Preserving our past for our future
An archive of pictures, documents, and stories relating to Bays Mountain Park in Kingsport, Tennessee
Favorite Stories...
How Bays Mountain got its name
Early settlers on the mountain
That time that Ruby Nelms fell off the mountain!
How Hugh Hamblen lived to regret teaching his wife to read and write
Why 14-yr-old John Fincher had to return from Chattanooga alone
Life as a 1953 Fire Tower Lookout on Bays Mountain
Odell Harbour Depew, schoolteacher on Bays Mountain in 1915
Moonshine Stills, including a 1966 series of newspaper articles
Please Donate to BMPA History!
To support this site and other Bays Mountain history-related Features & Programs, please Donate to the BMPA History Committee. All proceeds go towards finding, documenting, and sharing Bays Mountain history!
Learn
Watch a video of the Bays Mountain History presentation that was given for the ‘Friends of the Kingsport Archives’ in early 2024
Recent Updates
Jan 2025 – Since 2024 was a year of researching and clearing sites in Front Hollow, 2025 is the year of Back Hollow! Volunteers have been exploring and (re)discovering sites in that area. They’re also gathering info and stories from someone who grew up hunting and camping in Back Hollow in the 1950s and 60s. More to come…
Fall 2024 – The old Quillen homesite near the western end of Front Hollow has been cleaned up by History Committee volunteers.
Summer 2024 – Historical “daffodil” signs have been placed at the Ledbetter site in Front Hollow and the McClain site on Azalea Trail. Another sign was place at the Moonshine Still on Chinquapin Trail. Also, simple “homesite” signs have been placed at the Ledbetter site, the Gragg site on Lake Rd (west), the McClain site, and the Dolen Shed site on Lake Rd.
Spring 2024 – The History Committee has been busy this past winter exploring, clearing, and documenting old homesites in Front Hollow. If you hike/bike out there you might see 4 sites that were recently cleared, including an earthen dam at the Ledbetter site. Click here to see what they’ve identified!
Sep 2023 – After discovering a 1978 audio cassette interview with John and Ollie Quillen, MANY new facts and stories have been learned and documented!
- The dam cracked and leaked after the first year of construction, requiring the columns/steps (“braces”) to be added in the second year
- The spillway has an odd rock that isn’t aligned with the others. Can you find it? John Quillen told us who did it and why there’s a $100 bounty on that rock!
- About 1 week after the dam was finished and water was filling the reservoir, someone secretly opened the valve, letting the water back out. Who? Why? (Hint: they had a very good/honorable reason!)
Come to our history talks to hear these new stories and more!
Feb 2023
Added an 11-part series of newspaper articles on moonshine from Nov 1966
The BMPA History Committee and park staff have:
- Cleaned up an old homesite with two foundations on Lake Road near Ledbetter Gap
- Established a moonshine still exhibit on Chinquapin Trail
- Installed a history panel at the Bays Mountain Schoolhouse site