Sullivan County kicks off America's 250th anniversary celebration

PINEY FLATS — Officials from all parts of Sullivan County came together Friday at Rocky Mount State Historic Site to celebrate the kickoff of Sullivan 250, which commemorates the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States. The site once served as the capitol of the Southwest Territory in the 1790s and serves as a tangible connection to the founding period of the United States. Sullivan 250's kickoff event brought together mayors, local officials, historians, tourism leaders and civic organizations from the county's incorporated communities of Bluff City, Bristol and Kingsport — as well as county representatives. "We have been doing this 250 initiative, and we've been working with Sullivan County, and we've really come to understand that we are a part of the bigger history, and all our history really connects," Cody Boring, Rocky Mount State Historic Site executive director said during his opening remarks. Joyce Crosswhite, a Sullivan County commissioner and chair of the Sullivan County America 250 Celebration committee, thanked her fellow committee members and Mayor Richard Venable for their work on putting this initiative together. She acknowledged committee member Jeff Fleming, who designed the Sullivan 250 lapel pins and posters available at the event. "As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, Sullivan County remains proud of the role this frontier region played in this historic moment," Venable said. "And I've got to congratulate Gov. Blount for his good sense to discover this place to begin Tennessee." Barbara Street with the Rocky Mount Historical Association stressed the importance of American history taking place in more communities than the ones you hear about in history textbooks. "Rocky Mount reminds us that the American story was not written only in coastal cities like Philadelphia and Boston, it was written here on the frontier," she said. "I believe we are gathered on sacred ground." Kingsport Mayor Paul Montgomery commented on the "layered and complex" history of the region. He spoke about one of the earliest frontier conflicts that took place in the area of Kingsport, the Battle of the Island Flats, which involved frontier militia fighting Cherokee warriors. "These events remind us that life on the frontier was often difficult and dangerous," he said. "Settlers placed uncertainty as they built communities and a landscape that was still largely wilderness, yet they persevered. They established farms, churches, towns, and eventually grew into the communities we know today." Montgomery said Kingsport is proud to help preserve and interpret these historical places for future generations to understand the role Northeast Tennessee played in the founding of the United States. Looking ahead Sullivan County Department of Archives and Tourism Director Matthew Johnson thanked local leaders for their support and participation at the event. He said Sullivan County and Sullivan County 250 will continue to highlight people and places over the coming year that shaped the region during the founding of the nation. "Throughout our partnerships with community communities and historic sites like Rocky Mount, we will connect the story of Sullivan County with a broader commemoration of America's 250th anniversary at Tennessee's 250 anniversary celebration," he said. Johnson called the 250th anniversary a "once in a generation" celebration, before reading the Declaration of Independence aloud to the gathered crowd. "As we approach America's 250th anniversary, Sullivan County 250 invites everyone to rediscover that remarkable story in which we live," he concluded. Rocky Mount will host its own American 250 Free Family Day on Saturday for visitors to tour the site, learn more about the history from specialty tours and more. For more information about Sullivan 250 and future events, visit Sullivan250.com.