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

The First Kingsport Veterans Memorial

Photographed by Mark Parker, April 7, 2026

1. The First Kingsport Veterans Memorial Marker

Inscription.
In 1942, James C. & Vera J. White conceived a plan to honor members of the Armed Forces who died in service to our country in World War II.
• Planting dogwood trees in their memory •

Members of the Kingsport Garden Club began planting native white dogwood trees along Fort Henry Drive from Center Street to Eastman Road and along Memorial Boulevard from Eastman Road to Center Street. The entire length of plantings became known as Memorial Boulevard. Between 1946 and 1972 over 1,000 trees were planted for the fallen and as memorials to others.

For Veterans Day 2015, the Kingsport Garden Club provided two dogwood trees for the Kingsport Veterans Memorial. Symbolic of the earlier tribute for those who gave their lives in service to our nation, we remain forever grateful for their sacrifice.

Erected 2015 by Kingsport Garden Club.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Horticulture & Forestry • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1942.

Location. 36° 32.02′ N, 82° 31.707′ W. Memorial is in Kingsport, Tennessee, in Sullivan County. It is

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at the intersection of Fort Henry Drive (Tennessee Route 36) and Indian Court, on the right when traveling north on Fort Henry Drive. Location of the marker is at the north end of Kingsport Veterans Memorial. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 1630 Fort Henry Dr, Kingsport TN 37664, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Veterans Monument (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Battle of Island Flats (approx. 0.6 miles away); Martin-Dobyns House (approx. 0.6 miles away);

The First Kingsport Veterans Memorial at the north end of Kingsport Veterans Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, April 7, 2026

2. The First Kingsport Veterans Memorial at the north end of Kingsport Veterans Memorial

a different marker also named Battle of Island Flats (approx. 0.8 miles away); Stone-Penn House (approx. one mile away); Fort Patrick Henry (approx. 1.4 miles away); Douglass High School (approx. 1.4 miles away); Donelson Flotilla (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kingsport.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2026, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 15 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 9, 2026, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.