The name "Tennessee" originated from the old Yuchi Indian word, "Tana-see," meaning "The Meeting Place," which refers to The Long Island of the Holston River.

What is called Long Island in Kingsport, Tennessee was once a hallowed stretch – a four and a half mile island that was nestled between the Holston River and the Sluice, revered by the tribesman of the Cherokee Nation for its energy and spiritual presence. Before 1776 and the Battle of Long Island Flats it was said that no man could be killed on Long Island. But in 1777 the chiefs of all seven clans gathered and signed The Treaty of Long Island with the white man, giving up not only hundreds of thousands of their acreage, but millions – including the sacred ground known as Long Island. Because the chieftains’ decision was not unanimous among the elders or their sons – a powerful curse was placed upon the hallowed ground: No man would ever find peace there(Moore, 2006). Kingsport is a city located primarily in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States though also located partially in Hawkins County. ... The Holston drainage basin, located within the upper Tennessee drainage basin For other uses of Holston, see Holston (disambiguation). ... Alternate meanings: Cherokee (disambiguation) The Cherokee are a people native to North America who first inhabited what is now the eastern and southeastern United States before most were forcefully moved to the Ozark Plateau. ...

An Indian curse made this sacred island unfit for white man and forever home to the ghosts of Cherokee braves. Their ancient campfires illuminate young warriors dancing in circles, as reported by modern visitors to the island. But white men should beware. The curse says that no white man will ever find peace on the island. Since 1777, when the Indians gave up the island, it has been home to violence, bootlegging, larceny, and murder. Until the early 1990s there was a community of over 500 houses - 300+ of which were bootleggers - and over 2,000 residents in the tiny community. Police were mystified by the extremely high level of crime that took place there before Eastman bought out the people for their property. There are only a handful of houses on the island now and about half of Long Island now contains a park administered by the City of Kingsport. The other half of the island--ironically--is the home of a waste treatment plant owned by Tennessee Eastman Chemical Company. Indeed, even if they could, no one would want to live there. Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE: EMN) is a large supplier of industrial chemicals, whose main manufacturing facility is located on Long Island in the Holston River in Kingsport, Tennessee. ...

A Brief Timeline by Patricia Bernard Ezzell, Tennessee Valley Authority

Described as the most historic, yet little known, site in East Tennessee, Long Island played a significant role in the state's early history. Situated on the outskirts of present-day Kingsport on the Holston River, the island was located on the route of the "Great Indian Warrior Path," a historic route traveled by the Cherokees, early traders and settlers, and later by wagon and stagecoach passengers. Located midway on the trail, Long Island emerged as a neutral area for settling tribal disputes. East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the state of Tennessee. ... Kingsport is a city located in Sullivan County, Tennessee. ... The Holston drainage basin, located within the upper Tennessee drainage basin For other uses of Holston, see Holston (disambiguation). ...

Whites coveted the ground that Native Americans held sacred.William Cocke claimed to have bought the island when he purchased "corn rights," and, without a legal claim, he sold it to Samuel Woods in 1776. The Cherokee claim to Long Island was strengthened by the Long Island of the Holston Treaty (1777). In 1792 Samuel Woods's daughters inherited Long Island, but they made no attempts to occupy the land until 1810, after the Cherokees had ceded the island in the Dearborn Treaty (1806). Richard and Margaret Woods Netherland accepted ownership of the site in the early nineteenth century and laid plans for their 814-acre plantation. The island supported agriculture until the mid-1920s, including the financially successful Leeper Dairy Farm. William Cocke William Cocke (September 6, 1747–August 22, 1828) was an American lawyer, pioneer, and statesman. ... Sam Woods (10 May 1846 - 23 November 1915) was a British trade unionist and politician. ...

In 1925 the Leeper family subdivided the area south of Horse Creek Road (the main thoroughfare) and named the area Long Island Gardens. The community, situated across the river from the Tennessee Eastman Company, was solidly working class. Grocery stores, barber shops, dry cleaners, restaurants, churches, and an elementary school were located within convenient walking distance. The school and the "Big Field," a large open field, became the community center. Long Island grew at an astounding rate, reaching its peak between 1955 and 1963, with 517 residences and approximately 1,800 people. Although many upstanding citizens lived on Long Island, the neighborhood acquired a local reputation for violence and bootlegging.

After the mid-1960s Long Island experienced a gradual decline due to several factors. In 1967 the Holston River Bridge, which connected the island's main street to the Tennessee Eastman Company site and to Kingsport, collapsed and was not rebuilt. At the same time, the community's young adults left for other areas, followed by some older residents who moved to newer homes. Many of the latter migrants kept their island homes as rental property. Finally, the island acquired a more industrial appearance, and today a coal gasification plant stands on the site of Big Field and the old elementary school. Over the course of its history, Long Island demonstrates, in microcosm, the successive development of many areas of Tennessee, from Native American use to disputed territory to agriculture to urban and industrial development.

Ghost Stories

Over the years, Long Island has been the scene of a number of violent murders, including that horrifying day in 1925 when a fugitive named Kinnie Wagner gunned down a number of law enforcement officers who had come to arrest him. Long Island is even considered haunted. Tales are told an apparition who roams is island, armed with a long knife, who attacks couples who go there at night to be alone.

One of best known stories occurred during the 1940s when a young man took his girlfriend onto the island for some private time. The young man's father got wind of this, and decided to put a stop to the hanky-panky. When he arrived on the island, he became very violent and insane, and murdered his son and the girl. This insane man (or his spirit) is said to still walk to island at night, searching for other victims.

Other paranormal activity associated with the island and the Holston are images of long dead Native Americans wandering the land. It's said that at night, you can see ghostly campfires surrounded by Natives performing rituals. Others have heard ghostly noises in the area, or even seen canoes drifting down the river. It's as if a snapshot of time was somehow captured on the island and the river surrounding it, forever preserving the scenes which were once common place in the area.

Being driven insane on the island is said to be more common when the moon is full, so it's probably wise to avoid the island during that time. Perhaps it's better to avoid the island altogether, as you might do something you'll live to regret!

References

• Williams, "Fort Robinson on the Holston," East Tennessee Historical Society Publications, no.4 (1932)
• Samuel C. Williams, Dawn of Tennessee Valley and Tennessee History (Johnson City, 1937)
• Williams, Tennessee During the Revolutionary War (Nashville, 1944)
• Long, Howard. Kingsport: A Romance of Industry. Overmountain Press (October 1993)
• Wolfe, Margaret Ripley. Kingsport Tennessee: A Planned American City. University Press of Kentucky (November 1987)
• Moore, J.S. Understanding Apples. Outskirts Press (October 2006)