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Surrounded by majestic mountain views, this part of the country...
Category: Good Towns

Good Towns: Tri-Cities, Tennessee, and Virginia

Surrounded by majestic mountain views, this part of the country produced explorers and presidents while providing the soundtrack of a nation.

By Doug Segrest | October 21, 2019

Ralph Peer was a talent scout and aspiring record producer. In the early 1920s, he left a job with Okeh Records to move to Victor Talking Machine Company for a salary of $1 per year. What Peer lacked in income he more than made up for in vision – and belief he could find magic.

That vision led him from New York City to Bristol, a sleepy town straddling the Tennessee and Virginia borders. He was armed with nothing more than a new technological wonder: a portable electronic recording machine.

For 11 days, he recorded a series of regional “hillbilly” and bluegrass artists on the third floor of the Taylor-Christian Hat and Glove Company on State Street, producing a cornucopia of sounds that would prove historic, and become known as the Big Bang of Country Music.

See, country music began in Bristol, and, for many, part of it died passing through town one snowy New Year’s Eve.

Our latest Good Towns tour takes us to the Tri-Cities of Tennessee, a wedge of the state’s northeasternmost reach leading into Virginia. The geography rolls with the mountains of Appalachia, filled with people known for their genuine character and fierce independence. Comprised of Bristol, Kingsport and Johnson City, the Tri-Cities produced frontier heroes and presidents, in addition to a music style that is uniquely American.

 

The State of Franklin

A half-hour from Bristol, just past Johnson City, is Jonesborough. This was a town before there was a state. Founded in 1779, it was, for a time, the capital of the State of Franklin – East Tennessee’s first foray into statehood. While the territory was short-lived, Tennessee soon claimed this region when it was granted statehood itself. Today, Jonesborough draws 21st Century visitors to explore 18th Century origins.

For almost half a century, Jonesborough has been known as the Storytelling Capital of the World.

The Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall was built in 2002, 19 years after the annual National Storytelling Festival began. Held in October, the festival builds on the Appalachian cultural tradition of passing down tales. This was where famous writers, like Kathryn Tucker Windham, held audiences captive. It’s where students seeking a graduate degree in storytelling at nearby East Tennessee State University go to hone their oratorical skills.

Adorned with cobblestone sidewalks, Jonesborough’s downtown village is lined with historic buildings and quirky businesses. Built in 1797, the Chester Inn housed at least three presidents (Tennessee-born Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson) during its heyday as a five-star hotel. Next door is the Christopher Taylor House. Built two years before the town’s inception by an officer in the American Revolution, it later served as the home of Jackson as he built his law practice.

  • Leon Devoti
    Leon Devoti shows some of the unique fashion for sale at Hands Around the World in historic Jonesborough./ GARY TRAMONTINA PHOTOS
  • Bracelet from Hands Around The World
    A bracelet handcrafted in South America, available at Hands Around the World.
  • Downtown Jonesborough Storytelling Hall
    In Jonesborough, the Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall lures writers, historians and dreamers from around the world.
  • Jonesborough Antiques & Artisans
    Ready to explore more than 10,000 square feet of antiques, memorabilia, vintage clothing and more?
  • Courthouse in downtown Jonesborough
    The courthouse in Jonesborough anchors the historic village.

The Lollipop Shop is on the must-visit list, thanks to its array of vintage confections. The nearby Hands Around the World offers handcrafted fashion from more than 30 countries, ranging from eclectic bracelets and earrings to blouses, hats and handbags.

Built on the first lot assigned for homes when the village was settled, and still standing, is the Rees-Hawley House. Restored in 1989, this treasure serves as a bed-and-breakfast, with a wraparound, second-floor porch that allows guests to take in the hamlet’s comings and goings from its perch atop a hill.

 

Outdoors Paradise

With the mountain providing a never-ending panorama, the outdoors beckon 12 months a year in Johnson City, the largest of the three cities. Winged Deer Park offers boating and disc golf while Buffalo Mountain Park entices hikers looking for mountaintop vistas.

But there’s also green space for urbanites here. Located on the western edge of the downtown business district, Founders Park was originally envisioned as a storm-water retention project. It features a meandering creek that winds through a five-acre greenway. It’s the site of the Blue Plum Festival, Party in the Park and pep rallies before big ETSU events.

And it’s the perfect place to just relax after a hearty lunch at Yee-Haw Brewing Company, which sits on one side, just off Buffalo Street.

Founders Park is a favorite of David Crockett, the East Tennessee Market Executive for Regions Bank. A graduate of the University of Virginia, he came back home to raise a family. With his last name, how could he settle anywhere else? After all, frontiersman Davey Crockett remains the most famous person East Tennessee ever produced.

“We’re not direct descendants,” cautioned the modern-day Crockett. “But it’s a common lineage with a big family tree.”

  • Yee-Haw Brewing Company
    Adjacent to popular Founders Park, Yee-Haw Brewing Company has become a staple of downtown Johnson City./ GARY TRAMONTINA PHOTOS
  • David Crockett
    Regions banker David Crockett bears a name that remains a Tennessee legend centuries after Davey Crockett lived there.
  • Downtown Johnson City
    Like Bristol, Johnson City has an iconic sign -- and a friendly, walkable downtown district perfect for work and play.

From a business standpoint, East Tennessee continues to grow. From a family standpoint, it’s a great place to do just about anything in a day. You can go from climbing a mountain to crisscrossing a sun-kissed lake by boat in mere minutes.

“I like the four distinct seasons here,” Crockett said. “You have everything you need.”

 

‘As Good as it Gets’

Kingsport got its name due to its early standing as a commercial stop for boat traffic on the Holston River. The site of a critical Civil War battle in the final stages of conflict, Kingsport remains home of big industry – Eastman Chemical Company is headquartered here, and Domtar Corp. produces uncoated freesheet paper.

Like everywhere else in the region, there’s plenty of motivation to get out and about.

At Bay Mountain State Park, Ranger Rhonda Goins spends the morning wrangling multiple breeds of turtles as a crowd gathers around the enclosure. They see her arrival, and one by one, the turtles come out of the water and rest on the edge as if she’s holding court.

She begins feeding them, and they begin clamoring more. As a little girl looks on anxiously, she starts talking about the animal’s diet and longevity.

“I’ve been here 20 years,” Goins said. “And these turtles will still be here long after I’m gone.”

  • Rhonda Goins at Bays Mountain Park
    It's feeding time at Bays Mountain. So when Park Ranger Rhonda Goins arrives, turtles amble up to meet her./ GARY TRAMONTINA PHOTOS
  • The Allandale Mansion
    The Allandale Mansion was built in 1950 as the centerpiece of a 500-acre farm outside Kingsport. It's now a venue for big events and weddings.
  • Kingsport antiques store
    This colorful piano on display outside a Kingsport antiques store draws the curious and the musically talented.
  • Warriors' Path State Park
    In Kingsport, Warriors' Path State Park offers the perfect place to unwind.
  • Daniel Boone's Trail
    A statesman, businessman and fighter, Daniel Boone blazed a path from North Carolina to Kentucky, starting in what is now East Tennessee.

Covering 3,500 acres, Bays Mountain Park includes a nature center with outdoor enclosures of native wildlife, including bobcats and raptors, as well as the very popular daily wolf feeding. There’s a planetarium, the popular Barge Ride on the reservoir and the Steadman Heritage Farmstead Museum, which provides a hands-on perspective of early-American life.

For those who want to commune with nature on their own, there’s the 9-mile Kingsport Greenbelt, with walking and biking paths that are pet friendly.

Nearby Warriors’ Path State Park, named for the warpath used by the Iroquois on raids against local Cherokee and other Native American tribes, has miles of hiking, a golf course, tennis courts and soccer fields, kayak rentals and a swimming hole.

“I’ve lived in Kingsport since I was 3. As far as outdoor living, this is as good as it gets,” said Ronnie Livesay, a local marketing professional, as he winds down from a brisk walk through the park. “When I was a kid, we played soccer here on cow pastures. Now they have fields that are fantastic. I put 20 years on the tennis courts here.”

A former college athlete, he stays in shape – mentally and physically – with daily excursions. “This place just keeps bringing me back. I run here, and along the Greenbelt. And it’s as safe as it gets.”

 

A Museum Like No Other

The most historic town in the region is Bristol, a place the Cherokee Nation once called home due to the abundance of deer and buffalo. Today, it’s famous as the home of Bristol Motor Speedway, a race track that seemingly rises above the highest mountain ridge and fills to capacity for NASCAR events – and the once-a-sesquicentennial football game. The University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech drew an NCAA-record crowd of 156,990 in 2016.

Iconic State Street goes through the middle of downtown, separating Tennessee and Virginia. And it’s at the corner of State and Piedmont, on the Virginia side, where country music’s greatest legend made a final stop.

  • Bristol sign
    The famous Bristol sign straddles the Tennessee/Virginia border./ GARY TRAMONTINA PHOTOS
  • Downtown Bristol
    Bristol's State Street is arguably one of the most photographed urban scapes in America. At sunset, it's easy to see why.
  • State Street
    Iconic State Street in downtown Bristol separates Virginia and Tennessee.
  • Th Burger Bar
    It was at The Burger Bar that Hank Williams' driver stopped for a final meal on the legend's ill-fated final road trip.
  • Menu at Bristol’s Burger Bar
    The menu at The Burger Bar in Bristol features items named after songs of the legendary Hank Williams.
  • The Bristol Hotel
    The Bristol Hotel, a block away from the border between Virginia and Tennessee, features a historic ballroom and a rooftop bar offering a magnificent view of the Appalachian Mountains.

Hank Williams was headed from Knoxville to Canton, Ohio, on New Year’s Eve, 1952 for a Jan. 1 concert when driver Charlie Carr stopped at Bristol’s Burger Bar for some fast food. According to the teenaged Carr, Williams declined the meal, choosing to sleep in the backseat. A few hours later, Carr checked on Williams again, only to discover his body had gone cold. By the time Carr found a hospital, Williams, 29, was gone.

Williams owed at least part of his legend to Ralph Peer’s Bristol Sessions. The 1927 recordings introduced the likes of Ernest Stoneman, Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, featuring 18-year-old guitar pioneer Maybelle Carter, to an international audience.

At the awe-inspiring Birthplace of Country Music Museum, visitors can learn about “The Big Bang.” They can also learn about Bristol native Tennessee Ernie Ford, who became a mainstream singer and television star.

  • Birthplace of Country Music Museum
    Next to The Bristol hotel, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum is just over State Street, on the Virginia side of town./ GARY TRAMONTINA PHOTOS
  • Birthplace of Country Music Museum
    The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is mesmerizing, from the sounds to the timeline of the genre's evolution.
  • Birthplace of Country Music Museum
    Rotating exhibitions and artifacts from country music's genesis await.
  • Birthplace of Country Music Museum
    At the museum, you can listen to the original Bristol Session recordings -- or make your own in a soundproof booth.

And they can explore contemporary country star Marty Stuart’s candid photographs, first taken as a 12-year-old fan and later as a touring veteran, of friends, family, fans and peers from Roy Acuff to Lester Flatt to Little Jimmy Dickens.

But it’s the chance to not only learn the history but become immersed in it that sets this museum apart. John Carter Cash, son of Johnny and June, narrates “Bound to Bristol” in the main theater. A lone disc jockey working inside Radio Bristol sends out tunes 24 hours a day from within the building. In a recording studio, visitors can hear Peer’s original recordings and create their own vocal tracks.

And in a 360-degree theater, they can hear, see and experience dozens of artists singing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” – and understand what moved Ralph Peer to come here 92 years ago.

Tri-Cities Fun Facts

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