The Story of Wise County (Virginia)

The Story of Wise County (Virginia) PDF Author: Luther Foster Addington
Publisher: The Overmountain Press
ISBN: 9780932807304
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
Presents the history and lore of Wise County. This volume begins with early exploration by Captain Christopher Gist and Dr Thomas Walker, and concludes with a chapter titled Newspapers and Radio Stations. It includes topics that range from Indians and early settlers to teachers, schools, rail roads, jails and more.

The Story of Wise County (Virginia)

The Story of Wise County (Virginia) PDF Author: Luther Foster Addington
Publisher: The Overmountain Press
ISBN: 9780932807304
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
Presents the history and lore of Wise County. This volume begins with early exploration by Captain Christopher Gist and Dr Thomas Walker, and concludes with a chapter titled Newspapers and Radio Stations. It includes topics that range from Indians and early settlers to teachers, schools, rail roads, jails and more.

A Narrative History of Wise County, Virginia

A Narrative History of Wise County, Virginia PDF Author: Charles A. Johnson
Publisher: The Overmountain Press
ISBN: 9780932807298
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 462

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Book Description
This history is enriched with personal recollections and reminiscences. Its pages are filled with the names of those individuals who settled, or helped in some way to establish the County, as well as those who are remembered for various other reasons. The fifty-four illustrations include Wise County’s commonwealth attorneys, from the first (1856) to the twenty-first (1935).

Contested Borderland

Contested Borderland PDF Author: Brian D. McKnight
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
ISBN: 081314146X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
During the four years of the Civil War, the border between eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia was highly contested territory, alternately occupied by both the Confederacy and the Union. Though this territory was sparsely populated, the geography of the region made it a desirable stronghold for future tactical maneuvers. As the war progressed, the Cumberland Gap quickly became the target of invasion and occupation efforts of both armies, creating a chaos that would strain not only the soldiers but all those who called the area their home. Contested Borderland examines the features of the region's geography and the influence of the attacks on borderlands caught in the crossfire of the Union and Confederate forces. The land surrounding the Kentucky-Virginia border contained valuable natural resources and geographic features considered essential to each army's advancement and proliferation. While the Appalachian Mountains barred travel through large parts of the region, the gaps allowed quick passages through otherwise difficult terrain and thus became hotly contested areas. Brian D. McKnight explores the tensions between the accomplishment of military goals and the maintenance of civilian life in the region. With Kentucky remaining loyal to the Union and Virginia seceding to the Confederacy, populations residing between the two states faced pressure to declare loyalty to one side. Roadside towns found themselves the frequent hosts of soldiers from both sides, while more remote communities became shelters for those wishing to remain uninvolved in the conflict. Instead of committing themselves to either cause, many individuals claimed a neutral stance or feigned dedication to whichever side happened to occupy their land. The dual occupation of the Union and Confederate armies consequentially divided the borderland population, creating hostilities within the region that would persist long after the war's conclusion. Contested Borderland is the first Civil War study exclusively devoted to the border separating eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia. McKnight's unprecedented geographical analysis of military tactics and civilian involvement provides a new and valuable dimension to the story of a region facing the turmoil of war.

Daniel Matheny: Maverick Tailor from Virginia, 1829 - 1876

Daniel Matheny: Maverick Tailor from Virginia, 1829 - 1876 PDF Author: Nancy Bronte Matheny
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1365303977
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
Daniel Matheny, son of William Matheney, was born in 1829 in White Rock Gap, Alleghany County, Virginia. He married Salina Henry in 1844 in Gallia County, Ohio.

Natural Tunnel

Natural Tunnel PDF Author: Tony Scales
Publisher: The Overmountain Press
ISBN: 9781570722875
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
Presents the story of the Natural Tunnel in Scott County, Virginia. This work includes images and accounts that span from its geological beginnings to its role as a premier state park.

Never Seen the Moon

Never Seen the Moon PDF Author: Sharon Hatfield
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
ISBN: 0252099184
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 437

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Book Description
Never Seen the Moon carefully yet lucidly recreates a young woman's wild ride through the American legal system. In 1935, free-spirited young teacher Edith Maxwell and her mother were indicted for murdering Edith's conservative and domineering father, Trigg, late one July night in their Wise County, Virginia, home. Edith claimed her father had tried to whip her for staying out late. She said that she had defended herself by striking back with a high-heeled shoe, thus earning herself the sobriquet "slipper slayer." Immediately granted celebrity status by the powerful Hearst press, Maxwell was also championed as a martyr by advocates of women's causes. National news magazines and even detective magazines picked up her story, Warner Brothers created a screen version, and Eleanor Roosevelt helped secure her early release from prison. Sharon Hatfield's brilliant telling of this true-crime story transforms a dusty piece of history into a vibrant thriller. Throughout the narrative, she discusses yellow journalism, the inequities of the jury system, class and gender tensions in a developing region, and a woman's right to defend herself from family violence.

Dickenson County

Dickenson County PDF Author: Victoria L. Osborne
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 9780738544007
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
Dickenson County was formed in 1880 from parts of Wise, Russell, and Buchanan Counties. The county was named for William J. Dickenson, a legislator from Russell County who sponsored the bill in the House of Delegates that established it as the 100th county in Virginia. Dickenson has since been referred to as Virginia's baby county. Daniel Boone may have been the first white man to see the area. In 1767, he and two others traveled northward from the Yadkin River in North Carolina and reached the headwaters of the West (later called Russell) Fork of the Big Sandy River. Dickenson has one of the largest underground stores of coal in the world, with coal and lumber providing the majority of jobs for the region. The county is home to bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, who is from Clintwood and was raised on Sandy Ridge. The county was home to "Ironman" Claude Fuller, who played baseball for the New York Yankees. The county is famous for the "Petticoat Government," an all-women town council and a mayor that received national attention. One of the most tragic mining accidents occurred in Dickenson County in 1932 when an explosion at Splashdam Mine killed 10 men.

Melungeons

Melungeons PDF Author: Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman
Publisher: Mercer University Press
ISBN: 9780865548619
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
Most of us probably think of America as being settled by British, Protestant colonists who fought the Indians, tamed the wilderness, and brought "democracy"-or at least a representative republic-to North America. To the contrary, Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman's research indicates the earliest settlers were of Mediterranean extraction, and of a Jewish or Muslim religious persuasion. Sometimes called "Melungeons," these early settlers were among the earliest nonnative "Americans" to live in the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. For fear of discrimination-since Muslims, Jews, "Indians," and other "persons of color" were often disenfranchised and abused-the Melungeons were reticent regarding their heritage. In fact, over time, many of the Melungeons themselves "forgot" where they came from. Hence, today, the Melungeons remain the "last lost tribe in America," even to themselves. Yet, Hirschman, supported by DNA testing, genealogies, and a variety of historical documents, suggests that the Melungeons included such notable early Americans as Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Andrew Jackson. Once lost, but now, forgotten no more.

Southwest Virginia's Railroad

Southwest Virginia's Railroad PDF Author: Kenneth W. Noe
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
ISBN: 0817350640
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
A close study of one region of Appalachia that experienced economic vitality and strong sectionalism before the Civil War This book examines the construction of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad through southwest Virginia in the 1850s, before the Civil War began. The building and operation of the railroad reoriented the economy of the region toward staple crops and slave labor. Thus, during the secession crisis, southwest Virginia broke with northwestern Virginia and embraced the Confederacy. Ironically, however, it was the railroad that brought waves of Union raiders to the area during the war

Chords and Stories

Chords and Stories PDF Author: Ron Swindall
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1532023928
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 309

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Book Description
Ron Swindall looks back at a life spent teaching, coaching, playing music, and enjoying the great outdoors. An ordinary guy from Indian Creek, near the little town of Pound, Virginia, he says there is no better place for him to call home. It was a small town, and he made lifelong friends there. Most of his life has been spent in or around Wise County, Virginia, either in Pound, Norton, Wise, or Powell Valley near Big Stone Gap. Hes been fortunate to enjoy a successful marriage, and he and his wife have three children. Together, they enjoy fishing, camping, and spending time outdoorsand he doesnt regret a single day. In his memoir, he traces his family ancestry as well as the history of the area his family has called home. He also looks back at his thirty-seven year tenure as a teacher with the Wise County, Virginia, school system. He makes the case that we must all maintain and support the public education system, which will help us move toward a brighter future, and shares lessons learned over a well-spent life in Chords and Stories.