Bristol in Sullivan County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Bristol

VA - Tenn

— A Good Place to Live —

Bristol Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, October 4, 2024

1. Bristol Marker

Inscription.
Landmark Bridge
Between Two States
Erected 1910
Placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
By the United States Department of the Interior
September 8,1988

Marker in memory of Mattie and Jim Owens
The National Register
of Historic Places
Landmark Bridge
between two states
Erected 1919

Erected 1988 by Bristol Historical Association; Tennessee Historical Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Landmarks. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.

Location. 36° 35.691′ N, 82° 10.862′ W. Marker is in Bristol, Tennessee, in Sullivan County. It is at the intersection of State Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, on the right when traveling east on State Street. The marker is at ground level in a planter adjacent to the sidewalk at the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 404 State St, Bristol TN 37620, 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

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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: Birthplace of Bristol (here, next to this marker); First Country and Western Recording (a few steps from this marker); Bristol Sessions (a few steps from this marker); Mississippi Country: The Bristol Sessions (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Bristol (a few steps from this marker in Virginia); Vance Klondike Derby (within shouting distance of this marker in Virginia); Jimmie Rodgers (within shouting distance of this marker); Historic Bristol (within shouting distance of this marker in Virginia). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bristol.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Civil War Memorial (was within shouting distance of this marker in Virginia but

Wide view of Bristol Marker in planter at intersection of State St./ MLK Jr. Blvd image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, October 4, 2024

2. Wide view of Bristol Marker in planter at intersection of State St./ MLK Jr. Blvd

First Country and Western Recording monument to the right

has been permanently removed).

Regarding Bristol. Excerpts from the Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign Registration Form:

The most identifiable landmark of the twin cities of Bristol, Tennessee and Virginia is the large electric slogan sign erected over the state line on State Street, at Second and Washington Street...

The slogan sign was originally erected on June 28, 1910, on top of the Virginia-Tennessee Hardware Company building located on Third and State Streets, in Bristol, Tennessee. The steel frame for the slogan sign was completed on July 1st and on July 2nd all of the letters on the sign were hung. The completed slogan sign was lighted for the first time on July k, 1910 during a presentation ceremony by the Bristol Gas & Electric Company to both cities. In 1913, the owners of the hardware store requested that the slogan sign be removed from the top of their building because it was causing damage to the structure. After two years of discussion in both towns, the Greenwood Advertising Company of Knoxville removed the sign in January of 1915 from the Interstate Hardware Company (formerly the Virginia-Tennessee Hardware

Rear view of Bristol Marker looking east on State Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, October 4, 2024

3. Rear view of Bristol Marker looking east on State Street

Bristol Sign in the background

Company) building for $500. They also made repairs and relocated the sign at the location the two governments agreed upon at East State Street at Washington and Second Street. The slogan sign was remodeled to allow it to be placed on poles.

At the time the sign was placed over State Street, it was suggested that the wording of the Slogan: "Push!. . . That's Bristol" be changed. However, no changes were made at that time. In April, 1921 W. A. Hiddleson, General Manager of the Bristol Gas and Electric Company, proposed that a slogan change be made in the sign donated and maintained by his company during a speech at the Bristol Advertising Club. The Bristol Advertising Club offered a $10 prize for the "most appropriate slogan, and the one which will immediately replace 'Push! That's Bristol.'" It took approximately one month for the Advertising Club to come up with a new slogan for the sign. The Bristol Herald Courier announced the winner of the contest on April 30, 1921. The best slogan submitted was "Bristol. . . A Good Place To Live."

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.

Also see . . . Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign Registration Form (PDF).

Bristol sign across State Street, approx. 400 ft to the east image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, October 4, 2024

4. Bristol sign across State Street, approx. 400 ft to the east

Prepared by Shelley Ireson Edwards, Researcher and Elizabeth A. Straw, Hist. Pres.. Specialist, Bristol Historical Assoc., 1988 (Submitted on October 18, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 7, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 222 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 7, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.