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GIVE! Your Gift Matters! You can help the Bristol Historical Association and make an important contribution toward preserving the history of our community by making a donation, bequest, or other planned gift. There are a variety of methods to give that will assist us with our efforts and offer you, the donor, or your heirs, a tax benefit. Add an immediate gift or pledge for ongoing work of BHA and see your legacy at work! To donate now via PayPal, please click the link below, or make your check out to the Bristol Historical Association and mail your gift to Bristol Historical Association PO Box 204 Bristol, TN 37621. Please let us know if your donation is in memory or honor of any individual and also if it is intended for a specific BHA program or project, such as the Robert Preston House Project, Archives, Ford House, etc. DONATE TODAY! Country DONATE More Ways to Give Bequests Do you want to leave a legacy? Please consider including the Bristol Historical Association in your estate planning. A bequest or gift made through your will and/or trust can help assure the future viability of BHA as well as dramatically shape its future. Charitable Gift Annuities, Charitable Trusts, and Securities Through a charitable gift annuity or charitable trust you retain an interest in the gift, with the remainder to be received by BHA at a later time. BHA also welcomes financial donations in the form of securities. Tax Benefits There may be specific tax benefits to you and your estate in utilizing one of the planned giving tools in support of BHA. Donors may also designate that the funds be used for specifics uses such as the BHA's annual budget, ongoing programs, and/or other special projects. The Bristol Historical Association is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation and your gift is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For more information about planned giving, please contact BHA through this web site at BristolTNVA@aol.com , or write to us at Bristol Historical Association PO Box 204 Bristol, TN 37621. We Collect History Too! As we continue to record and collect the ongoing history of our community, we are also pleased to accept donations of historical materials. To arrange a material donation, please email BristolTNVA@aol.com Email Now! CONTACT US!

Volunteer . Individual members and committees work to further our mission in many ways, including: Designing and selling merchandise through local vendors Restoring and accrediting the Robert Preston House as a regional museum Maintaining and preserving the Birthplace of Tennessee Ernie Ford Preserving the V.I. College Legacy Fielding inquires about Bristol’s history Collecting and preserving historic memorabilia Preparing and installing rotating exhibits at the Bristol Public Library Scanning and filing historic photos and documents Making educational presentations at local schools, including historical slides of Bristol Recognizing historically significant buildings through placement of BHA markers / plaques Sharing interesting email and Facebook posts (Bristol History), Publishing newsletters Promoting area sites and places of interest Maintaining this website... and more! Wouldn’t you like to be involved? Email us for more information at BristolTNVA@aol.com To join the association, please click the application link below. Download Application CONTACT US!

BRISTOL HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Bristol Historical Association Receives Virginia Humanities Grant The Bristol Historical Association recently received a Virginia Humanities grant, administered by UVA Wise, in the amount of $5,000.00. The grant will be used to acquire old surveying equipment and other items relevant to this area in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as well as cases and frames in which to display both the objects purchased as well as artifacts discovered on the property that can be dated throughout the time the property was occupied by the Preston family, including a 1767 Irish coin. The exhibits will be available for public viewing at BHA's office on Sixth Street until they are transferred to the Robert Preston House near Exit 7 once the house is open for public visitors. The Bristol Historical Association is nearing completion of a years-long restoration project for the Robert Preston house. Robert Preston was an important figure in the settlement and development of this area. He was the first surveyor in Washington County, Virginia, having received his commission from then governor Thomas Jefferson. The Bristol Historical Association is honored to be able to use these funds to help preserve history important to our area. Historic Sites . History is told through the buildings and homes in a city. The Bristol Historical Association promotes an interest in the history of Bristol by designating properties with historical significance. A generous contribution from Mr. William W. “Bud” Walling financed the cost of the first twenty-five plaques. Much credit is due to the late Mr Walling for his vital part in the promotion of the Landmark Designation program. Are you interested in applying for a Landmark Marker for your historical building? If so, please complete the Historical Landmark Marker Application Form. THE ROBERT PRESTON HOME Learn More FORD HOUSE Learn More E.W. KING HOUSE Learn More I.C. FOWLER HOUSE Learn More DONATE! Donate to the Bristol Historical Association today! DONATE CONTACT US!

Robert Preston Home The History . The Robert Preston house at Walnut Grove Plantation, constructed circa 1790, is the oldest frame house in Washington County, Virginia. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Robert Preston, born in Londonderry, Ireland in 1750, immigrated to Virginia in 1773. Preston apprenticed as a surveyor under his cousin, William Preston of Smithfield Plantation, in what is now Montgomery County, Virginia. Robert Preston moved to Washington County, Virginia in 1779. Granted a surveyor’s bond signed by then-Governor Thomas Jefferson in 1780, Robert Preston became the first surveyor in Washington County, Virginia. In the summer of 1780, Robert Preston married Margaret Rhea and acquired 800 acres of what is now part of Bristol, Virginia. He named the tract of land Walnut Grove. A Department of Historic Resources highway marker along Lee Highway documents “William Clark, of Lewis and Clark, breakfasted at the home of Preston’s son John at Walnut Grove in 1809.” A Lewis and Clark Portrait Sign on Lee Highway documents the property’s Lewis and Clark connection. The property is featured as the first stop on the Virginia Lewis and Clar Legacy Trail at https://valewisandclarklegacytrail.org/along-the-trail/ . For more information contact: Jan Rainero Email: janrainero@hotmail.com Isabelle Ladd Email: isladd@gmail.com A! Magazine for the Arts Article Walnut Grove is one of oldest homes in Washington County Read Article WATCH NOW Learn More! Click the link below to download the Robert Preston House pamphlet and learn more about this historical site. Note: Significantly more funds have been invested in the Robert Preston House project since the publication of the pamphlet. As of January 12th, 2022, the Robert Preston House has received $400,000 in donations and gifts. Also, thanks to a generous supporter, a right of way has been donated which will greatly facilitate entrance to this historic property. Download Now ACT NOW! Donate to the Bristol Historical Association today! DONATE CONTACT US!

Photo Gallery Historic Pictures . Load More Modern Pictures . Load More Historic Markers . Load More Historic Figures . RJ Reynolds Joseph Anderson Rev James King COL James King AD Reynolds Margaret Anderson Caldwell CONTACT US!

Historic Images Photograph Collection. BHA'S Carolyn and Roy Williams Collection of Historic Photographs contains hundreds of images available for purchase. Images can be purchased as jpgs, on CD, via Dropbox, emailed, or as black and white 8x10 prints on archival matte photo paper. Images are created from original old negatives or photographs and are not perfect. The image price for individual or private use is $20 each. For commercial or business use prices, or to ask about availability of a particular image or theme, please contact BHA at BristolTNVA@aol.com for pricing. Historic People . Historic Markers . Historic Photos . Load More CONTACT US!

Bristol Historical Association Past Presidents Joyce A. Kistner 1979-1981 Fred P. Entler 1984 Edith M. Davis 1985-1986 Victor N. (Bud) Phillips 1987 Ruth C. Keller 1988 Joyce A. Kistner 1989-1990 Anna F. Horne 1991-1992 James Otis 1982-1983 Robin H.W. Bagnall 1993 Ruby A. Reynolds 1993 Thomas K. Finks 1994-1995 Roy J. Williams 1996-1997 Frazier King 1998-1999 Kermit Lowry, Jr. 2000-2001 Bill King 2002 Frank Blanton 2003 Linda Brittle 2004-2005 Mary Beth Raniero 2006-2009 Isabelle Ladd 2010-2013 Tim Buchanan 2014-2017 Sid Oakley 2018-2019 Charles (Butch) Flannagan 2020-2021 Barbara H. Smith 2022-Present VICTOR N. (BUD) PHILLIPS LEARN MORE JOYCE A. KISTNER LEARN MORE Victor N. (Bud) Phillips City Historian, Author of Bristol History, and former owner of the historic home on Solar Hill known as "Pleasant Hill" Bristol's beloved historian, V.N. "Bud" Phillips, was born on August 25, 1929, in the Big Piney Valley, Beech Grove Community, near Ft. Douglas post office in Northeastern Johnson County, Arkansas, the youngest of seven children. In 1945, at the age of fifteen, Bud began preaching and traveling as an evangelist. Bud arrived in Bristol in 1953, and quickly fell in love with the twin cities. For a time he was connected with the Graham Institute and Evangelistic Association and also had a social work ministry with the Bristol Salvation Army. In November of 1982, he moved to Solar Hill in Bristol, Virginia, and began renovating an historic house built in 1873 which he named “Pleasant Hill". In addition to his vocation of ministering to his fellow man, Bud had a number of varied talents and interests throughout his life. He founded the Hudson Realty Company at Hudson, North Carolina and later operated the Bus Station Café at Clarksville, Arkansas. He also enjoyed antique dealing and collecting as well as interior design and decoration. But it was as an author and historian that Bud achieved widespread fame. Bud's adopted home of Bristol inspired him to pursue one of his lifelong ambitions, writing. Bud was fond of saying, "I will here state my honest belief that if a thing can happen, it has happened in Bristol." He used information he had gathered from early residents beginning with his arrival in Bristol and continued to research the history of the Bristol area for the rest of his life. He became the author of many books of local history, authored a very popular newspaper column, "Pioneers in Paradise," hosted two television shows and one radio show, gave countless speeches and conducted many tours, all dedicated to the history of his adopted town. Bud served on the Board of the Bristol Historical Association for many years and was the Association’s official Historian. Bud Phillips Day was celebrated in Bristol on May 5, 2004. On April 27, 2008, he received the Mayor’s Outstanding Citizens Award. In 2006, he was made the Official Historian of Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee. Bud passed away in his sleep on Monday, January 9, 2017, at age 87. He is buried in historic East Hill Cemetery, established in 1857, the site of many of his famous tours, where he rests in good company with other important figures of Bristol's past, including city founders, Civil War soldiers, Revolutionary War General Evan Shelby, and many more who have made contributions to Bristol and the nation. Video credit to City of Bristol, Tennessee/BTN-TV Video credit to City of Bristol, Tennessee/BTN-TV Bud Phillips Antiquities of Bristol Playlist Pleasant Hill 214 Johnson Street READ THE NEWS STORY Pleasant Hill was the third house built on Solar Hill after the great Johnson land sale of July 5, 1871. It was built by William H. Smith, an early Bristol contractor, for local attorney Capt. John Harvey Wood. Construction began in 1872 and was completed in the spring of 1873. The Wood family moved into the house in May of that year. The brick cost one cent apiece at the time and one cent each to lay. Originally, a small portico was over the front door. In 1875, a chimney was damaged by lightning. While having it repaired, Capt. Wood decided to add a veranda extending across the front of the house. The first telephone in Bristol was installed in what is now the dining room. The story has long been told that Jefferson Davis, ex-president of the Confederate States of America, spent the night in the home in 1873. He slept in the north upstairs bedroom. Standing on the portico the next morning, Mr. Davis delivered an address to a large crowd of Bristolians who had gathered in the front yard and on the lot across the street. The first wife of Capt.Wood was Laura Lucretia James, a daughter of a very prominent early Bristol merchant, W.W. James, from Blountville, Tennessee. She died in 1891. Later, Wood married Virginia Holmes, a widow from Winchester, Virginia. It was at that time that he built the late Victorian home which still stands next door at 210 Johnson Street. Capt. Wood and his second wife moved into this house, and he gave Pleasant Hill to his daughter, Mary, wife of Samuel Harris. Gertrude, one of the Wood children who was reared at Pleasant Hill, married a Dillard, moved to New York City, and became the first licensed woman driver in that city. Over the years, the house had several owners. At one time it served as the parsonage for State Street Methodist Church. Later, the house became a rental property. In 1982, the late Bristol historian and author, V.N. “Bud” Phillips took possession of the home and began restoring it. Following Bud’s death in 2017, the house was sold, and the new owners have furnished it in keeping with the style and period of the home. The new owners care deeply about Bristol’s history and allow the Bristol Historical Association to use part of the house for administrative purposes. BUD PHILLIPS Joyce Kistner Joyce Allison Kistner’s interest in and devotion to Bristol history began when she was only a child. Riding in the family car through downtown Bristol, she recalls often asking about many of the interesting buildings that lined the streets. Later, as an adult, she wondered why Bristol did not have an historical organization to protect and preserve the many unique and important buildings along with their histories –the structures and stories that form the very fabric of our community. So Joyce, with the help of eight dedicated friends, founded the Bristol Historical Association in 1979, with Joyce serving as the organization’s first president. They began with an adult group and a children’s group to start working toward the objectives of preservation and the goals of educating the public as to Bristol’s history. Early speakers included Fred Entler, Tom Daniel, Mary Landrum, Dr. Kermit Lowry, and David Edwards from the Department of Historic Resources who spoke with business leaders about preservation and architectural features of buildings. In 1982, the association sponsored a visit from the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Michael Ainslie, who presented a program and included a workshop on the theme, “Preservation Downtown U.S.A.” Ainslie advocated for revitalization and economic redevelopment through historic preservation. After several years of sponsoring public programs and archival exhibits of Bristol, the group published A Pictorial History of Bristol in 1985. The book was a great success and helped raise community awareness of the association and its work. Other notable examples of BHA’s work were the sponsorship of the placement of a number of historic markers, including markers for the founders of Bristol, Col. Samuel E. Goodson and Joseph Rhea Anderson, in East Hill Cemetery; the Founding of Goodson-Bristol Virginia marker at the Bristol Virginia courthouse; and the Bristol Sign marker on State Street. Joyce’s interests and community service efforts are not confined to BHA alone. She is a talented and award winning artist. She is an active supporter of the YWCA and its programs for young girls. She has traveled to Venezuela on a church mission trip, supported the American Red Cross, served on the Virginia State Historic Register Advisory Board as well as the electoral board for Bristol, Virginia, and is a member of many other organizations including the 17th Century Colonial Dames and the Blue Stocking Club. Joyce was a teacher in the Bristol Virginia school system for twenty-eight years and a member of the School Board after she retired. She made sure her students learned the history of the Twin City, the state, and the country by taking field trips around Bristol and to places such as Williamsburg, the Virginia Governor's Mansion, and Richmond, Virginia. Joyce owns a very old and authentically furnished log cabin that was relocated to her property, and she often gave tours of it to her students. Joyce is passionate about teaching the public, especially young people, the importance of preserving and honoring the past. In a 2014 interview, Joyce stated: “We need to know the past in order to appreciate the future and to preserve it. I think Americans really don’t know enough about their history. It was called civics, and I think it lost some of its importance. It’s really our heritage and where we came from, and we should be preserving it.” The importance of Joyce’s efforts to preserve and promote Bristol’s rich history may be best summed up in a resolution passed by the Virginia Legislature’s House of Delegates on April 3, 2013. House Resolution No. 506 states: Commending Joyce Kistner. WHEREAS, Joyce Kistner of Bristol has enriched the lives of countless fellow residents with her civic involvement and community service; and WHEREAS, a retired educator, Joyce Kistner taught fourth grade at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School for many years, creating a nurturing environment in which all of her students could thrive; and WHEREAS, Joyce Kistner also advocated for strong schools to prepare Bristol students for their futures as a member of the Bristol Virginia Public Schools Board; and WHEREAS, Joyce Kistner continues to influence young people as a member of and volunteer with the Bristol Historical Association, sharing Bristol’s history with fourth grade students in Bristol, Virginia, and Bristol, Tennessee, public schools and two area private schools; and WHEREAS, Joyce Kistner gives to each student she teaches a special bookmark she designed and created; the bookmark depicts scenes from Bristol’s history and serves as a reminder to students of the information they learned; and WHEREAS, Joyce Kistner also wrote and illustrated Tracking Bristol VA.-Tenn. History, a history book for young people that provides interesting facts and games to help them learn about their city’s rich history; and WHEREAS, a model citizen, Joyce Kistner exemplifies the role that committed residents can make in the well-being of their communities; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Joyce Kistner hereby be commended for her many contributions to the City of Bristol and its residents. After 40 years, Joyce is still actively involved with the Bristol Historical Association. She presented BHA’s 40th Anniversary Celebration program, held virtually due to COVID-19 in 2020, and curates and coordinates BHA’s rotating library exhibits, a program she initiated in 2016. As one of Joyce’s long time friends observed, “She’s such a perfectionist at everything. She is so civic-minded. She is so community oriented that she has more energy than any person I have ever met.” Joyce’s contributions to the Bristol community continue to enrich our history. Video credit to City of Bristol, Tennessee/BTN-TV JOYCE KISTNER CONTACT US!

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Research . BHA receives many inquiries regarding the rich history of our area, its people, and its historic buildings and landmarks. BHA does not maintain a library or archives for local historical research by the public at this time. Researchers and Genealogists may visit the Bristol Public Library for local research. https://bristol-library.org/ 701 Goode Street Bristol, VA 24201 Phone: (276) 645-8780 Fax: (276) 669-5593 For inquiries received that require research, BHA volunteers may conduct in depth research for a fee for those individuals unable to visit the library. The research fee is $40 per hour excluding the scanning of documents and research findings and the costs of postage/shipping where applicable. Other Resources for Research: Shelia Steele Hunt Director, Department of Archives and Tourism Government of Sullivan County, Tennessee P.O. Box 3179 3425 Hwy. 126, Suite 100 Blountville, TN 37617 www.historicsullivan.com Office 423.323.4660 / fax 423.323.46352 Sharon Steele-Smith https://tngenweb.org/sullivan/ The Washington County, VA Historical Society sullivantngenweb@gmail.com The Archives of Appalachia 423.439.4338 or archives@etsu.edu https://www.etsu.edu/cas/cass/archives/

BHA NEWSLETTER Latest Newsletters . See our complete list of BHA Newsletters! If you would like to sign up to receive the monthly newsletter directly to your inbox, click the link below... Sign Up Women’s Suffrage Centennial Presentation August 2020 Read the Newsletter Video credit to City of Bristol, Tennessee/BTN-TV CONTACT US!

King-Lancaster-McCoy Mitchell House LEARN MORE ! Anchor 1 The History . I The King – Lancaster – McCoy – Mitchell House is the most historic house in Bristol, Virginia. The handmade brick residence was built 1816-1820 by Colonel James King on the highest point of his property overlooking the meadows where he raised cattle. The settlement was once known as “King’s Meadows” before it took the name of Bristol nearly half a century later. Colonel James King and his son, the Reverend James King, were key figures in the founding and development of Bristol. They contributed to the business world through the iron business and the commerce of buying and selling. The Reverend James King gifted the land needed to create Bristol’s King University and served as pastor for two early Presbyterian churches. The King family occupied the house until 1853. President Andrew Jackson was a frequent visitor to the house and was escorted to Washington for his inauguration by William King. The house has watched a city grow up around it. Although it was located close to downtown, the property was not actually included inside the town limits when Goodson (Bristol) was incorporated in 1856. The residence housed the Sapling Grove post office from 1839-1853, and it was a stopping point for stagecoaches traveling from Abingdon to Blountville from 1839-1856. Mountain View High School, which later became Sullins College, began in the house in 1869. In 1991, the Bristol Historical Association initiated a study to determine the oldest section of the home, the remainder of Colonel James King’s original dwelling. An elaborate map of Washington County, drawn by John Wood in 1820, marks the presence of the house with a small square and the legend “Colonel James King’s brick house.” Analysis by the Department of Historic Resources in Richmond, Virginia, revealed that the original structure consisted of a two-room plan, divided by a central winding stair case leading to two bedrooms upstairs. The formal entrance was originally on the north elevation. The central portion is presumed to be part of the original structure. The rear wing housing the kitchen is believed to have been added shortly after the original structure was constructed. Several changes to the house were made by subsequent owners. In 1881, John J. Lancaster, a prominent wealthy banker of New York City, remodeled it for his mother and two maiden sisters as a gift. This work was done by prominent Bristol builder John Crowell. Crowell built the north half of the house in the late summer and autumn of 1881. In 1891, H.E. McCoy, the founder of Bristol’s Dominion National Bank, built a major addition to the house for a new living room entrance hall and portico redirecting the formal entrance to the east elevation. The addition completed an ingenious composition by connecting an identical two-story gabled façade1820 structure with a flat roofed “hyphen” which housed the bathroom above and formal entry hall below. The house was purchased by Joseph D. Mitchell in 1899. Mitchell had arrived in Bristol in 1882, with only two dollars in his pocket, and he boarded at the house with Mrs. Thomas Lancaster. She put him in what is now the dining room, and when he later became wealthy, he confessed that on the first night he spent there, he vowed he would someday own the grand house on the hill overlooking the town. About nineteen years later, his dream came true. In 1903, Mitchell added a kitchen wing that is distinguished only by the ornate Carpenter Gothic wood columns. The house belonged to the Mitchell family for over 100 years. Mitchell’s daughter, Margaret, was born in the home in 1901 and lived there for 99 of her 102 years. Margaret willed the house and its contents to King College (now King University). The property has now been restored as the private residence of Daniel and Monica Shew. The King – Lancaster – McCoy – Mitchell house, located two blocks from State Street at 54 King Street, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 and included in the Solar Hill Historic District in 2001. ACT NOW! Donate to the Bristol Historical Association today! DONATE CONTACT US!