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1959 Map of Kingsport

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Kingsport
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1967
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1967

About this map

Kingsport centers this 1959 survey, showing a city in a period of significant mid-century expansion along the banks of the South Fork Holston River. The map details the dense industrial and residential footprint of the era, from the sprawling Borden Village and Litz Manor neighborhoods to the critical Holston Ordnance Works industrial complex. The presence of numerous schools like Dobyns-Bennett High School and John Sevier Jr High Sch indicates a booming post-war population.

North of the urban center, the terrain transitions into the steep ridges of Cloud Ridge and Bell Ridge, where older rural features like Holston Springs and the Kellum Cem persist. The North Fork Holston River snakes through the landscape, defining the state line where Weber City sits just across the Virginia Tennessee border. This sheet is particularly valuable for its detail on the historic Long Island, a landmark of early regional history, shown here before modern channel alterations significantly changed the river's flow.