I had a paper route in the late 50s that included the homes on Cement Hill. It was a difficult bike ride up, but a thrill going down (I misjudged one time and ended up in a pile of gravel). The homes were quite nice, with the ones on the Industry Drive side having mysterious (to me) back yards that went down the side of the hill to the woods. This home was on the curve of the road on the Kingsport side.
I’m standing on Cherokee Street, the crane is sitting on New Street. Around 1980 or so, somebody, maybe the city, decided to tear down the old Rialto Theater building. When I was a kid, it was referred to as “The Rathole” and mom wouldn’t let me go there. By the time of this picture, it had been AY’s Restaurant for a number of years and I think there had been a billiards parlor (pool hall) in that side door. Upstairs were apartments.
This plant was long gone before my time. It was located roughly where the Riverview Community is now. There’s an excellent history of this company here and a photo of a post card that I think is not as old as this one:
Another divided back card. These were in common use starting in 1907, and stayed in use long after that. There is an inscription on the lower front, in an odd, italic type face: “Ruins of Tavern on Old Stage Road, Kingsport, Tenn.”
According to a map of the Boatyard District in “Kingsport Heritage: The Early Years 1700 to 1900” by Muriel Spoden, this was the 1813 Joseph Everett Stone Tavern located on Lot 2, next to the Netherland Inn, where that gas company is now located.
I assume this picture dates from sometime in the 1930s. The Spoden book indicates that this tavern was derelict in the late ’20s.
The card has a blue cast, which I’ve seen before in later cards.
This is the Far East Restaurant. There’s a vacuum cleaner place there currently. On the back: “FAR-EAST RESTAURANT, The only smartest Chinese-American Restaurant in the Tri-City area is located at 1120 Bristol Highway in Kingsport, Tennessee. Featuring finest Chinese and American food. Specializing in Chinese family dinners. Live Maine Lobster. Choice steaks and Take-Home orders. Catering to parties. Pub. by Fred W. Stanley, Johnson City, Tenn.” The card was published by Dexter Press, Inc. West Nyack, New York.
The Martinique Restaurant. On the back: “THE MARTINIQUE RESTAURANT Located at Junction of U.S. 11W and U.S. 23 Highways at circle, Kingsport, Tenn. Near Nice Motels. ‘Serving fine food.’ Telephone Circle 5-9612.”
Elvis is said to have eaten here.
And here’s the United Nations Restaurant. On back: (graphic of various country flags) THE UNITED NATIONS RESTAURANT 209 E. New Street – Telephone 933 KINGSPORT, TENNESSEE”
The card was published by Howard-Duckett Co., Printers Kingsport, Tenn.
This restaurant was not in business by 1959.
I checked my 1959 Kingsport City Directory and saw that this location, on the corner of East Market and Cherokee Streets (245 East Market Street) , was then W.B. Greene’s Bargain Annex (used furniture). Nick’s Western Shop, which also specialized in square dancing regalia, was owned by Nick Drakos. I can anecdotally track the business back to around 1960 or so, but I don’t have a firm opening date. I think I took this in the mid-90s, when I learned that Nick’s was going out of business. Corrections and additions appreciated!
I’m told that this was a popular gathering place for maybe 30 years in Lovedale. It was located right about where Bloomingdale Pike wyes off West Sullivan. Note the concrete post in front. I’m pretty sure that held a U.S. Postal Service mailbox. Lovedale was once called Peltier, a transitional commerce area before new Kingsport came into being.
I hope you do, because this is how it looks today (04/05/14):
This was in 2004. The business had already closed by this time. There’s a good aerial shot of this complex in its heyday in the “Wings Over Kingsport” second edition by Dick Alvey. I interviewed him once when I had a talk show on a little station in Kingsport. He was a pleasant guy. He gladly gave me permission to use a shot of Broad Street he’d taken from the upper window of the train station tower back in 1939. I worked up a (not very good) ink drawing from it. Made prints. Sold some.
I think I took this in the late 60s, when I was working for the Times-News as a photographer. It was just an incidental shot, but, you know, these “incidental” pictures can sometimes really end up being a window into the past. I think Stone’s Grocery was closed by this time (the building was demolished in 2026). No merchandise is in the window and a sign suspiciously resembling a “For Rent” sign is in the lower left.
I don’t think the Golden Rule grocery, just across the street, again to the left, was there then, either. Golden Rule was deep cool. They stocked interesting food items – the scents of which, all mingled together in the building and etched into the walls, was enticing.
However, at Stone’s Grocery, Mom would buy cheese bread delivered from Peter Pan Bakery in Bristol. Ah, toasted cheese bread…almost as tasty as toasted salt-rising bread. With coffee, natch. And butter.
Bob Lawrence's Kingsport 