Kingsport Spirit

The Holston River: From Long Island to the Future Capital

Fifth in a 12-part monthly series to commemorate Sullivan County’s role in the 250th birthday of the United States of America Rivers functioned much like an early version of our modern interstate system, especially when they were navigable. Long Island (later King’s...

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Before Countyhood: How Order Came to the Holston Valley

Fourth in a 12-part monthly series to commemorate Sullivan County’s role in the 250th birthday of the United States of America Even as violence flared in the Holston Valley during the Revolutionary era, settlers made a choice that would shape the region’s long-term...

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Long Island of the Holston: Where the Frontier Converged

First in a 12-part monthly series to commemorate Sullivan County’s role in the 250th birthday of the United States of America. Before Sullivan County existed, before Tennessee had a name, there was Long Island of the Holston. Lying along a broad bend of the Holston...

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