BRISTOL 



931 



BRITISH AMERICA 



cally known as Beautiful Bristol. The popula- 

 tion, which is largely American, with a mixture 

 of Italians and Portuguese, increased from 

 8,936 in 1910 to 10,302 in 1915. Bristol is 

 situated on Narragansett Bay, in the eastern 

 part of the state, and in Bristol County, of 

 which it is the county seat. Fall River is 

 twelve miles northeast, Newport is twelve miles 

 south and Providence is fifteen miles north- 

 west. The town was founded in 1680, incor- 

 porated in 1747 and named for the English 

 city of the same name. The area is over nine 

 and one-half square miles. 



An extensive passenger and freight service 

 is carried on between Bristol and Fall River 

 and Providence. Connection with the latter 

 city is by two railway lines, the New York, 

 New Haven & Hartford and a suburban line, 

 passenger trains on both lines being operated 

 by electricity. The town is also served by the 

 New York Steamship Company and by ferry 

 lines. The principal industry is the manu- 

 facture of rubber goods, in which the National 

 India Rubber Company alone employs more 

 than 2,000 people. Here also is located the 

 plant of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Com- 

 pany, which has built a number of noteworthy 

 yachts and torpedo boats. Some of the Herres- 

 hoff racing yachts have successfully defended 

 America's Cup against the world for twenty 

 years. The most notable buildings are the 

 white marble Colt Memorial High School, con- 

 structed in 1911 at a cost of $250,000, and the 

 Federal building, erected in 1876. The school 

 system of the town is its special pride, and its 

 public library contains 12,000 volumes. 



The Narragansett village of Mount Hope, 

 the residence of Massasoit and King Philip, 

 was located within the limits of Bristol, and 

 near here the latter was killed in the Indian 

 War of 1676. Some historians believe that the 

 dwellings of the Northmen, mentioned in the 

 Sagas of Iceland, were built near the present 

 site of Bristol. J.F.F. 



BRISTOL, TENN., and VA., called the BOR- 

 DER CITY, or TWIN CITY, since it is a dual 

 city situated on the state line, partly in Wash- 

 ington County, Va., and partly in Sullivan 

 County, Tenn. The population, composed of 

 seventy per cent American, eighteen per cent 

 negro and twelve per cent German and Greek, 

 increased from 13,395 in 1910 to 14,906 in 1914, 

 and is about equally divided between the two 

 communities. The principal street of the city 

 is the state line, and two separate city govern- 

 ments are necessary. In other respects Bristol 



is one city. Johnson City is twenty-five miles 

 southwest, Knoxville, is 131 miles northeast, 

 and Washington, D. C., is 400 miles, also, 

 northeast. The city is the terminus of five rail- 

 roads which connect with the Norfolk & West- 

 ern, the Southern and the Virginia & South- 

 western railways. 



The valley in which Bristol is located is 

 about 1,700 feet above sea level and is shel- 

 tered by mountains. The section is rich in 

 timber and mineral deposits of coal and iron; 

 consequently it is the headquarters of a num- 

 ber of large companies, the most important of 

 which is the Virginia Iron, Coal and Coke 

 Company. Nearly all the industries are de- 

 pendent on the resources of the surrounding 

 country, manufactures of car wheels, sheet- 

 metal, foundry products, wood-pulp, bricks and 

 tobacco products being the most prominent. 

 The city is also a distributing center for iron, 

 coal and coke. Its buildings of note are a 

 $60,000 Federal building, erected in 1900, with 

 a more recent addition costing $50,000, and a 

 city hall. About $750,000 have been expended 

 on its schools and colleges. King's College 

 (Presbyterian), founded in 1868, the South- 

 west Virginia Institute, Sullins College and 

 two business colleges provide higher and spe- 

 cialized education. The city has a library, a 

 hospital and a number of costly churches. 

 Virginia Park (thirty-five acres) and Anderson 

 Park (two acres) are the recreation grounds. 



Bristol was settled in 1851, and incorporated 

 in 1856. The present town charter was adopted 

 in 1898 and revised in 1901. It was named 

 for the English city of Bristol. Bristol, Tenn., 

 has adopted the commission form of govern- 

 ment, with a mayor and two commissioners. 

 Bristol, Va., is governed by a mayor and 

 council elected every two years. Previous to 

 1890 the latter was known as Goodson. N.B.R. 



BRITISH AMERICA. This phrase is used 

 with somewhat varying meaning. In its nar- 

 row sense it refers to that portion of North 

 America north of the United States which be- 

 longs to Great Britain, and includes Canada 

 and Newfoundland. More broadly, it takes in 

 as well certain other British possessions in 

 North America or close to it, as British Guiana, 

 British Honduras, the Bermuda Islands, the 

 British West Indies and the Falkland Islands. 

 Each of these colonies or possessions is described 

 under its own title in these volumes, while in 

 the article GREAT BRITAIN, subhead Colonial 

 Possessions of Great Britain, is given a list of 

 all the British outlying territories. 



