A long - standing settlement built at the site was chartered as the town of Kingsport in 1822 .
A long - standing settlement built at the site was became an important regional shipping port on the Holston River in the early nineteenth century .
A long - standing settlement built at the site was chartered as the town of Kingsport in 1822 , and became an important regional shipping port on the Holston River in the early nineteenth century .