W. B. Greene Sr. Papers, c. 1925-2004
INTRODUCTION:
Title: W.B. Greene Sr. Papers, c. 1925-2004.
Collection Number: Kingsport Community Manuscript Collection (KCMC) 33
Physical Description: 3 records center boxes and 1 oversized box, 3.7 cubic feet
Creator: William B. Greene, Sr.
Repository: Archives of the City of Kingsport
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Provenance: The W.B. Greene Sr. Papers were donated by Valerie G. Ketron, June 2, 2004.
Restrictions:
There are some restrictions on use of this collection for research purposes. The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Processed by: Jeff A. Jenson processed the collection and developed the finding aid in January 2006. Kari Roueche reprocessed the collection, revised the title, and updated the finding aid in 2013.
COLLECTION CITATION:
This collection should be cited as:
W.B. Greene Sr. Papers, c. 1925-2004. KC Manuscript Collection 33, Archives of the City of Kingsport, Tennessee.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE:
William Burton (W.B) Greene, Sr. was born in Bakersville, North Carolina on 12 June 1902. He attended public schools in North Carolina while working part-time on area farms and at a Bakersville bank. Following graduation, Greene taught for a year before entering Cumberland University where he earned a Law Degree and Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1925. Greene married Irene Edwards two years later. The couple eventually had two children: Valerie (Ketron) and William Burton, Jr. During the early years of his marriage, Greene worked as an attorney in Asheville, North Carolina. His career changed in 1931 when he moved to Detroit, Michigan and began managing the bond department of Pierce, Fenner, Bean & Smith. Two years later, Greene was in Winston-Salem, North Carolina opening the first southern branch of same firm which had become Merrill Lynch.
At the request of Kingsport’s J. Fred Johnson, Greene moved to Kingsport in 1940 and started his retail hardware, furniture, and clothing store on Center Street in the city’s downtown. Greene was active in Kingsport’s business community for decades through his hardware store, development of the Parkway Plaza Shopping Center, and commitment to local organizations. However, Greene loved the banking industry and remained active in a number of banks in North Carolina and throughout Tennessee.
William Burton Greene, Sr. died at 85 years of age on 10 November 1987.
SCOPE AND CONTENT:
The William B. Greene and family collection consists of a variety of materials concerning the Greene family’s interests in banking and business in the Kingsport and Tri-Cities-area of Tennessee. The nature of these materials include receipts, pay stubs, correspondence, blue prints, newspaper clippings, minutes, deeds, and other legal documents.
SUBJECTS
William Burton Greene Sr.
Greene Investment Company, Inc.
W.B. Greene Company Inc.
Kingsport (Tenn.)
Series Descriptions:
Series I, Banking Interests, 1937-1992, Boxes 1-2
Materials showing the Greene family’s interest in banking are diverse. The three main banks represented are the Northwestern Bank, Carter County Bank, and the Bank of Tennessee although other organizations and holding companies are included. Documents such as bonds, stocks, financial statements, newspaper clippings, reports comprise the majority of these items.
Series II, Greene Family Information, c. 1925-2001, Box 3
Although this series dates to the mid-1920s, most materials were created between the late 1950s and the 1970s. The bulk of these documents are correspondence and clippings. Family members included consist primarily of W.B. Greene, Sr. W.B. Greene, Jr., Chip Ketron, and G.W. Greene. There are a few photographs of W.B. Greene Sr. and G.W. Greene along with biographical material concerning W.B. Greene, Sr. and Jr.
Series III, Parkway Plaza Shopping Center and Linked Properties, 1940-2001, Boxes 4-5
This set of materials generally deals with W.B. Greene Sr. and his venture to purchase land, build a facility, and rent spaces in the ParkwayPlazaShopping Center in the early to mid-1960s. There are a variety of materials including blueprints, invoices, clippings, photographs of stores and aerial shots of the property. Included in this series are clippings, correspondence, and minutes of the Parkway Plaza Merchants’ Association. Along with the shopping center, Greene sold an adjacent parcel of property to Holiday Inns of America. As a result, there are blueprints, clippings, and some correspondence concerning this transaction.
Series IV, W.B. Greene Companies, 1938-2004, Boxes 6-10
W.B. Greene Sr. operated a variety of companies and businesses during his professional career that were somewhat separate from his banking interests. This series includes information on the following ventures: General Hardware and Electric Company, Greene Hardware and Supply Co., Inc, E-Z Park Parking, W.B. Greene Company, Inc., and the Greene Investment Corporation. Materials include photographs, minutes, incorporation documents, deeds, receipts/invoices, clippings, Kingsport promotional materials from the 1950s, and published articles on Greene’s ventures in hardware.
BOX AND FOLDER LIST
Series I, Banking Interests, 1937-1992, 1-2
Box 1
1. BancTenn Corp., Annual Reports, 1987-1992
2. Bank of Tennessee, Correspondence and Miscellaneous, 1973-1982
3. Bank of Tennessee, Kingsport Building, 1973
4. Carter County Bank, Reports, 1975-1989
5. Carter County Bank Shares Acquisition by United Tennessee BancShares Corporation, March 1971
6. First National Bank of Kingsport Stocks, 1967-1969
7. First Peoples Bank, Stocks, 1965-1970
8. Kingsport City Bonds, 1965-1966
9. Miscellaneous Financial Information, 1969-1984
10. Nashville City Bank and Trust Company, 1979-1980
Box 2
1. North Carolina State Bonds, 1966
2. Northwestern Bank and Financial Corporation, Annual Reports, 1967-1969
3. Northwestern Bank Capital Stocks, 1937-1956
4. Northwestern Bank Financial Statement, 1961-1972
5. State Bank Organization, forms and correspondence, July 1973
6. Stock Holders, Banks, 1963, 1967, and undated
7. Tennessee Financial Corporation, Balance Sheet, 2 April 1969
8. Tennessee Financial Corporation, Stock and Loan,1968-1979
9. Tennessee State Bonds, 1973-1974
10. United Tennessee Bankshares Corp., Agreement to Exchange Stock, 1966-71
2 oversized folders in box 11
Series II, Greene Family Information, c. 1925-2001, 3
Box 3
1. Biographies, W. B. Greene, Sr., undated
2. City of Kingsport, 1951 and 1959-1960
3. Correspondence, Bill Greene, Jr. and Family, 1957-1960
4. Correspondence, W. B. Greene, Incoming and Outgoing, 1938-1964
5. European Travel, 1955-1958
6. G. W. Greene Estate Papers, 1957-1958
7. W. B. Greene, Sr. awards, 1975 and undated
8. W. B. Greene, obituary and memorial cards, November 1987
9. Newspaper clippings, 1964, 1983, and undated
10. Hoover Day in Dixie, program, 1979
11. Personal Photographs and mementos, c. 1940s and 1950s
12. Louis G. Reece vs George Walker Marthens, Decree, 14 December 1963
13. Ridgefields Property Sale (lot 14, block 21, district 12), 1957-1979
14. Wake Forest, correspondence, 1960-1961
4 oversized folders in box 11
Series III, Parkway Plaza Shopping Center and Linked Properties, 1940-2001, 4-5
Box 4
1. Bills Paid, Parkway Plaza, 1961
2. Building Plans, Parkway Plaza, 1962
3. Deeds, materials related to Parkway Plaza, 1958-1968
4. Electrical wiring with blueprints, Parkway Plaza, 1961
5. Heating and air conditioning, Parkway Plaza, 1960-1963
6. Lease agreements, deeds, and miscellaneous, 1961-1962 and 1977
7. Loan, Wilson, Worley, and Gamble, Parkway Plaza, 1962
Box 5
1. Parkway Plaza Merchants Association, Advertising, 1961-1963
2. Parkway Plaza Merchants Association, Financial Statements, 1961-1967
3. Parkway Plaza Merchants Association, Financial Statements, 1967-1968
4. Parkway Plaza Merchants Association, minutes, 1962-1967
5. Photographs and negatives, Parkway Plaza, 1960-1962 and undated
6. Property deeds, Parkway Plaza, 1957-1986
7. Sale, Parkway Plaza, 2001
8. Specifications, Parkway Plaza, 1 June 1961
1 oversized folder in box 11
Series IV, W.B. Greene Companies, 1938-2004, 6-10
Box 6
1. City of Kingsport vs Howard Johnson of Kingsport, Inc., exhibits, 1-9, 1957-1960
2. Deeds, Kingsport block 46, lots 17-22, 1946-1960
3. Deeds, Kingsport block 46, lots 26-27, 1952-1972
4. Deeds, Kingsport block 46, lots 32-33, 1959-1961
5. Deeds, Kingsport block 46, lots 18-20 with map and miscellaneous Blountville deeds, 1959-1962
6. Employee paychecks, cancelled checks, 1962 (Restricted)
7. E-Z Park Parking, financial booklet, 1961-1962
8. General Hardware and Electric Co., incorporation documents, minutes, 1939-1940 and W. B. Greene Co., Inc., incorporation documents, October 1940-1949
9. Greene Hardware & Supply Co., minutes, 1962-1969
10. Greene Hardware & Supply Co., minutes, 1970-1973 and November 1975
Box 7
1. Greene Hardware & Supplu Co., stock certificates, 6 October 1948
2. Greene Hardware & Supply Co., Inc., supply catalog, 1957
3. Greene Hardware & Supply & W. B. Greene Co., merger, December 1973
4. Greene Investment Corp., financial statements, 1978-1983
5. Greene Investment Corporation, minutes, by-laws, and certificates, 1956-1969
Box 8
1. Greene Investment Corporation, minutes, June –July 1961, 1970-1978, and October 1983
2. Greene Investment Corporation, minutes, 1979-January 2004
3. Holiday Inns of America, correspondence and documents, 1958-1961
4. Invoices, J. E. Greene Company and various companies, August 1961
5. Invoices, various companies, September-November 1961
6. Invoices, various companies, 1945-1946
7. Invoices, various companies, 1945-1948
Box 9
1. J. E. Greene Company, invoices, October 1961
2. J. E. Greene Company, invoices, September 1961
3. J. E. Greene Co., invoices, November-December 1961
4. J. E. Greene Company, invoices, 1961-1965
5. Kingsport Bonds, prospectus and correspondence, 1965
6. Ledger Records, miscellaneous, 1945-1966
7. P. C. Cooper Construction Company, 1961
8. Receipts, miscellaneous, 1941-1958
9. Louise G. Reece and George Walker Marthens to William B. Greene, options, 1963-1966
Box 10
1. W. B. Greene Co., articles in Southern Hardware and The Sporting Goods Dealer, October 1944, April 1946, and August 1954
2. W. B. Greene, cancelled checks, 1985-1987
3. W. B. Greene Company, Inc., customer service, 1958
4. W. B. Greene Co., financial statements, 1977-1982
5. W. B. Greene Co. Inc., minutes, 1950-1955
6. W. B. Greene Company, Inc., miscellaneous, undated
7. W. B. Greene Company, Inc., state charter, 1942-1946
8. W. B. Greene Store, photographs, 1951 and undated
3 oversized folders in box 11
Box 11, oversized
1. Banks, clippings (Series I), 1964-1974
2. Ledger, various banks (Series I), 1961-1963
3. Chip Ketron (W. B. Greene’s grandson), clippings (Series II), 1978
4. W. B. Greene, Jr., clippings (Series II), 1966-2001
5. W. B. Greene, Sr., accomplishments (Series II), 1957-1997
6. Ridgefields Property Map (Series II), undated
7. Blue prints, Parkway Plaza (Series III), 1961
8. City of Kingsport vs Howard Johnson of Kingsport, Inc., exhibits 10-12 (Series IV), c. 1958
9. Clippings, includes Parkway Plaza (Series IV), 1940-1974
10. Holiday Inn, clippings (Series IV), July 1959
