Holston Chilhowee Ballfields History

The Holston River is a major river system of southwestern Virginia and East Tennessee. The three major forks of the Holston (North, Middle and South Forks) rise in southwestern Virginia and have their confluence near Kingsport, Tennessee. From there, the river flows roughly southwestward, just north of Bays Mountain, until it reaches its confluence with the French Broad River just east of downtown Knoxville. This confluence is considered to be the headwaters of the Tennessee River.

Although the present day Holston River ends at the French Broad River to form the Tennessee River in Knoxville, the river did not originally end there. Until 1933, the Holston River flowed past Knoxville and continued to its confluence with the Little Tennessee River at Lenoir City 51 miles downstream. At that point, the Tennessee River began.

The river was named after Stephen Holston, who built a cabin on the upper reaches of the river in 1746. Holston Mountain was named after the Holston River.