Earles Drug Store

Earles Drug Store, seen in this 1946 image, was owned by Dr. George W. Earles. The store opened July 1941 at 120 East Center Street. The building, owned by Earles and Dr. J.A. Flora, featured soda and luncheonette services in the drug store on the first floor.  The second floor was built to house a number of medical offices. George W. Earles had previously been affiliated with both the Kingsport and Holston Drug Companies.  Earles was assisted by Dr. R.C. Badgett, a licensed pharmacist. When Earles died in 1953, his widow Janie Earles, along with sons George and Howard, continued to run the business. Janie Earles was active in politics and organized the first Republican women’s group in Sullivan County. She ran, unsuccessfully, for State Senator in 1968.

In 1960, Earles Drug Store moved a few blocks down from its original location to the corner of Center and Shelby Streets. The new three story building featured Kingsport’s first prescription drive-in window. The first floor housed the drug store, cafeteria, and luncheonette. The second and third floors housed a variety of offices. Above, this 1962 image shows the new Earles, located behind the J. Fred Johnson and Company. Below, this 1960 image, taken shortly after the new building opened, showcases the interior of the building. The store carried a complete cosmetic and sundries department along with the prescription center and cafeteria.

Author Talk and Book Signing at the Kingsport Public Library

Over The Ocean And To The Links: A Golfer’s Journey
by Jeff Foulk and Jay A. Blum

Saturday, November 19th

1:00pm

“A hilarious and witty true story about a golfer’s foray onto Scotland’s Links courses and the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of an American traveling through Scotland.”

For more information call: 245-8140

Joe Tennis Book Signing and Program at the Kingsport Public Library-Nov. 26

** New book makes the Tri-Cities’ Lost State of Franklin fun **

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – In a new book, author Joe Tennis takes readers of all ages on a journey of history and mystery with a plot set in Northeast Tennessee and the Lost State of Franklin.

On Nov. 26, 2:30-4:30 p.m., the author is signing copies of his books and speaking on his latest release, “Finding Franklin: Mystery of the Lost State Capitol” (Backyard Books, $6.99), at the Kingsport Public Library, 400 Broad Street. Tennis, 42, is also sharing ghost tales from his books “Haunts of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Highlands” (The History Press, $14.99) and “The Marble and Other Ghost Tales of Tennessee and Virginia” (Backyard Books, $6.99).

Named for statesman Benjamin Franklin, the Lost State of Franklin existed in the 1780s and never officially became a state, as it eventually turned into Tennessee.

Tennis’s “Finding Franklin: Mystery of the Lost State Capitol” is based on the real-life mystery of the State of Franklin capitol building that was torn down in Greeneville, Tenn., in 1897 and shipped to Nashville for Tennessee’s centennial celebration. That cabin was never returned and, in “Finding Franklin,” the young characters wonder if a fortune might have also been lost while looking for clues across places like Erwin, Johnson City, Bristol and The Crooked Road in Southwest Virginia.

Geared primarily for younger readers, “Finding Franklin” features a “Pick-Your-Own-Plot” format with multiple endings. The illustrated book also contains an essay on the history of the State of Franklin.

Tennis, a former resident of Kingsport now living near Bristol, Va., is also the author of two Virginia history books (“Southwest Virginia Crossroads” and “Beach to Bluegrass”) as well as a pictorial history, “Sullivan County, Tennessee: Images of America” (Arcadia, $21.99), featuring a chapter on Kingsport and the large lakes built near Kingsport by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

A 1992 graduate of Radford University, Tennis has contributed articles and photographs to newspaper and magazines, including Blue Ridge Country, Bristol Herald Courier, Virginia Living, Kingsport Times-News and Appalachian Voice. He has also written for Virginia Wine Lover.

For more information, call (423) 229-9489.

 

Holiday Shopping at the Library!

Support the Kingsport Public Library and Archives

AND

do your Holiday Shopping at the same time!

Broad Street, 1949

Friends of the Archives Postcards make great stocking stuffers!

There are currently 5 different series.

Each series contains 5 different historical scenes from Kingsport and are $5.00!

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Another great gift idea is “My Boys” by LeRoy Sprankle.

For the Dobyns-Bennett Football fan, “My Boys” by LeRoy Sprankle will be a hit! “My Boys” details the early years of Dobyns-Bennett High School Sports under the reign of LeRoy Sprankle. What a great buy too at only $5.00!

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How about a gift Membership to the Friends of the Library and/or the Friends of the Archives?

The mission of the Friends of the Kingsport Public Library (FOL) is to support, promote and enrich the Kingsport Public Library in providing services and opportunities to the community. For more info on how to join the FOL please visit the library or check out the library’s website to learn more.

The Friends of the Archives (FOA) is a non-profit support group that plays an active role in helping to preserve Kingsport’s history. For more information please visit the archives or visit the Archives online.

Santa Claus delivering gifts at a Shrine Club event, 1947.

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Make a donation to the Friends of the Kingsport Public Library Endowment Fund!

You may make a donation in memory of a loved one or in honor of someone who enjoys the Library. Started in 1997, this fund is “to provide a growing source of income to supplement the Friends’ support of the Library, provide services to those less fortunate, and make our excellent Library even better.”

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An unidentified boy pulling a wagon full of presents, 1945. Photo by Thomas McNeer, Jr.

The library itself can receive cash donations to purchase materials in memory of or in honor of someone, or to commemorate a special occasion: e.g. birthdays, anniversaries, etc. The gift will be used to purchase books. A card of notification will be sent. For a gift of $15 or more, a book will be purchased and a book plate added acknowledging the gift and naming the person for whom the book is a memorial. For more information, call 224-2588.