The photo for this postcard was taken by somebody atop Fire Station #2 (constructed in 1941).
It’s post WWII, maybe late 40s. There are lots of people frolicking in the pool.
Legion Pool
1 Reply
The Big Store
This is one of the oldest Kingsport postcards in my collection. It is a real photo card, meaning it was produced by a local photographer sometime early in Kingsport history. This is the Big Store, or J. Fred Johnson & Company, at the corner of Main and Shelby Streets. Note that Main Street isn’t paved yet.
The Big Store had it all. Saying was that “you could go from birth to death” at that store. Even the Post Office was located there.
The mound behind the store appears to be wood for the paper plant.
There is no useful information on the reverse of this card.
Latimer Looney Chevrolet
This was issued in 1963 when Latimer Looney was still at 707 East Sullivan Street. The dealership dated from 1938, when it was in the building at 315 Cherokee Street (the building later became apartments. We lived there when I was a kid. There was a concrete car-width ramp that went from the first to the second floor)
Around 1957, my buddy and I trooped down to this dealership, where there was a new Jaguar in the showroom. We were majorly impressed.
Sloan’s
This was at a estate sale in Gate City. It’s 4″ wide. According to an article by Jeffrey Sloan on Facebook, this department store was about 88 years in business when it closed (1891 – 1979).
152 Broad Street
This old building (1938 or so) is being renovated. In 1951, the location is shown as Clinchfield Drug Store. By 1957, it was empty, but has been home to various businesses since then. As you can see from the pictures, it may have started as a bank and realty company.
JBR Buick
This Chinese knockoff of a Victorinox pen knife is 56mm by 15mm and is from the current JBR location on Stone Drive. The original JBR Buick at 513 Lynn Garden Drive (now the Hope Haven Retail Store) was founded in 1978 by Neal Jessee, Leon Bray and Bill Roberts. That location closed in 1988.
Mills Motors
Mills Motors movd to this location in 1963, having first been at the northeast corner of Market and Commerce in 1926. Then, a new building was built across the street in 1929.
In 1936 the company built the building on Commerce Street (opposite the current WKPT studios). Several years ago, you could still see the Mills Motors sign painted on the back of this building.
Harry Mills Volkswagen opened on the new Stone Drive in 1964.
Fun Fest ’84
WJHL’s top show that year was Dallas, just behind ABC’s Dynasty
Dobyns-Bennett Football
I ran across this at an estate sale. It’s 7″ x 10″ with 55 pages and some b&w images. Published in 1987 by Overmountain Press. It contains text, statistics and full index.
Dixie Pottery
This was quite a popular place in the 50s and 60s. We used to get up to Abingdon maybe a couple times a year to have lunch and shop at Dixie Pottery. I never bought a lot, but I enjoyed going there.
Bob Lawrence's Kingsport 