Highland Street

Of all the pictures that have been shared with me so far, I think this one is my favorite. It shows Uncle Glen in the little car, and from left, Aunt Monnie, Coy Tilson, and my mother, Zella Mae, standing in front of their house on Highland Street in Kingsport, Tennessee. Mom looks to be about 9 or 10, so my best guess is that this picture was taken about 1930. The family moved to Kingsport in 1926 and were there at least through the early 1930's.

I have been wanting to look for this house for quite awhile, and finally, this week, I did. Four of us have been going out for lunch just about every month - Aunt Wanda, Cousin Nila, and Cousin Judy - and when we went out this Friday, I hijacked them to help me find the house on Highland. We thought these houses had to be on this street because the family was living there when the 1930 census was taken. Of course, we didn't know if the houses were still standing or if we'd recognize them from this picture.

But we were in luck. Using the picture above as a guide, we drove along Highland Street till we spotted them. In the end it was easy, because they really haven't changed much at all, considering this picture was taken about 79 years ago.

This is the house as it looks today. The fence has been added, the porch columns above the brick replaced, and the brick sides along the steps have been stuccoed. The parking area has been changed from the right side of the house to the left, but that's about it.

Here's a picture of Aunt Estelle, Nila's mother, in front of this house. She was born in 1912 and looks to be about 16 or so, thus we are guessing this photo was taken about 1928. Grandma loved her flowers and the Peterses have always loved their swings, and you can see both in this picture.

This is also Aunt Estelle, and Nila believes the baby might be Uncle Glen. The ages look about right to me, but I can't quite see Uncle Glen's face in this little tot. Maybe when Barbara and Linda see this photo, they will be able to help us out. Anyway, in this picture you can clearly see the house next door, which also helped us to know we had the correct house.

As you can see, the house next door hasn't changed too much either. The double window is new and the chimney seems to be missing, but the brickwork is certainly the same. In this photo, I am holding our small copy of the top photo which we used as a guide.

While we were looking at our little picture, we wondered about the second story and the back porch addition. Were they there when our family lived here?

As you can see from the picture above, they sure were. Aunt Estelle was a beauty and liked to have her picture made. I sure wish we could find out who this old car belonged to!

The shot below was taken from about the same angle and shows that the house has not changed much over the years.

Grandma's sister, Kate Lane Tilson, was widowed young, and in the 1930 census she appears next to the Peters family, with her three children, Coy (shown in the top photo), Thelma and Edith. Uncles Will and Abe, Aunt Estelle and Auntie Kate all worked at the Kingsport Press at this time, and Grandpa Noble Peters was listed as a carpenter. We may never know for sure, but I imagine that Grandma kept Kate's children while she worked.

It is pretty amazing to think that yesterday I posed for a picture in the exact spot where my mother posed about 79 years ago. It was a special moment, and I'm so glad Aunt Wanda, Nila and Judy were there to share it with me.