King mansion is one of Bristol's lost landmarks

It is surprising how many Bristolians do not know about the great King Spring that freely flows into a large pool near DeFriece Park in Bristol, Tenn.
Indeed, the flow is so great that it once served as a water supply for the city of Bristol, Tenn.
Fewer still remember or have ever heard of the grand house that stood on the hill above it.
That house had two names, one of which was King Spring. The other was Oakland. The latter name seems to be used most. Thus came the name for the street that runs by the site today.
To have the entire story, we will go back to March 2, 1823 when John Goodson King was born.
He was the youngest son and child of the family of the noted Rev. James King and his wife, Mourning Micajah King. He was born in the old King house located at what is now numbered 54 King St. in Bristol, Va., (two original rooms of that house still remain in the present Mitchell home that occupies the site).
John grew up there and received part of his education from the private tutor employed by the Rev. King. I have been told that he also attended Washington College, although I do not have proof of this.
John G. King was never fond of farming, so rather early he engaged in speculation. Mostly, he bought and sold livestock. During the Civil War, he bought and sold numerous hogs on foot for the Confederate government. Then, he set up a slaughter works near present Weaver Pike and perhaps half a mile from King Spring.
There he processed and sold pork by the barrel as food for the Confederate soldiers. This led to that area being called “Hog Town” and such works were carried on there until well into the memory of some older Bristolians.
When John G. King finally married, he married well. His bride was Harriett Samuel Woods Netherland of the noted family of Netherland Inn fame in Kingsport, Tenn. Samuel Woods was an ancestor, thus came the name used for the daughter Harriett.
Soon after this marriage, John built a brick home near the end of 5th Street extension. It was a good house but was never grand enough to suit his rather aristocratic taste. This taste became more intense when he made a trip to visit his sister and family who then lived on a fine plantation known as Strawberry Point in Monroe County, Miss.
While there, his brother-in-law, Col. John G. English, took him on a tour of the surrounding area and also Aberdeen, the county seat of Monroe County. Many fine homes existed in this locality. He saw a fine house known as Greenland (it no longer stands).
He chose it as a model for the home he would build in Bristol near King Spring.
There was a little delay, but by the mid 1860s, John’s fine home graced the hill behind King Spring. One advantage of his new home was that it was visible from the nearby railroad.
Doubtless, it did impress many people traveling on the passenger trains during the period in which it stood.
Malinda King Owen, his daughter (1857-1944) who grew up in this house, remembered how proud her mother was of this plantation-style mansion and how she delighted to entertain there.
Col. John G. English wrote of dining there and ended his statement by writing “… elegant, very impressive.”
But Mrs. King was not long to enjoy her fine home. She died there May 21, 1882. John G. King, beset by numerous financial woes and increasing health problems, lived on there a sad and depressed man. He died there on Aug. 24, 1887.
He and his wife are buried in Section 1 C of historic East Hill Cemetery.
It is known that the Thomas Preston family occupied the mansion in the early 1900s. Then it became the property of Bruce Bushong.
At one point, Bushong tried to sell it by publishing and distributing a leaflet that contained a picture of the house and part of this paper promoted it as a great opportunity to own a true Southern-style mansion. His efforts failed.
One night in about 1930, Bushong walked up to town to see a movie.
When he returned late that night, he had no home. It had burned during his absence.
Thus, Bristol lost one of her grandest landmarks.

BUD PHILLIPS is a local historian and author. He can be reached at (276) 466-6435. For more about Bristol’s history, visit www.bristolhistoricalassociation.com.