Kingsport Press remaining water tower - Kingsport, TN
Posted by: 
vhasler
N 36° 33.148 W 082° 33.939
17S E 359877 N 4046368
One of the two water towers from the old Kingsport Press still stands above the Food City grocery and retail area.
Waymark Code: WMF5C3
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 08/26/2012
Views: 4
In 1922, the Kingsport Press was set up in former leather processing buildings. Long-term locals still called this place ThePress (said as one word). In 1969, the firm merged with Arcadia Graphics. In its heyday, it was said that most of the textbooks used in Southeast USA were printed in Kingsport. Other items being printed during the 1990's (when I took a plant tour) included the United Methodist hymnal, some National Geographic publications, Campbell soup labels, and "coffee table" books.
The plant was again purchased in the 1990's by Quebecor who ran the place until it was closed. In 2011, many of the former Press buildings (still seen in Google Street View) were razed as part of a successful urban renewal effort resulting Food City grocery, new offices for city schools and visitors bureau, and medical offices. There were two water towers on the site. One (archived Waymark WM4Q4F) was dismantled, but this inactive water tower was incorporated into the retail area design.