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.
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.
Bob Lawrence's Kingsport 