Little Known Facts about Bristol’s Past Commerce and religion were intertwined when the little town of Bristol celebrated its first Christmas. Joseph R. Anderson, the founder of Bristol, had been a successful merchant in Blountville, so it was no surprise that when he built the town’s first house, it included a room set aside for a general store. The house and store was located on the southwest corner of what is now Martin Luther King Boulevard and State Street. Legend has it that Anderson had his store ready for business by late December, 1853 and the very first customer was a man who lived near present-day East Hill Cemetery. As the story goes, the first customer walked through falling snow on Christmas Eve to trade Anderson some side meat for his children’s Christmas gifts. Anderson’s home was also the location of the first religious services in Bristol. On Christmas Day, 1853, Rev. James King delivered the Christmas story to a congregation consisting mostly of King and Anderson relatives. Also included in the congregation were the slaves owned by the two families. This was considered a magnanimous gesture in those pre-Civil War days. Merry Christmas!!!
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 10:45:51 +0000
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