Kingsport: Rooted in More Than 200 Years of History
The county seat for Roane County, the Kingsport we know today, began as Fort Southwest Point, started in 1792. Settled along the shores of Watts Bar Lake, Kingsport is Tennessee's second-oldest city and was once a major steam boat hub on the Tennessee River. Downtown Kingsport is home to one of the state's six remaining antebellum courthouses. Formally established in October 1799, the city took its name from Major Robert King, a Fort Southwest Point officer.
Before that time, Kingsport was known by indigenous peoples as Peace Island or Big Island. The early white explorers also referred to Kingsport by those names, as well as Long Island and Island Flats, the latter being the name by which history denotes the Indian battle that was fought on this site.
One of Kingsport's distinguishing historical facts is that it was the state capital of Tennessee for only one day: September 21, 1807. In common Euro-American fashion, the General Assembly made an agreement with the local Cherokee tribe to make Kingsport the capital of Tennessee, a promise that was reneged once the assembly's meeting on that day had adjourned.
Built in 1854 by architect August Fisher and designer Fredrick B. Guenther, the historical Roan County Courthouse building stands today as a museum and has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Greek Revivalist and Federalist-style building was constructed of native lumber and bricks made on the property by slaves without the use of any nails. During the American Civil War, both Union and Confederate forces used the building as a hospital. Original court papers dating as far back as 1802 are still housed in the building's collection. Rumors of hangings in the cupola of the courthouse have been proved false.
The courthouse has undergone several alterations and additions over the years, beginning in 1881. References from the Roane County Minute Book record that $2.30 was paid in 1850 for 35 panes of window glass, one pound of putty, 75 shingles, and one pound of nails. A sum of $32.50 was paid to Henry Liggett in 1854 to place lightning rods on the courthouse. According to Joseph L. Herndon, team historian of the Historic American Building Survey, the last addition was constructed in 1936.
Kingsport ultimately found its name identification in Colonel James King, who established a mill in the area in 1774. Col. King used Boat Yard port to ship salt, bacon, and iron to villages along the Holston and Tennessee rivers, hence the name "King's Port," or "Kingsport." Though Governor Harris proclaimed Tennessee's secession from the Union in 1861 as the American Civil War began, the state was restored to the Union on July 24, 1866, with Kingsport as one of its most colorful and historical cities.
There is almost no limit to you choices when you visit Kingsport and are in the mood for recreation and pleasure. Golf and miniature golf, historic sites, cultural arts, performances, special holiday events, professional league baseball and college tournaments, basketball, and softball, day spas, and so much more. And it's all in town or a a short drive from home.
Kingsport Area Attractions