1. What year was the original Bristol, TN/VA planned out?
                a. 1821
                b. 1774
                c. 1765
                d. 1853
2. What was The Bristol Sign’s original slogan?
                a. “PUSH! THAT’S BRISTOL!”
                b. “THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE.”
                c. “IT’S BRISTOL BABY!”
                d. “A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE.”
3. When did the Paramount Center for the Arts open?
                a. 1931
                b. 1952
                c. 1906
                d. 1974
4. What was Bristol, VA name changed to in 1856?
                a. Sapling Grove, VA
                b. Shelby, VA
                c. Goodson, VA
                d. Paradise, VA
5. What year was the mural at the Downtown Center painted?
                a. 1996
                b. 1987
                c. 1962
                d. 1930

How did you do?!
 

The Answers: D A A C B

The history of Bristol, Tenn. and Va. is fascinating. From war meetings to name changes and more, both cities have plenty of stories to tell.

General Evan Shelby, a well-known figure in the French and Indian War, stumbled upon what are now the cities of Bristol in 1765. From the beginning, he knew Bristol had many opportunities and great potential. In 1766, General Shelby and his family settled into Big Camp Meet. Local legend says the land General Shelby acquired had once been occupied with Cherokee Indians and was grazed by many buffalo and deer.

General Shelby renamed the camp Sapling Grove. Historic pioneers such as Daniel Boone and George Rogers Clark made their way through Sapling Grove during their cross country expedition. In 1774, General Shelby built a fort on a hill looking over what is now Downtown Bristol. That fort became a trading post, way station and stockade. It also served as protection from Indians and became the place where the Revolutionary War battle of King’s Mountain was planned. 

At the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, Colonel James King purchased the land from Shelby. King opened a small ironworks and sawmills and, later, opened up a furniture store to meet the need for high quality woodwork.
After the passing of Colonel James King, his son Reverend James King updated the sawmills and built the largest stone milldam in the area.

When surveyors projected the joining of two railroad lines at the Tennessee-Virginia border, Reverend King gave much of his land to his son-in-law, Joseph R. Anderson. In 1853, thanks to Anderson’s design plan, the building of Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia began.

Meanwhile, Samuel Goodson started a town known as “Goodsonville” in the land adjoined to the original town of Bristol. Anderson was unable to incorporate Bristol in both Tennessee and Virginia. So, in 1856, Goodsonville and the original town of Bristol were combined to form Goodson, Virginia.

The railroads reached the respective cities during the summer of 1856. Since there were two different cities, two depots served the cities – one in Bristol and one in Goodson. To the dismay of Samuel Goodson, the depot in Goodson continued to be referred to as the Bristol, Virginia depot. In 1890, Goodson, Virginia was renamed to the original Bristol, Virginia.

Jumping forward 20 years, the Bristol Gas and Electric Company donated an electric sign to the community. While the sign shining on State Street is the same sign donated in 1910, it is not in the original location. The Bristol Sign was first place atop of the Interstate Hardware Company building. In 1915, it was moved to its current location.

When the sign was erected it read “PUSH! THAT’S BRISTOL!” As most signs experience, there was the occasional bulb-outage which led to the sign reading “PU__! THAT’S BRISTOL!” or “__SH! THAT’S BRISTOL!” In 1921 the Bristol Advertising Club offered a contest for the best new slogan. The current slogan, “A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE” was chosen because the club said it was “modest in claim, and truthful in statement.”

Moving forward just 10 more years, The Paramount Theater movie house was built in 1930-31. The theater visited today is essentially the same now as it was then. With the interior décor modeled after the Italian Renaissance and art deco, a geometric and colorful design plan, the theater is still an eye catching and beautiful structure.

For more information on the history of Bristol visit the following sites:
Bristol Historical Association
Sullivan County, TN Archives
Historical Society of Washington County, VA