Kingsport Archives to host Open House
The Kingsport Archives will host an Open House from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on October 13 to showcase their new and expanded location. The archives are located on the fifth floor of city hall (415 Broad Street).
Following the open house, Dr. Tom Lee will present a lecture in the 3rd floor BMA room at 5:30 p.m. entitled “1822 King’s Port: Gateway to Tennessee.” Both events are free and open to the public.
Established in 1994 to preserve the history and heritage of the City of Kingsport, the Kingsport Archives was located on the lower level of the Kingsport Public Library for years.
The archives is comprised of at least 800 collections of documents, photographs, books, maps and videos of individuals, organizations, industry, business, and non-current city records pertaining to the history of Kingsport for preservation and research purposes.
When Kingsport purchased the old Regions Bank building on Broad Street, city leaders decided to reserve space on the fifth floor for the archives.
The new archives is larger than its old location and more accessible to the public. It includes a research/reading room for the public, employee space to process donations, and a large storage room with specialized shelving for the actual collections.
“We’ve been working for more than a year in getting our new archives moved, furnished and ready for the public, so we’re excited to show it off,” said Archivist Brianne Wright. “We think the public will be overjoyed with our new space and its features.”
For more information about the Kingsport Public Library visit www.kingsportlibrary.org.
