Today in Johnson City History, Thursday, December 5, 2024
Happenings in Johnson City and an increase in traffic
Tuesday, December 5, 1899: One hundred and twenty-five years ago today, The Knoxville Sentinel reported news to readers of happenings in Johnson City, which was the dateline. Readers learned that “W. H. Fulton is building an addition to his house on Chestnut street (sic for Street).”
“D. Lewis has about completed his house on Afton street (sic).”
“Henry Wellboun (sic for Welbourne, perhaps) has changed and greatly improved the house and lot that he recently purchased on (the) corner of Division and Pine streets (sic).”
“T. J. Cox is having the three houses that he bought set back from Willow street (sic), and making other improvements about the premises.”
“McMonigle, the saw-mill (sic for sawmill) man, has purchased a mill to be set up in Limestone cover (sic for Cove), by Henry Davis and others who are preparing material for W. E. Uptegrove Sons.”
“The mountains, in view of this town, are covered with snow.”
“G. Kirkpatrick is at home for a few days, from an extended business tour.”
“Snow fell here last night. It is said that snow is three inches deep at Cranberry.”
Cranberry, North Carolina is about 32 miles from Johnson City. It is southeast of Johnson City.
“Hon. C. C. Collins and Chas. P. Cass, of Elizabethton, are in the city.”
“Walter Lindamood continues to improve.”
“Grant Lawson has two fingers cut from his left hand, at the handle factory of Boring Bros.”
“Geo. A. Ross, who at one time was a newspaper reporter at Knoxville, is at home with is (sic for his) family. Mr. Ross continues to smile upon the small affairs of earth and make a jest of the odds and ends of creation.”
“Mrs. J. M. Buck is ill at her home on Watauga avenue (sic for Avenue).”
The Knoxville Sentinel is now published as the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Friday, December 5, 1924: One hundred years ago today, the Johnson City Chronicle alerted readers that “With five nationally recognized highways feeding into the Johnson (City) to Asheville route, there is every prospect of a heavy tourist traffic through this city next year, according to statements made at the luncheon at the Hotel John Sevier yesterday in honor of Asheville good roads guests.
“The Asheville guests were Roscoe A. Marvel, president of the Asheville, Western North Carolina Motor Club; Jas. G. Stikeleather, of the Highway Department, and James M. Childs, president of the Kenilworth Inn Company and one of the froemost (sic for foremost) real estate men of Asheville.
“Other guests were Messrs. Toney, Broyles and Keys, of Erwin, and Brownell, of Kingsport. A number of Johnson Citians who are deeply interested in the good roads movement were present and an informal discussion of the accomplishments and future prospects was held. The visitors arrived about noon and left at 2:30 for their return trip to Asheville. They reported the roads in good condition and had made the trip over here in less than four hours.
“Johnson Citians in the meeting were so enthusiastic over the prospective early completion of the route that a caravan was organized to drive to Ashevilel (sic) and return next Thursday, starting from the Hotel John Sevier at 7:00 a. m. sharp. At Asheville they will be the guests of Mr. Childs at the Kenilworth Inn.
“According to the view of Mr. Marvel, Johnson City and Asheville are at the north and south ends of one of the most important sections of highway in the United States. His investigations and surveys show that to the north a veritable sheaf of highways branch out in every direction and south bound tourists must inevitably feed through Johnson City to Asheville and Florida. He spoke of a few of the main highways which feed into this city, among them being the route from Montreal, Canada, to the Gulf, with less than a score of miles of bad road between Montreal and Johnson City; The Appalachian Scenic Highway, which starts at the upper and (sic for end) of Maine and comes southward through the Green Mountains, the Adirondacks, the Alleghenys, and Shenandoah Valley, Bristol, Johnson City, and on south through Asheville; The Shenandoah Valley route from New York, Philadelphia and Washington south through Johnson City and Asheville to the Florida resorts; the Boone Trail route, the Lakes to Gulf Highway from Detroit and the Ashland, Asheville route from Cleveland, Ohio. Already tourist traffic over this route has reached a point where it is averaging more than fifty cars per day and a maximum of 101 cars.
“The highway from here to Asheville is in good passable condition and with work going on in Tennessee and North Carolina both the Unicoi county (sic for County) representatives from Erwin and the Asheville visitors felt they could safely say that the route would be completed by July 1st, 1925. The amount of road remaining to be completed is approximately 5 ½ miles in Tennesse (sic) and 7 miles in North Carolina, via Johnson City, Erwin, Cox Gap and Spivy route.
“Asheville and Johnson City organizations are co-operating in the selection of road signs for posting the connecting highway and Mr. Marvel stated that Asheville had already under extensive plans calling for the appropriation and expenditure by that city of not less than $15,000 in advertising of the new route as soon as it was completed, conditional upon a similar total being raised by other cities along the route, their combined subscriptions to equal the Asheville total.”
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