Kingsport, TN Clinchfield Passenger Depot

The Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Passenger train station along with the adjacent freight depot were built in 1916. The building's design was a product of new York architect Clinton McKenzie. Access to the railroad instantly gave Kingsport the potential to become an industrial community. Even though passenger service stopped in 1954, the area remained busy thoroughfare. Today, the building is used as a bank.

Looking at Kingsport, I find it interesting how a planned community came to be, and what's changed over nearly 100 years. The city was laid out before construction of anything started. Main street connected this depot on one end and the 4 churches of Church Circle on the other end of the storefront lined street. The city hasn't aged well, but either end of the main street has retained it's significant architecture.

Allandale Mansion Front - Kingsport, TN

The Allandale Mansion was the dream home of Ruth and Harvey Brooks. The mansion's distinctive portico has caused the mansion to be nicknamed "The White House of Kingsport." The mansion was built in 1953 and from the 500 acre property the Brooks raised Black Angus cows and Tennessee Walking Horses. In their will, they deeded the mansion to the city of Kingsport so that it could be used by the community.

The mansion is designed in a Georgian architecture style. There are four chimneys, formal fireplaces in each main room, and a hipped roof. A grand wooden curved staircase is the main feature in the foyer.

The Barn is located along US 11W (the old Lee Highway) in Kingsport, where the city extends into Hawkins County.

Southern Loans neon sign - Kingsport, TN

For many years, Southern Finance & Thrift Corp. has been advertising loans for $200 and up at the downtown corner of Center and Cherokee. The sign was originally an advertisement for a different loan company, but when the sign was purchased for Southern, neon was added to the sign with their name.

Kingsport, TN: Steeples of Church Circle.

When the city planners got together to map out and develop the forthcoming city of Kingsport, they envisioned a central business district and a main street with the Passenger train station on one end and Church Circle on the other. Church Circle is comprised of four large brick buildings with tall steeples. Today, the Church Circle district is an entry on the National Register of Historic Places.

I suppose I have them shown here in backwards order, but it's the order I walked to each one. First is the Brethren Church, Then the Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church and the Baptist Church.

Pal's Sudden Service (Part 3) Big Pal's Man

As discussed in the previous two posts, Pal's is a small but popular fast food chain found in and around far east Tennessee. If you've never seen one before, their standard design buildings are quite eye-catching with a giant hamburger, hot dog, fries and soda on the building. The chain started with humble beginnings with their first store remaining unchanged since 1956.

It was with the opening of their second store on the north side of Kingsport (Lynn Garden area) when they started to have an attention-grabbing building four years after they opened. Here we have a Muffler Man, but instead of holding any car parts, the Big Pal's Man is holding a giant hamburger. As of 2012, he's been there for 50 years!

Pal's Sudden Service (Part 2)

Pal's is a fast food chain in and around northeast, TN. They are best known for their large burger, hot dog, drink and fries on the building, which is seen on most of their locations and was in yesterday's post and can be seen here.

The first ever Pal's restaurant opened in Kingsport, TN in 1956, where it remains virtually unchanged for many years. (However, for many years there used to be a large 19¢, which was the price of the Big Pal Burger for many years.)

This is located in the heart of Kingsport, just a couple of blocks from the central business district.

Pal's Sudden Service (Part 1)

Pal's is a small chain of fast food restaurants in far East Tennessee. They are very popular with the locals and after having a chance to eat there a couple of times, I can see why. I really liked their burgers and their milkshakes are about the best I've had at any fast food place. (I tried the chili dog and thought it was ok, and I wasn't really impressed with the fries.

Obviously, the first thing you notice s the building with the large "big pal" Burger coming out the front, with a giant hot dog, beverage cup and frenchie fries on top. All of their approx. 20 locations outside of the first two stores have this general design.

I was also impressed by the sudden service, as the name implied. You drive up to a window on the right side and speak to a person (not a speaker) to order, then drive to the other side where it's already waiting for you.

For someone like me who can't get In-n-Out Burger in this side of the country, this makes for a nice alternative.

Bank of Kingsport

Today the bank building houses the Wray Law Firm. According to the city's historical marker for the Heritage Trail:

As the area began to develop, citizens began to realize that they needed a place to invest their money. As a result, the Bank of Kingsport was built in 1912. This financial institution was the first bank in the model city. It holds another place in Kingsport history because the bank was declared insolvent" during the Great Depression in 1929. The building was renovated in the late 1980's.

Kingsport, TN Clinchfield Passenger Depot

The Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Passenger train station along with the adjacent freight depot were built in 1916. The building's design was a product of new York architect Clinton McKenzie. Access to the railroad instantly gave Kingsport the potential to become an industrial community. Even though passenger service stopped in 1954, the area remained busy thoroughfare. Today, the building is used as a bank and is located on the National register of Historic Places.

Looking at Kingsport, I find it interesting how a planned community came to be, and what's changed over neary 100 years. The city was laid out before contruction of anything started. Main street connected this depot on one end and the 4 churches of Church Circle on the other end of the storefront lined street. The city hasn't aged well, but either end of the main street has retianed it's significant architecture.

Allandale Mansion - Kingsport, TN

The Allandale Mansion was the dream home of Ruth and Harvey Brooks. The mansion's distinctive portico has caused the mansion to be nicknamed "The White House of Kingsport." The mansion was built in 1953 and from the 500 acre property the Brooks raised Black Angus cows and Tennessee Walking Horses. In their will, they deeded the mansion to the city of Kingsport so that it could be used by the community.

The mansion is designed in a Georgian architecture style. There are four chimneys, formal fireplaces in each main room, and a hipped roof. A grand wooden curved staircase is the main feature in the foyer.

The Barn is located along US 11W (the old Lee Highway) in Kingsport, where the city extends into Hawkins County.

Kingsport Office Supply Company neon sign

Located in downtown Kingsport, TN

Here's where I see the irony in this photo - When this sign was new, it was designed to show an old fashioned quill pen and ink well. However, today this type of neon sign would be considered old fashioned.

Today, much of the downtown area of Kingsport is a relic, with rows of abandoned storefronts. Today, the company here is known as Kingsport Imaging Systems, so I assume they focus on copiers