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Located in the historic Paramount Theater, the Paramount Center for the Arts is the region's premiere center for the performing arts. The theater was built in 1931 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Like many other historic theaters, the Paramount fell into disrepair and might have been lost had it not been for the efforts of historic preservationists who restored the Art Deco theater to its former splendor in 1991.

Paramount Center for the Arts

The city of Bristol traces its origins back to about 1852 when a young merchant by the name of Joseph R. Anderson purchased a plot of land along the Virginia-Tennessee border from his father-in-law, Reverend James A. King. Because of the location of the land he had purchased, Anderson believed it had potential for serious growth into a major town in the region. Anderson named the town Bristol after the city in England in hopes to use its exceptional industrial developments as inspiration for growing his own Bristol in America. Around the same time, Colonel Samuel Goodson, a cousin of Rev. King's, planned a town immediately north of Anderson's Bristol, calling it Goodsonville. Goodsonville was combined with Goodson, Virginia in 1856, and sometime around 1890, Goodson also changed its name to Bristol, leading to the still-extant twin cities dynamic. This tour offers a short walk through the heart of Bristol and includes the Birthplace of County Music Museum and several historically significant buildings and landmarks adjacent to State Street which divides Virginia and Tennessee.

<p>The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is located around 300 miles east of Nashville in Bristol, Tennessee, considered the birthplace of country music. Right on the border of Tennessee and Virginia, this quaint town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains is where the "big bang of country music" occurred in the summer of 1927. A talent scout from New York for the Victor Talking Machine Company named Ralph Peer ventured down to Bristol in the late summer of 1927 to hold auditions and find the right Southern talent for the growing recording industry. Peer enlisted the help of musician Ernest Stoneman to help him recruit the talent. Stoneman had been recording "hillbilly music" since 1924 and knew what type of performers Peer was looking for.</p><p>Peer set up a recording studio on State Street in an abandoned hat factory and placed an ad in the local paper inviting any interested performers to come and audition. Some of the more remembered artists who took part in the sessions were Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family, consisting of Sara, A.P,. and Maybelle Carter. The Carter Family recorded four songs during one evening session, and then two more the following morning. In total, 76 songs by 19 different artists were recorded. The 1927 Bristol Sessions launched the commercialization of country music and helped the genre reach a wider audience. Because of Bristol's impact, Congress officially named it the "Birthplace of Country Music" in 1998.</p><p>The Birthplace of Country Music Museum, deemed an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, was officially opened in the summer of 2014 and cost a total of $11 million. The Museum, which is 24,000 square feet, is not only dedicated to the 1927 Bristol Sessions, but also the history of country music and the town of Bristol and the Appalachian region. Some of the more notable items on display are: a signed guitar that belonged to Johnny Cash, an introductory film called <em>Bound to Bristol</em>, a map detailing the homes of each performer who recorded in the Bristol Sessions, WBCM Bristol Radio station, and the original 1927 newspaper ad announcing the auditions.</p><p>In the Museum, visitors can view permanent exhibits, as well as some that are interactive, and special temporary exhibits. A few of the former temporary exhibits include: "The Carter Family: Lives and Legacies," "American Ballads: The Photographs of Marty Stuart," "Reading Appalachia: Voices from Children's Literature," and "I Have a Voice: Tennessee's African American Musical Heritage."</p><p>The nonprofit Birthplace of Country Music was established to celebrate and promote the history of Bristol's musical heritage and its lasting impact. In addition to the Museum, The Birthplace of Country Music has two other branches: Festival and Radio. They host special events year-round as well as community and educational programs. One of the key events is the Bristol Rhythm &amp; Roots Reunion held every September. The Festival brings in around 45,000 attendees and hosts around 130 bands. Radio Bristol, which airs live from the Museum, was launched in August of 2015 and has listeners in more than 140 countries. The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is a premiere museum that celebrates the musical culture of the Appalachian Region and the town that launched country music.</p>

<p>An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, The Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Tennessee tells the story of the importance of Bristol to the history of country music. It was in Bristol in the summer of 1927 that record producer Ralph Peer of the Victor Talking Machine Company conducted the first recording sessions with 19 performers, most notably Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family. These sessions, known as the "Bristol Sessions," launched the commercialization of country music and Johnny Cash would later say that was "the most important event in the history of country music." The Museum regularly presents educational programs, concerts, jam sessions, film screenings, lectures, and workshops.</p>

Birthplace of Country Music Museum

<p>The land upon which the station currently sits was donated by Rev. James Kin in 1848, before the establishment of Bristol in the 1950s. In 1856, the first-ever passenger train in Bristol arrived at the Norfolk and Western station. Just two years later, the Southern Railway was completed, stretching from Bristol to Knoxville. Subsequently, Bristol flourished as a prominent manufacturing and commercial center in the region.&nbsp;</p><p>The first depot at which the first passenger train in Bristol arrived at in 1956 was constructed by James Fields of Abingdon. This depot, in comparison to the current station, was located slightly farther north. Today, it would be located directly east of the intersection of Cumberland Street and the Randall Street Expressway. The initial depot was destroyed on December 14, 1864 during the 3rdNorth Carolina Mounted Infantry’s raid, under Union Maj. Gen. George Stoneman, into Southwest Virginia.</p><p>Following the Civil War, a freight car was temporarily utilized as the town’s freight depot until 1866 when construction of a new depot was completed. By the 1880s, Bristol’s flourishing and growth led to the need for a larger depot to serve the region. In 1881, a 326 feet long passenger shed was constructed, along with a temporary office building on one end, and the existing depot was subsequently destroyed. The third depot was constructed by William H. Smith or John M. Crowell and was completed early in 1882.</p><p>When the current station was constructed in 1902-1903, by John Pettyjohn and Company of Lynchburg, Virginia, it became the fourth station to exist on the lot. The design of the current station bears extensive resemblances to design plans for a structure which was projected to be built in 1889 but never was. For the majority of the 20thCentury, the Bristol Railway was utilized as one of the most prominent freight and passenger depots in the region. According to a report published in December last year by the Bristol Herald Courier, when the Bristol Station’s historic marker was unveiled, Tim Buchanan, vice president of the Bristol Historical Association and member of the Bristol Train Station Foundation, said, “Before 1971, this was the interstate that brought everything to Bristol.”&nbsp;1</p><p>In 1999, the Bristol Train Station Foundation purchased the structure with plans to renovate and restore the station as a centerpiece of downtown Bristol. The Foundation reportedly planned for the station to be operating again soon after its restoration. In 2008, the Bristol Station began a decade-long restoration process which was completed in 2018. The restoration process required over $5 million in funds.</p><p>Today, the station is utilized for a variety of public and private events. However, local publications have recently reported the Bristol Tennessee-Virginia Rail Coalition is supportive of the prospective return of passenger rail services to Bristol in the future. The same report from last year by the Bristol Herald Courier revealed that the group, including over twenty local organizations, “supports the extension of passenger rail from Roanoke, Virginia, to Bristol and then southward to Knoxville, Tennessee; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; and Birmingham, Alabama.” 1&nbsp;A 2017 Amtrak study also concluded that a potential passenger line from Bristol to Roanoke would likely be profitable, and the city of Bristol, VA, is now working on its own study.</p>

The Bristol Railroad Station, previously known as the Bristol Union Railway Station, is located on the edge of Bristol’s Commercial Historic District. While the station initially opened in 1856, the current stone and brick structure was constructed in 1902-1903. After the passenger service was terminated in 1971, the structure stood vacant for several years until being renovated as a shopping mall in the 1980s. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as one of the last remaining examples of Norfolk and Western Railroad depots built before World War I as part of a series of system expansions during the era. The building is now used for various public and private events. Its unique structure blends Romanesque and European-style architecture and features a notable hipped-roof pavilion on one end.

Bristol Railroad Station

<div>The sign’s initial location at the time of its construction beginning on June 28, 1910, and for five years following, was atop the Virginia-Tennessee Hardware Company building on Third and State Streets. Though the sign was initially erected on June 28, its steel frame was not completely constructed until July 1st. On the 2nd, its letters were hung and essentially completed. The sign was not actually lighted for the first time until the 4th of July that year as part of a presentation ceremony by the Bristol Gas and Electric Company.<br><br></div><div>Three years after the construction of the sign, in 1913, the owners of the hardware store where the sign was located requested it be removed due to damages it was causing to the building’s structure. In 1915, the sign was removed from the Interstate Hardware Company building, formerly the Virginia-Tennessee Hardware Company. After some maintenance, it was slightly remodeled for proper fitting and moved to its new location on East State Street at Washington and Second Streets, where it remains today. The sign was erected at its current location in April that year, its base twenty-five feet above the street, and its top about fifty-three feet high.<br><br></div><div>In 1917, the sign became the subject of much public criticism as a result of its many failing lightbulbs. As a result of the failing bulbs, the sign would often visually appear to read, “PU… THAT’S BRISTOL” or “..SH… THAT’S BRISTOL.” Although new green and red lightbulbs were then installed, several white lightbulbs still rarely functioned properly, and the Bristol public was unsatisfied. By 1921, an official campaign for a new slogan was established and had gained considerable support from the public.<br><br></div><div>Following a competition for a new slogan resulting from the public pressure to update the sign, a new slogan was officially announced on April 30, 1921. The new, and current slogan, reads: “BRISTOL… A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE.” Though the slogan on the bottom line of the sign was entirely changed, the structure of the sign itself was ostensibly unaltered. The exact date of the replacing of slogans on the sign remains unclear.<br><br></div><div>For decades, the sign was essentially unaltered, only occasionally undergoing very minimal maintenance procedures. In 1969, a campaign with considerable public support was started to entirely remove the sign from Bristol due to deterioration and rusting. Despite the movement gaining significant momentum, the sign was never removed. Sometime during the 1970s, the sign was repainted, but did not prevent another movement to remove the sign in 1982. Following the second movement to remove the sign, a Save our Sign campaign began refurbishing the sign significantly, including applying new angle irons, bolts, aluminum support poles, paint, and a synchronizer for flashing lights and arrows.<br><br></div><div>Earlier this year, after a long period of essentially no major work being done to the historic sign, the Bristol Herald Courier reported the twin cities had agreed to split the cost of restoring, renovating, repairing, and repainting it. In addition, the sign’s current 1,330 conventional lightbulbs were to be replaced with LED bulbs for higher sustainability and lower electricity costs. The total cost of the restorations to be completed by Reed Painting was reportedly around $24,000.<br><br></div><div>In 2010, the twin cities of Bristol, Virginia and Tennessee hosted a celebration at the Bristol Train Station honoring the 100th anniversary of the Bristol slogan sign on State Street. At the event, as reported by the Bristol Herald Courier, Tod Swormstedt, founder of Cincinnati’s American Sign Museum, said, “There’s not a lot of signs around that are 100 years old, and the ones that are certainly aren’t in as good shape as this one.”&nbsp;1</div>

The Bristol Virginia-Tennessee slogan sign is located on State Street along the officially-recognized border of the two states. Initially constructed atop a hardware store in 1910, the sign was moved to its current location five years later, in 1915. The initial slogan of the sign said, “PUSH! – THAT’S BRISTOL,” but since 1921, and still today, its slogan is, “A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE.” The current slogan came as a result of a new slogan contest in 1921. The Bristol slogan sign was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 as “the most identifiable landmark of the twin cities of Bristol, Tennessee and Virginia.” ^(2)

Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign

<p>Since
its organization 160 years ago, the First Baptist Church in Bristol has been
referred to by locals as several different names, including the Goodson Baptist
Church, the Bristol Baptist Church, and now, the First Baptist Church (of
Bristol). Similarly, the church’s congregation’s meetings have also been held
in several different buildings throughout its history, all at the same location.
The Goodson Baptist Church was established by a man from Jonesborough named
Elder William Cate on April 22, 1859. From its founding until 1862. the Goodson
Baptist Church held its meetings at a building referred to as Temperance Hall.</p>

<p>Another
building was constructed for the church’s meetings in 1887. At this time, the
name of the church was changed to the Bristol Baptist Church. By 1895, the
church’s name had been changed again to its current name, the First Baptist
Church (of Bristol). In 1904, the recorded membership of the church’s
congregation was around 475 individuals. It was around this time the church’s
membership began to grow significantly as its building was commonly used for
community gatherings, instigating a movement for the construction of a new,
larger building for meetings.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A
new building was designed by Clarence Kearfott in 1911. Its construction began
in 1912 and was completed sometime in 1914. The construction of the current
church reportedly cost around $75,000. While the current building was still being
constructed, the church’s congregation held its meetings at the City Hall
building in Bristol, Virginia. The first service to be held in the current
building took place on July 26, 1914.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Additions
were made to the church in 1940, and some of which are still utilized today for
holding Sunday School classes and various offices. In February 1947, parts of
the church were destroyed as part of a larger fire in Bristol. The fire started
at a filling station at Pennsylvaniaa and State Streets just across the street from
the church building. As a result of the fire, most of the church’s stained
glass windows were shattered.</p>

<p>After
the fire, several other additions and adjustments to the building’s structure
were made. Later in 1947, the windows which were destroyed by the fire were
replaced by new one-piece steel frame windows which are still in place today.
In 1964, an educational wing was constructed onto the church along Goodson
Street. In 1976, elevators were installed in the church at a cost of around
$20,000 by the Otis Elevator Company.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Today,
the First Baptist Church of Bristol serves not just the city of Bristol, but
the whole northeast section of the Tri-Cities region. The area served by the
church includes Bristol, Virginia, Bristol, Tennessee, Kingsport, Tennessee,
and Johnson City, Tennessee. The church’s congregation holds regular meetings
and traditional worship services each Sunday morning throughout the year in
addition to various Bible study groups throughout the week.</p>

Constructed in 1912, this building has served as the home of First Baptist Church, one of the oldest congregations in the region. The congregation was organized as Goodson Baptist Church for many years and traces its origins back to 1859. After the congregation held meetings in homes and a modest frame building for many years, the congregation constructed this building in 1912. The building is on the Virginia side of Bristol's Virginia-Tennessee border by about 30 feet. Prior to the construction of this church, this lot had been home to two different local churches. The church’s structure, designed by prominent and local architect Clarence Baker Kearfott, is significant because It represents an exceptionally sophisticated style of Classical Revival architecture not common in southwestern Virginia. It is the only remaining church on its street where several were previously located but destroyed in the 1960s and 70s urban renewal. The First Baptist Church of Bristol was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Historic Bristol Walking Tour

Paramount Center for the Arts

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