a fun-loving family of wasps built a nest under the loincloth, resulting in some startled expressions from people who happened to glance up ‘twixt the faux Native American’s legs.
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Lovedale gas station

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In 1959, this gas station, at 666 Sullivan Street, was Estep’s Gulf service station (I looked it up).  I took the reference picture for this in the late 70s or so.  Note the price of gas.

Further notes: Lovedale was an intermediate area as the business section of Kingsport moved gradually to its current location.  At first, it was down on the river: Old Kingsport.  After the Civil War had laid waste to this area, things moved a little to the east, to the intersection of the Bristol Highway (Bloomingdale Pike) and Scott County Road, which went up to Gate City.  It was called Peltier then.  Later, for reasons unknown to me, it became Lovedale. Slightly to the north, a wholesaler named Lynn maintained a farm.  That came to be called Lynn’s Gardens.
The first airport in town was in Lovedale.  Zoom, zoom.