Bristol, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Bristol

VA - TENN

— A Good Place to Live —

Bristol Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Stanley and Terrie Howard, September 27, 2009

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
Bristol Historical Association
Bristol Sign
has been registered as a
Virginia
Historic
Landmark
pursuant to the authority vested in the
Virginia Historic Landmarks Board

Erected 1988.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Landmarks. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1852.

Location. 36° 35.703′ N, 82° 10.861′ W. Marker is in Bristol, Virginia. It is at the intersection of State Street and Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, on the right when traveling west on State Street. State Street marks the boundary line between Tennessee and Virginia. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 425 State St, Bristol VA 24201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Tri-Cities Area,

in Southwest Virginia,

and in the Blue Ridge Highlands.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

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in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Vance Klondike Derby (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Bristol (a few steps from this marker in Tennessee); Birthplace of Bristol (a few steps from this marker in Tennessee); Bristol Sessions (within shouting distance of this marker in Tennessee); First Country and Western Recording (within shouting distance of this marker in Tennessee); Mississippi Country: The Bristol Sessions (within shouting distance of this marker in Tennessee); Historic Bristol (within shouting distance of this marker); Jimmie Rodgers (within shouting distance of this marker in Tennessee). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bristol.

Another marker

Bristol Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kathy Walker, October 19, 2009

2. Bristol Sign

Sign at dusk

is no longer nearby. Civil War Memorial (was within shouting distance of this marker but 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
Photographed by Kathy Walker, October 19, 2009

3. Bristol Sign
Sign at night looking east on State Street
January of 1915 from the Interstate Hardware Company (formerly the Virginia-Tennessee Hardware 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."

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

State Line Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kathy Walker, October 19, 2009

4. State Line Marker

Standing in the middle of State Street straddling the Virginia/Tennessee state line

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 4, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,522 times since then and 89 times this year. Last updated on October 18, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. Photos: 1. submitted on October 4, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 28, 2009, by Kathy Walker of Stafford, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.