Today in Johnson City History, Monday, December 23, 2024
Bits and pieces from here and there
Saturday, December 23. 1899: One hundred and twenty-five years ago today, The Knoxville Sentinel reported news with a dateline from Johnson City. The date was December 22. “W. C. Dyer, field engineer on the extension of the Virginia & Southwestern railway (sic for Railway), near Mountain City, is now at home in this city, for two or three days.
“Mr. Dyer has been at work on the location of the new extension, since last April. He says the main part of work is about completed, but the company is now engaged in the construction of several branch lines to the Little Doe mountain (sic for Mountain) and other ore beds. These branches and switches will be from a mile to five or six miles long. They are to be used by the Virginia Coal, Coke & Iron company (sic for Company) in the development of its extensive iron ore mines, in Johnson county (sic for County).”
Mountain City, Tennessee is about 44 miles northeast of Johnson City. It is located in Johnson County.
The Knoxville Sentinel is now published as the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Tuesday, December 23, 1924: A century ago today, the Johnson City Staff-News reported to readers short news accounts of citizens with either a direct or indirect connection to Johnson City. Readers learned that “Mr. W. T. Scott of Bristol was a business visitor in the city Tuesday.”
“Mrs. W. M. Netherland is reported to be improving slowly from an attack of influenza.”
“Mr. John Anderson is recovering rapidly from a serious illness at his home on Lamont Street.”
“Miss Thelma Long, is spending the Christmas Season in Bristol the guest of Miss Alyce Macie Cochran.”
“Mr. H. C. Black of Knoxville spent Tuesday in this city on a business trip.”
“Mrs. D. L. Bayless and Mrs. E. E. Robertson were in Bristol Monday to attend the funeral of Mrs. J. H. Wolfe.”
“Miss Ann Austin leaves Wednesday for her home in Rome, Georgia to spend the Christmas Holidays as the guest of her parents.”
“Miss Lillian Gillespie left last week for Afton, Tenn., where she is the guest of relatives during the holiday season.”
Afton is about 24 miles from Johnson City; it is located in rural Greene County.
“Mr. Damont Burkey is spending the Christmas Season at Glenwood, near Greenville (sic for Greeneville), as the guest of relatives.”
Greeneville, Tennessee is located in Green County, and is about 37 miles southwest of Johnson City.
“Mrs. J. W. Baker and daughter, Miss Leafy, and Miss Marian Guinn, motored to Greeneville Sunday and spent the day with friends.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Alfred S. Gregg left Monday to spend the Yuletide season as the guests of friends and relatives in Corinth, Miss. and South Pittsburgh, Tenn.”
South Pittsburgh, Tennessee, is located about 245 miles from Johnson City. It’s southwest of Johnson City.
“Mr. Dick Johnson came Saturday from Vanderbilt University to spend the holidays with his father Mr. W. B. Johnson and family on West Unaka Avenue.”
“Mr. B. T. Davis of Marion, North Carolina, is spending the Christmas Holidays as the guest of his daughter, Mrs. John Britton and Mr. Britton in the Miller Apartments.”
Marion, North Carolina is located about 64 miles from Johnson City. It is south, and slightly to the east, of Johnson City.
“Miss Vera Slagle who is a student of Maryville College is spending the Christmas Holidays with Mrs. F. A. Donnelly on West Locust Street.”
Maryville College is located in Maryville, Tennessee, in Blount County. Maryville is about 123 miles from Johnson City and lies in a southwesterly direction from Johnson City.
The Robertson family continued to be in the news. “Miss Mable Robertson came from Winston-Salem Saturday where she is teaching to spend the Holidays with her parents Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Robertson.”
Winston-Salem, North Carolina is about 196 miles from Johnson City. It lies east from Johnson City.
“Messrs. Jack Pinter and Elwood Creasy of the Normal School left this week for their homes in West Virginia to spend the Holiday Season.”
The Normal School is now known as East Tennessee State University.
“Mr. and Mrs. Dan B. Wexler left this week for Tunica, Miss., to spend the Christmas Season as the guests of Mrs. Wexler’s parents, Rev. and Mrs. S. L. Pope.”
“Mr. Dewey Painter arrives this week from Washington, D. C., to spend the Yuletide Season as the guest of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. K. Painter, on Pine Street.”
“Miss Helen Dixon and Miss Donna Perry, of Elizabethton were visitors in the city Monday and attended the dance in the evening given by Messers. James and John Slack.”
“Miss Carrie Lee Sparks, who is teaching school this year in Erwin, has arrived to spend the holidays with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. F. F. Sparks, on W. Watauga Avenue.”
“Miss Agnes Phelan arrived Thursday from Cincinnati, where she is attending the University of Cincinnati, to spend the holidays with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John S. Phelan on North Roan Street.”
“Miss Ruth Sentoff arrived Monday from Cincinnati, where she is attending the University of Cincinnati to spend the holidays with her parents, Dr. and Mrs. L. H. Sentoff, at the Sanatorium.”
The Sanitarium is now known as the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center.
“Miss Lucy McGee, Miss Louise Cartright, and Miss Bertha Faye Cartright, who are attending the Normal School left Friday for their homes in Chattanooga, to spend the Christmas Season.”
“Miss Iva Williams will arrive Wednesday from Wilmington, North Carolina, where she has been teaching school this winter to spend the Christmas Season as the guest of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Williams on Maple Street.”
Wilmington, North Carolina, is located about 371 miles from Johnson City. It is southeast of Johnson City.
“Mr. Pugie Hunter arrived Saturday from Vanderbilt University Nashville to spend the Christmas Holidays as the guest of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Hunter on East Unaka Avenue.”
“Mr. Jack Lyle, of Huntington, W. Va., formerly of Johnson City, is spending the Christmas Season as the guest of Mr. William Gilmer, on W. Watauga Avenue and Mr. and Mrs. Leon Lowry on E. Unaka Avenue.”
Huntington, West Virginia is about 216 miles from Johnson City. It is almost due north of Johnson City.
Sunday, December 23, 1934: Ninety years ago today, the Johnson City Chronicle reported that “This Christmas marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Methodist Church in America. The Eighteenth-Century Revival really began in 1739 in England, and Methodism had begun its work in American before 1784, but it was at that time in the family Christmas Conference in Baltimore that the Church became strictly native to American soil.
“At the Christmas Conference there were but 60 preachers, who with great zeal set out, as they said, ‘to spread scriptural holiness and to reform the continent’ This, indeed, was a most ambitious undertaking, but such signal success attended them that in a large degree their purpose was realigned. After 150 years there are more than 24,000 Methodist Churches with almost 17,000 pastors with a membership of more than 9,000,000, in the three major divisions of the Methodist Church.”
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