Sons and Daughters of Douglass Regular Board Meeting

 

The Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Board will hold its regularly-scheduled meeting on Saturday, November 9, 2024.

The meeting will be held at 11:00 AM, in the Eastman Conference Room of the V.O. Dobbins Sr. Tower, 301 Louis Street, Kingsport.

James Artis Henderson, Jr. remembrance

 

James Ardis Henderson, Jr., known affectionally as "Jr," passed away on October 10, 2024 at home.   He was 63 years old. 

He is preceded in death by his parents, James A. Henderson, Sr.and Cecilia Mae (Tucker) Henderson, and by a nephew, Justin Machen. 

Survivors include sister Audrey Faye Henderson, sister Milicent (Eric) Mack, of Georgia, his fraternal twin Willie Thomas Henderson, of California and sister Karen (Jerry) Machen of Gray, Tennessee as well as nephews, one niece, uncles, cousins and other relatives and friends. 

Arrangements are being handled by Clark Funeral Chapel & Cremation Service, Inc. in Kingsport.  A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Nov 2 @ 11 am at Clark's Funeral Chapel, located at 802 E Sevier St in Kingsport.

His remains will be interred at the VA in Mountain Home, Tennessee (Johnson City). 

Riverview Fall Clean-up Breaks Record: The LOWEST Trash-Litter Amount Collected in 30+ Years

 

One community says 'no more litter' and apparently the message is getting across.  The annual Fall trash and litter neighborhood collection in Riverview collected the lowest amount of litter gathered in more than 30 years of the bi-annual event.  

"It is absolutely a testament to the community that puts forth a positive effort into making its streets and public areas free of trash," says Sharon Hayes, director of the Keep Kingsport Beautiful campaign.  "Based on past community collection drives, I expected to see a lot more trash and litter today, discarded paper, liquor bottles, even syringes.  We didn't see any of that today.  Mainly for me, it's been just cigarette butts."

New Kingsport Mayor Paul Montgomery noticed that, too, as he picked up litter with former Mayor Pat Shull and current alderman and vice mayor Darrell Duncan.  "I picked up more cigarette butts than anything else and one empty pop bottle," he said.  "But I'm not surprised at the success of keeping the neighborhood free of trash and litter.  You can see the pride that people have in the neighborhood with the well-kept lawns."

Normally, the twice-a-year pickup campaigns will collect at least two tons of trash and litter for Kingsport Public Works crews, but this year, the amount was less than a ton.  

36 volunteers fanned out on the streets of Riverview and also the Dale-East Sevier-Maple and Oak Street areas.  The entire collection process took about an hour.

"We were glad to have the people that gave of their time on a beautiful Saturday morning," said South Central Kingsport Community Development director Johnnie Mae Swagerty.  "There was wonderful fellowship and we had a great lunch afterwards.  Our next litter collection activity will be in April and we're hoping that the weekend's event will start a trend of getting others involved in keeping their own neighborhoods free from unsightly litter, too."

"I think the trend is there," Mayor Montgomery said.  "I don't think it would be difficult to keep it going and growing, since South Central Kingsport does such a good job of promoting and emphasizing its program to local residents."

"We do hope the no-littering trend spreads to other neighborhoods in Kingsport through cleanups," says Hayes.  "We'd love for other neighborhoods to "pick up" on it (pardon the pun).  If we can share the good news of how beautiful the neighborhoods of Kingsport look free of litter, let it be contagious."

 

To get information on how to organize litter cleanups in your Kingsport neighborhood, email Hayes at   shayes@kingsportchamber.org or call (423) 392-8814.

Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Board Meeting

 

The Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association Board will meet in regular session on Saturday, October 12, 2024.

The meeting will be held in the Eastman Board room of the V.O. Dobbins Sr. Complex, 301 Louis Street, Kingsport, TN at 11 AM.

It's an open agenda with just a few things to discuss.

Please plan to be there and help our Board with important decisions that affect the organization and its involvement in the community.

Brenda Clark remembrance

 

Ms. Brenda M. Clark, a daughter, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend passed away peacefully on September 26, 2024. Brenda was preceded in death by her father, Mr. William R. Clark; grandparents; Mr. & Mrs. James H. Clark, Sr., Mr. Wilmer L. Brown, Sr., and Ms. Caroline Hall. 

Brenda was born in Kingsport, Tennessee to William and Constance Clark and graduated from Dobyns-Bennett High School. She worked as a bank teller for several years as well as a secretary for many years before being put on disability.

Brenda was a sassy ball of fire from a very young age. She was a very giving, independent, vivacious woman with a heart of gold. There was NOTHING in this world that she would not have done for Kayla who was her partner in crime or for William who was her entire world. 

Brenda will be deeply missed by her beloved daughter, Kayla L. Clark (Corey T. Harless), Church Hill, TN; her beloved grandson, William R.C. Harless, Church Hill, TN; her mother, Constance G. Clark, Kingsport, TN; her brother, Carl G. (Janie) Cornett; Kingsport, TN; her sisters, Sonya L. Clark; Church Hill, TN, and Carmen R. Clark; Gray, TN; her niece, Paris R. Cornett, Atlanta, GA; two aunts Frances L. Graves, Kingsport, TN and Ethel Wilson, Philadelphia, PA; three uncles, Thomas A. (Teresa) Brown, Bristol, TN, Charles T. Smith, Charlotte, NC; and George Hall, Philadelphia, PA as well as her Godmother, Jessie M. Dennis, Kingsport, TN. 
Brenda also leaves behind a host of cousins (most who were like siblings) and friends.

The visitation will be held at the Central Baptist Church, 301 Carver Street, Kingsport on Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 12 Noon to 1 PM.  The Celebration of Life will be held right after from 1 PM to 2 PM at the church.

“Missing you isn’t the problem…It’s knowing that you’re never coming back that causes so much pain.”

Professional care of the Clark family provided by Clark Funeral Chapel and Cremation Service, 802-806 East Sevier Avenue, Kingsport, TN 37660.

'Healing of Rotherwood' brings descendants of slaves, slave owners together

 

This story courtesy the Kingsport Times-News, text by Anna Adams.  Pictures by Anna Adams and Calvin Sneed.

KINGSPORT — Forgiveness, healing, history -these were just a few words attendees used todescribe the “Healing of Rotherwood” reunion of descendants of former slaves and slave owners who lived at the mansion and former plantation.

The reunion on Saturday was at the Rotherwood Mansion. It was not open to the public, and 125 people were on the list to attend. On the warm, sunny afternoon, people mingled, listened to music, dined together and learned about their shared history.

Dr. Lenita Thibault, owner of Rotherwood Mansion, said it was an honor to host the reunion.

“In my opinion, knowing and acknowledging our history and all its messiness and its contradictions, it’s good and it’s bad, is vital to achieving any type of reconciliation and healing,” she said.

On the behalf of the city, Mayor Paul Montgomery proclaimed Sept. 21, 2024, as “Reunion Day for Descendants of Slaves and Slave Owners.”

“It’s important that we all look at unity all the time and see how we can do this together, because we find sometimes that we’re more alike than we’re different,” Montgomery said while addressing the attendees.

Before food was served, many people spoke of the importance of the day and the impact it had.

“Healing of Rotherwood is a part of God’s plan for healing of Kingsport and healing of Tri-Cities, healing of this region and beyond,” the Rev. Doug Tweed said.

Gospel group 4Him performed two songs for the attendees as they watched and clapped to the music.

“Today, we are healed,” singer Ron Carson said.

Extensive History

Calvin Sneed, a direct descendant of slaves who took the name Stafford before the Civil War, detailed the history of the land and mansion.

He said those listening should take everything with a grain of salt. He was told most of the information, or read about it in articles, as the history was not written down.

“There are lessons to be learned from history,” Sneed said, “no matter how you learn it.”

From the Archives of Kingsport

In 1817, Frederick Ross inherited the land in Kingsport next to the Holston River. This was most likely when slaves were brought to it, and they did the farm work and worked in the iron mill, Sneed said.

From the Archives of Kingsport

Ross built Rotherwood Mansion, naming it after a mansion in “Ivanhoe” by Sir Walter Scott, Sneed said, and the slaves lived in what was called Rotherwood Heights, across the road.

“He [Ross] was kind to his slaves, and he freed many of them before the Civil War,” Sneed said.

Things changed around 1850, when Ross lost money and sold the property to his bookkeeper, Joshua Phipps. Sneed said through his research, Phipps is remembered as a cruel slave owner who beat the slaves and offered reward money to those who captured runaway slaves.

Slaves were beaten so badly they could not work the next day, Sneed said he read, and a room in the house had stocks to put slaves in.

The history of the slaves and slave owners is evident in the area. Sneed’s ancestors, the Staffords, divided the plantation land into lots.

“You’ll find at least three streets named after families who lived there: Watterson Street, Gray Avenue, Stafford Street,” Sneed said.

Many descendants stayed in East Tennessee.

“One part of the former slave family that took the name Ross settled down here in Rogersville,” Sneed said. “And yes, indeed, the story is true, they are the ancestors of Diana Ross, the singer, actress and lead singer of The Supremes.”

Although the history is hard to hear, Sneed said it is important to recognize events from the past.

“No matter what, we have to reconcile and acknowledge simply because it makes us better people,” Sneed said. “I don’t have any animosity about what I found out and what I told you today. God has put the knowledge in my heart, and God has put forgiveness in my heart. Something bad happened here, but something good happened here today.”

Impact

People who attended the reunion were impacted in their own ways.

Jane Marie Robinson, mistress of ceremony and descendant of Victoria Phipps, a slave under Joshua Phipps, said when she was younger, the only history she learned was what her parents told her. It sparked her curiosity.

“As far as I am concerned it [the reunion] is a closure of curiosity,” she said of the event.

Reunion organizer Tacia Green is also a descendant of Victoria Phipps. Before the reunion, she said she hoped it would bring “peace, love and history.” During the event, she confirmed it was a success.

“I am very well pleased,” Green said, “and I am thankful to the Lord that it is going as well as it is.”

Green was brought up knowing parts of her history. She said she never had any bitterness, but she did have curiosity and hurt.

“I had questions as to why,” she said.

Although the reunion could not answer those questions, she said it brought her hope for healing and love.

“[People] should view this as a hopeful event,” Green said. “Hopeful that one day we will all be one race, and one group of people, no division.”

Mark Fleenor, direct descendant of slave owner Joshua Phipps attended the reunion and brought portraits of Joshua’s daughter, husband and child. Joshua Phipps was Fleenor’s great-great-great-grandfather.

Fleenor said he was taught some of the history, but never expected he would meet with descendants of slaves on the same property.

“I feel wonderful; it’s opening my eyes to wider history and connections of families in East Tennessee that we’ve not talked about enough and need to,” Fleenor said.

At the reunion, Fleenor ran into Jill Rich. They looked surprised and then exchanged a hug. Rich said their kids grew up together, and she had not seen Fleenor in about 10 years.

Rich is a descendant of Ann Bachman, Joshua Phipp’s second wife, Fleenor said. Before the reunion, they did not know they were related.

“I’m thrilled,” Rich said. She said it made the event worth coming to.

What’s next

Researching and learning his past helped Sneed understand who he is as a person.

“I love these people, because they are my new family,” Sneed said. “They are the family I never knew I had.”

Sneed said he hopes the reunion can be done again, and open it up to the public next time.

“I feel like I’m family with these guys here; I feel like we’re all a part of a family in Kingsport that most people never even knew about, and finding out about that family is a good thing,” Sneed said. “I’m gung-ho; I want to do it again.”

Stand by for more pictures of the "Healing of Rotherwood" on this page

"Rotherwood - The Healing" Event Itinerary

 

                  "Rotherwood - The Healing"

                                   Itinerary

*************************************

Friday, September 20, 2024

2 PM to 3:30 PM - Participants with invitations can pick-up their tee-shirt at the Riverview Community Center, Wheatley Street by the Pickleball Courts, Kingsport, TN 37660.  Please wear the shirts at the event on Saturday the next day, so that you can be recognized as a Rotherwood descendant. 

Saturday, September 21, 2024 

1:30 PM - Shuttle will begin to take participants to the event at the Rotherwood Mansion.   The shuttle will take you to the event and back to your car. The two shuttle pickup locations where you can park will be:

1. The Latter Day Saints Church, 100 Canongate Road, Kingsport.  (going out Netherland Inn Road from downtown, cross the Holston River, go past Rotherwood Drive on the left, and take the next left on Canongate Road--the church parking lot is on the right).

2. Crossroads Methodist Church, 200 Bays Cove Trail, Kingsport , Additional Parking (also going out Netherland Inn Road from downtown, cross the Holston River, go past the Latter Day Saints Church on Netherland Inn Road on the left, go past the May Cove apartments, and take the next left onto Bays Cove Trail--the church parking lot is on your right).

3.  If you're coming from Mt. Carmel-Church Hill-Rogersville, from West Stone Drive going towards Kingsport, take Netherland Inn Road, then take the second driveway to the right  and come around the Crossroads Methodist Church to the parking lot.  To get to the Latter Day Saints Church, go past the Crossroads Methodist Church on the right, and come down to the red-bridge Latter Day church also on the right.

Please be patient in waiting for the shuttles to return from dropping people off.

4. If you have a handicap decal/license plate, handicapped parking will be provided at the Rotherwood Mansion grounds.

The event begins at 2 PM

   Please follow the program as printed on your invitation

*A NOTE FROM OUR ROTHERWOOD HOST, DR. LENITA THIBAULT:

*"Be very careful on the property, as the lawn and gravel drive are uneven.  Steps to the gazebo are a bit steep and there are no hand rails.  Additionally, there may be some loose bricks along sidewalks and steps."

*"The front and side porches of the house also do not have hand rails, so there is a potential fall hazard there - please be careful!"

*"ONLY the first floor of the mansion will be open for viewing.  Please also watch your step inside as the floors are not always level, going from one room into another."  

*"Entrance into the house will be the door in the middle (facing the circular driveway).  The front door facing the river where the columns are and the three French doors on the south side will not be open.  Please follow the directions.  The side door that faces the small guest house is for CATERERS only."

*"Two bathrooms will be available on the first floor."

*"I hope to have a few pictures and information about the rooms, giving some history as well as an idea of what the house looked like 33+ years ago when I moved here, and before or during the renovation process.  There will not be any scheduled or guided tours, so feel free to take time to look around."

*"Three people who will be wearing blue t-shirts with a picture of the house and the word "staff" written on them.  Please feel free to ask them for help if needed (for example, directions to the bathrooms, etc).  They can help you or can get in touch with me as needed.  And of course feel free to ask me any questions (although I can't absolutely guarantee I will have answers, but will try my best!"). 

*"The small guest house outside will NOT be open."

****************************************

Forgiveness is something Christ requires of you, no matter what the other person does. Forgiveness means that you sincerely, from the heart, cancel the other person’s debt against you personally. It involves repenting of any sinful anger and refusing to harbor bitterness against the person who has sinned against you. Forgiving means you promise to let go of the personal aspect of the offense and refuse to obsess over it.

                                   ---Pastor Tom Hicks, Sr. Pastor, First Baptist                                                Church, Clinton, Louisiana, MDv and PhD,                                                Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

          

          Rotherwood - The Healing

Descendants of slave owners and slaves will meet at Rotherwood Mansion, Kingsport

 

KINGSPORT — For the first time, the Rotherwood Mansion will be hosting a reunion for descendants of both slave owners who owned the property in the 1800s, and slaves who lived and were forced to work on it.

The reunion will be at 2 p.m., Sept. 21 at the Rotherwood Mansion. It is not open to the public, and about 125 people are attending, Rotherwood descendant Tacia Green said.

“We already moved on, but have we truly moved on?” Green said. “We can’t forget our past but we don’t always have to live in our past.”

Rotherwood was a plantation and its main house is Rotherwood Mansion, descendant Calvin Sneed stated in an email. It was built by Frederick A. Ross and was later passed to Joshua Phipps who was cruel to those enslaved to him.

Green said she hoped the event would bring peace and healing between the families.

Green found the Rotherwood Mansion Kingsport TN Facebook page. She contacted the current owner Lanita Thibault, who said she would be happy if Green organized an event at the property.

“So I put it out there,” Green said. “And, surprisingly, everybody was coming on board excited.”

She said the event would not necessarily bring closure, as that part of American history can never be closed, but the reunion could bring peace to the families.

“I hope that the young people that are there to learn, not only the descendants of the enslaved, but the descendants of the owner, that our young people can see the harmony that we’re trying to portray, that none of us was actually there,” Green said. “And yes, we were done wrong as the enslaved, but in 2024 we can’t blame anyone that’s actually living. And let’s give anyone the opportunity to own up. ‘Hey, my family did wrong, can we make amends?’”

Green said she hopes people take away “peace, love and history, love for each other and love for the true history.”

Eugenia (Jeannie) Hodges remembrance

 

IN THE CARE OF

East Lawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park

Eugenia L. Hodges (Jeannie) was born March 7, 1942 in Detroit, MI.  She was the daughter of the late John L. and Clellie Mason Baylor.  Her family moved to Kingsport when Jeannie was a very young child.  Jeannie attended and graduated from Douglass High School.  She attended Bennett College and ETSU.  She worked for the Kingsport City School system for 40 years, retiring in June 2004.

Jeannie served as Superintendent of Central Baptist Church Sunday School and was a faithful member for the Usher Board. She assisted the Deacons and Pastors with the baptism for many years.  She was also involved in several community organizations.

Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents:  George McGhee and Estelle Stafford;  paternal grandparents: James and Bessie Hipps;  sisters: Elizabeth Cunningham and Linda Faye Mason and her brother: William “Billy” Hipps.

Jeannie leaves behind to cherish her memory, her husband: Willie E. Hodges;  Children: Lisa Greer, Kingsport and Susan Hodges of North Carolina.  Granddaughter: Sunny Hodges; grandsons:  Armande Hodges, Christopher White, and Shane Greer.  Great grandchildren:  Alexa, Khloe and Tavis III.  Sister: Ellen “Francine” Mason.  Six nieces, three nephews and several great nieces and nephews and great great nieces and nephews.

Receiving of friends will be Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at Central Baptist Church from 11:00 AM until 12:00 noon with her home going service to begin at 12.  Burial will follow in East Lawn Memorial Cemetery.

To all the friends and family that visited Jeannie, drove her to church, baked her favorite cake, brought her favorite foods or snacks and remembered her in your thoughts and prayer.  Thank you.  An also to Amedysis Hospice and Tonya.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Oasis of Kingsport, Small Miracles Therapeutic Equestrian Center, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

From the Jack Pierce family

 

Remembering a legacy: Historic Pierce Bays Mountain home destroyed by fire

 

This story courtesy the Kingsport Times-News, Six Rivers Media

KINGSPORT — Sitting atop Bays Mountain, history lingered in the walls of an old house that stood the test of time for over two centuries.

The house at 529 Hood Road in Sullivan County is now reduced to ashes after a fire destroyed the home a couple weeks ago.

The fire went unnoticed by local authorities until several days after it ravaged the structure.

It wasn’t until Aug. 6 that Mary Nunley was alerted by a friend that the house burned down. Nunley said she believed the fire occurred on Aug. 2.

Nunley contacted the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 9.

According to Cptn. Andy Seabolt, an arson investigator was assigned to the case of the fire, but the extensive damage made it impossible to determine the area of origin or the cause.

Nunley is the daughter of Bud Nunely who took over renting the house in 1969.

“My dad [Bud] passed away in January 2017, and my mom lived there a couple years longer,” Nunley said. “When we needed someone to stay and watch over the place, my daughter’s biological dad moved in and has stayed there the last two to three years.”

Nunley said that her daughter’s biological dad was periodically in jail.

At the time the house burned down it was empty.

The significance of the house extends far beyond the Nunley family. The Pierce family, one of the oldest families in the area, has a long and storied connection to the property.

A century legacy on Bays Mountain

Jack Pierce, a 95-year-old resident of Kingsport recalls his grandfather, Jerome Pierce, purchasing the land off Bays Mountain in the early 19th century and building the house.

According to the Sullivan County Register of Deeds, on March 27th, 1888 Jerome purchased 163 acres of land on Bays Mountain from Nancy Hayes Vincent for $53.00, worth roughly $1,754.00 in 2024.

There, he constructed the two-story log cabin with a rock chimney, living room, kitchen and three bedrooms for his family, Pierce said.

Jerome would raise his seven children there, including Albert Pierce, Jack’s father.

“Now, my grandfather, Jerome, was a former slave,” Pierce said. “And after he was freed he got to keep the last name of his owners’ [Pierce]. I do remember him telling me that his owners treated him good.”

(Click on the map to make it bigger)

For orientation, the small red circle at the bottom of the picture is the old Pierce Homestead on the side of Bays Mountain, at the bottom left.  Circled at the upper left is what used to be the Rotherwood Plantation.  Circled at the top center is what was "Old Kingsport."  Circled on the right, in order from top to bottom is geographic Downtown Kingsport, the Riverview Community and at the bottom right, is Eastman Chemical (the former Tennessee Eastman Company).

About 28 acres of Jerome’s property going up the side of the ridge was sold to Bays Mountain in April 2006, but the original homestead remained in the Pierce family who rented it out for more than 40 years. Pierce recalled his grandfather’s property having lots of animals — including hogs and chickens, in addition to grapevines.

Pierce said that his father and grandfather helped construct the dam atop Bays Mountain, hauling the stone and concrete using large Belgian horses.

In the late 1920’s, Eastman began hiring men to log timber to make methanol and later acetic acid anhydride for the process of filmmaking. The Pierces were an important family in logging and getting the logs to the Eastman sawmill, Pierce said.

“My father always worked for himself,” Pierce said. “He hauled timber and what not, he raised his own animals — the family always had plenty to eat.”

‘Old Kingsport’ - circled in red above.  Click on the map to make it bigger.  The blue circle in the center is the Old Kingsport Presbyrterian Cemetery, thought to contain many African-American graves from near the nearby Rotherwood Plantation.

Pierce said he grew up in “Old Kingsport” and as an adult, often took his children to the house on Bays Mountain.

“Old Kingsport is about where the Netherland Inn area is at,” Pierce said. “We were the only black family living there, our father raised us on a farm.”

Pierce said he remembers his family helping each other out and sharing goods with white families around them.

“We shared milk, hogs, eggs, just about anything,” he said.

After graduating from Douglass High School in the 1940’s, Pierce married Miss Betsy Whittington and together they had six children. Pierce worked at Eastman for 38 years.

“They didn’t treat us blacks very well,” Pierce said. “Our department with all the black folks had the most firings.”

While raising his children, Pierce said he would take his children to the house on Bays Mountain where they would play and hang out with friends. Pierce recalls having very fond memories of the house and its impact on keeping families together.

“That house was something very special,” Pierce said. “It is very sad that it’s burned down, it has stories and carries a lot of history. I had always hoped that Bays Mountain would’ve bought it and made it a historical site.”

Memories of the past

Nunley, 45, who grew up in the house roughly from 1979-2011, said she was devastated to hear the news of the house fire.

“Growing up, we loved that house,” Nunley said. “Having a home where anyone was welcome to come hang out, have a meal and great conversation, it was the glue that held us all together.”

Nunley said that some of her best childhood memories were created in the house growing up.

“We lost something that mean a lot to us,” Pierce said. “Just knowing it was out there and we’d go every once in a while to see it brought some comfort.”

Jerome Pierce passed away in 1945. He was preceded in death by his wife Alice Luvenia, who had passed in 1928. They are buried next to one another in the Pierce Chapel A.M.E. Cemetery in Kingsport, which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Anna Coley, another grandchild of Jerome’s wrote a book published in 2011 titled “From Whence We Came: Good Old Days.” Coley recounts the Pierce’s family history and their linkage to Bays Mountain. Coley died in 2021

She writes:

“Grandpa and Grandmother Pierce were the roots of our family tree as we know it today. They were the vines, we are the branches. We have a very rich heritage, a very proud family history. Let’s not every forget to sow the same fruits of the spirit that our forebears did.”

Pierce said he would not change anything about the City of Kingsport, “I’m happy to be where I am.”

NOTE:  As one of the oldest families in Kingsport's Black community, the Pierce-Bond family is part of the continuing story of the influence that "The History of African-Americans in Kingsport" experience has done to make Kingsport what it is today.

troyed by f