Elizabethton in Carter County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Betsy Walkway

— Elizabethton Walking Tour —

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 16, 2021

1. Betsy Walkway Marker

Inscription.
This walkway now exists where once the Grand Theater, the first theater in Elizabethton, stood. The theater had a balcony for blacks only, but legend has it that sometimes white men snuck up the stairs to join them and smoke cigars.

Erected by Elizabethton Walking Tour. (Marker Number 28.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Entertainment.

Location. 36° 20.879′ N, 82° 12.84′ W. Marker is in Elizabethton, Tennessee, in Carter County. It is on East Elk Avenue east of South Sycamore Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is mounted at eye-level on the right/west side of Betsy Walkway (also known as Bicentennial Walkway), facing East Elk Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 608 East Elk Avenue, Elizabethton TN 37643, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee

and in the Tri-Cities Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

the State of Franklin,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Samuel Tipton (here, next to this marker); Burgie Drug (here, next to this marker); City of Elizabethton Bicentennial (a few steps from this marker); Barnes Boring Hardware (within shouting distance of this marker); Ritz Theater (about 400 feet away, measured in

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a direct line); Public Library (about 500 feet away); Restoration of the Mill Race (about 500 feet away); History of the Mill Race (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Elizabethton.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Old Post Office (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . .
1. Grand Theatre.

Part of the Birmingham, Alabama-based R.M. Kennedy circuit. The Grand Theatre was opened prior to 1926. It was renamed Betsy Theatre on January 14, 1951, but had closed by 1952.

(Submitted on March 1, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Grand Theater (photograph, circa 1951).

The “Grand” burned in late 1926 or early 1927 but was remodeled and reopened in December of 1927. Sometime later it was renamed the “Betsy” Theater. “Betsy” was the nickname for Elizabeth Maclin Carter for whom Elizabethton was named in 1796. In the 1970’s a downtown renewal project turned the “Betsy” into a walkway to a parking lot leaving only the façade.

(Submitted on March 1, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 16, 2021

2. Betsy Walkway Marker

(Betsy Walkway/Bicentennial Walkway in left background)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 1, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 1, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 581 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 1, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.