Tag Archives: Intermountain Telephone Company

Summer, 1946

This Kingsport Intermountain Telephone Directory was issued in July, 1946. These are two of the three pages of restaurant listings compiled probably in late spring or early summer of ’46. The Center Street Grill building became Center Street Restaurant, then the AAA Office and has been vacant for years.

“Chat & Chew Grill”?!?

Just out of curiosity, I wondered who had the lowest number listing in the directory and it turned out to be Hutchwallen Florists at number 1. Hutchwallen (it’s spelled that way in the directory) was located directly in front of the train station, where that patch of flowers is now.

I couldn’t find a listing for number 2, but Huff Funeral Home and Ambulance Service – at Charlemont and Watuaga – had 3, General Shale Sales Office had 4 and Clinchfield Railroad Company Ticket Agent had 5.

The directory is a fascinating glimpse of the business community in Kingsport as the nation came out of WWII.

The Stuff That’s Coming

World War II had ended a little over a year before this ad was published in the July 1946 Intermountain Telephone Company Telephone Directory for Kingsport, Gate City and Sullivan Gardens.  Dobyns-Taylor was, in essence, priming the pump.  Little did they know the flood of products that would soon wash over them.