A new and comprehensive gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia, Part 61

Author: Martin, Joseph. ed. cn; Brockenbrough, William Henry
Publication date: 1835
Publisher: Charlottesville, J. Martin
Number of Pages: 1278

USA > Washington DC > Washington DC > A new and comprehensive gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia > Part 61
USA > Virginia > A new and comprehensive gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia > Part 61

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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WESTERN VIRGINIA-SMYTH.

-5 coaches, $10 00 -- 5 carryalls, $5 00-1 gig, 50 cts. Total, $989 04. No report of school commissioners for 1832. Expended in educating poor children in 1833, $220 26,

TOWNS, VILLAGES, POST OFFICES, &c.

MARION P. V. and county seat, [ley and the North Fork of the Hol- was located two years since. The im- ston, having its greatest length from provements have rapidly progressed. A handsome court house, clerk's of- fice, and jail, have been erected, 10 the northeast to the southwest, bound- ed on the eastern side by conical peaks and ridges which are appen- or 12 neat dwelling houses have been dages of Walker's mountain: and on the western side by conical . peaks and highland intervening between it and the North fork of the Holston ri- ver, which washes their bases for many miles. This branch of the Holston is declared a public highway, but has many obstructions, which it is be- lieved could be removed by expend- ture of $6,000, so as to be suitable for batteaux and flat boats, from Saltville, to its mouth at Kingsport, a distance of 65 miles by water.

completed and several others are in progress of erection, 2 mercantile stores have been established, and 2 others are about going into operation. One cotton manufactory on a small scale, and various mechanical pur- suits are carried on ; the principal of which are bricklaying, stone ma- sonry. house carpentry, tailoring, saddlery, and blacksmithing. Popu- lation about 100 persons; of whom 3 are resident attorneys, and 2 regu- Jar physicians.

County Courts are held on the Thursday after the third Monday in to which for convenience of timber every month; Quarterly in Febru- and fuel the water is conveyed, about ary, May, July and October.

JUDGE ESTILL holds his Circuit in wooden tubes. On the opposite Superior Court of Law and Chance- ry on the Monday after the fourth Monday in April and September.

SALTVILLE, P. O. This settle- ment derives its name from the justly celebrated Saltworks of Preston and King. Preston's well being located in Smyth, and King's in Washing- ton county. They are not more than forty feet apart, the line dividing the two counties running between the wells. The following topographical, geological and general remarks res. pecting them, and the surrounding "country, are taken from an article published in the Abingdon Republi- can.

"The present point of manufactur- ing salt is on the bank of the river, two miles, in a northwardly course,

bank of the river lies Little mnoun- tain, an appendage of Clinch moun- tain, which is parallel and continuous PLEASANT HILL, P. O. 269 ms. from R. and 344 S. W. by W. of W. with that mountain for hundreds of miles, and between which, lies a nar- row stoney valley, commonly called the Poor Valley. The numerous streams having their source in the- Clinch mountain, pass through the breaks of Little mountain into the North Fork, along its course. 'l'o the northwest of Clinch mountain, and parallel with it, lie Copper Ridge, Powel's mountain, Cumberland moun- tains, and the Log mountains, having narrow valleys; and the rivers Clinch, Powel's and Cumberland, and their waters, interspersing, beautifying and enriching, these inviting, but for the "The place called Saltville, is situ- present, neglected regions. Beyond ated in a narrow plain of about 700 Log mountains and the adjacent acres of land, between the Rich Val-fridges in Kentucky, lie streams

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emptying into the Ohio; on one of extremities. With amazement still which is the Goose Creek Salt Manu- factory, about 150 miles from Salt- ville.

"Viewing the country from Salt- ville, towards the south of Walker's mountain, fine valleys and fertile ridges are passed before you reach the middle and south fork of Holston river, and thence towards the south- west; passing many tributaries, you cross the Watauga, French Broad, Nolachucky, and the hundred streams rising in this mountain district, and winding their way westward, to form the broad and beautiful Tennessee both discomfitted, glanced: each tak- river; whilst those running from the ing its own path south wardly, leaving their cast away remnants piled fear- of fully "Ossa upon Pelion, and Pelion upon Ossa," rolling confusedly into

same quarter eastwardly, compose the bold and restless waters the Great Kanawha,-all adding utility and beauty ; either to the thousands of rude shapes, But in valleys bordering on the large rivers, this field of old warring elements are or the irregular but level depressions every where, as you would also per- ceive, evidences presented, that the principle of order has been passing called coves, hemmed in all around except a single passway; which sometimes exhibits a cataract in its and nestling, has changed and given little stream.

" East of the New River waters, the Alleghany mountain directs the streams to the Atlantic, and at some the uptorn hills became verdant, and points you might stand with one foot in the waters of the Atlantic, the other in those which wend their weary way to the hot Mexican gulph, and the great mart for the effective indus- try of the millions of people which the valley of the Mississippi, is invit- ing from other extremes to those parts. Standing at such a point, your admira- tion would be excited, that amidst such a' boundless view of masses beyond masses, of high parallel and irregu- Jar mountains, the rivers should all will be enjoyed ? Why do the in- find their way to their destinations, without falls or other impediments to navigation, which the skill and ener- gies of man, at trifling expense, may not remove; thus adding vigor to the giant heart, the Estuary of our thou- sand rivers, which is to receive, com- mercially cherish and return, as it . were, the vitalized fluids to all the

heightened, would you behold from the great White Top, (the neutral ground of North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee,) the Spinal Allegha. ny and the Blue Ridge, with its gra- nite cliffs and basaltic rocks, running diagonally athwart each other, and as if in the formative day of their crea- tion, each of these huge columns of uplifted matter had been shot forward from the north and northeast; and neither having the advantage of force over the other, a contest terrible com- menced, in which the champions

new capacities; striking the waste "rocks with the rod," millions of springs of purest water gushed forth ; all the glories of redundant vegeta- tion do more than honor to the silent mountains; thousands of choicest animals browse and revel on the spon- taneous herbage; and man invited last, has made his home in these high places ; and being far removed from the great commercial haunts of luxu- ry and vice, hope may long rest in security, that here at least, some share -- a large share of health, hap- piness, independence and freedom habitants of these regions, so bounte- ously fitted for their use, desert them for Eldorado's in the great and labor- ing and slave holding and money grasping west ? Too many have quit, have left their mountains,-but the day of return is commencing in our favor; it was not so with those who listened to the song of William

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ties of Green, Washington, Sullivan, Campbell, Claiborne, Anderson; Knox, Rhea, Hamilton in Tennessee; Harlan, Ky., Ash, Buncomb, Ruth- erford and other counties of North Carolina, and Monroe, Giles, Mont- gomery, Floyd, Grayson, Preston, Wythe and other counties in Vir- ginia abound in exhaustless quanti- ties of iron, and many of those coun. ties have quarries of various sorts of beaming; the stranger's eye will be stone coal and innumerable seats for water power.

'Tell; for deeds of arms when neces-|high, like cliffs of rock. The coun- sity calls; or for hearth-talks 'in pip- ing times of peace,' there is no 'place like a home in the mountains and in the valleys.' You have no doubt seen the surprise of strangers on the highway, when reaching in some parts of this country (as Burk's gar- den with its ten thousand elevated level acres) the first view of valleys below, in foggy mornings; whilst on the mountain the sun is brilliantly

arrested with what he supposes is a broad and lengthened lake below. "In Grayson and Wythe are large bodies of rich copper ore, not yet The deception is perfect, the very waves are seen rolling and tempest fully tested, and in the latter county, tossed, nor will the appearance of islands and of trees breaking through

lead ore of the best quality, worked by Col. James White and Alexander the mist as it evaporates, nor the Pierce,-what amount of lead could sounds of ploughmen, the screaking of iron works, or the monotonous beat of the forge hammer, issuing from the gulph below (till then un- heard of,) dispel the optical illusion, -the rolling mist must be disper- sed before he can believe the decep- tion.

. "Let the James River improve- ments have an arm extended towards the Tennessee, and the latter be im- proved with that spirit which has characterized Tennessee for the last twelve months; or let a Macadam road be constructed through the natu- ral depression of all the mountains, from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, and it requires "only the slightest and in Russell county are quarries of knowledge of things, to be convinced,

"Preston's Saltville land contains a description of millstones, easily quarried, which are equal to the best French burr stones for flour mills ; and at various points in the vicinity, varions marbles. In the valleys, that in internal resources no part of buried in the soil, are innumerable the union can vie with this, especially rounded sandstone rocks, some of in minerals. Preston's salt-works which are flinty, others of marly in- are in Smyth county, and King's in gredients, and many such loose Washington, and the same counties stones occupy the shoaly beds of the streams; but the channels of : all streams are chiefly bedded by lime- Istone, mica, sandstone, and slaty for- mations, whose lamella or divisions abound in immense banks of iron ore, In the adjoining county of Car- ter, are above twenty iron making es 'tablishments now in operation, some of which are small bloomeries, and are seldom horizontal, until you ar- in some places solid masses of ore, rive at the level of the great western containing seventy-five per cent of rivers. You may here find ledges metal, are exposed thirty or forty feet of rocks extending hundreds of miles

be made is unknown, as the ore bank seems inexhaustible, and coal in abundance, as near as Graham's forge and iron furnace. The capaci- ty of the soil to produce. different [sorts of timber after the first. is cut off is very remarkable in this coun: try-those acquainted with the soil and first growth of timber can fore- tell what will be the second and third growth on land once cultivated or on new land.

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10 10010

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in a perpendicular posture, occasion- ally broken where ridges transverse each other; but in the general these ledges are either massive and of wav- ing configuration and striated irregu- larly, or are inclined at angles whose medium may be 45 degrees of the horizon, and it would seem, that they had perpetually sought to reach that angle, notwithstanding such promi- nent failures so to do. The declin- ing direction is continuous through the body of the hills and ridges generally, and the upper plane is facing the south, as far as parallelism with the general course of the ridges will permit; and in consequence of this southern exposure of the planes of the rocks in all the mountains west of the Alleghany to the verge of those mountains east of the Mis- sissippi, chemical nature has not the same variety of surface to work upon, that it has where the upward direc- tion of the rocks expose their edges, on the northwardly side of the ridges; and as might be expected, the south- ern faces are comparatively barren, whilst the opposite side is rich and productive; and such differences are observable even on the south side, where deep ravines expose the broken ends of rocks one side, and their rather plane surface on the other. This conformation holds immense quantities of water and pours it forth even on the, pinnacles of the highest hills, decomposing the ground by winter freezes and summer drought, and adding fertility even to the rocks; the timber growing to enormous sizes, by passing its roots into the in- terstices of rocks. The region of North Carolina and Tennessee, in

The lead, iron and salt minerals are found in, or bedded upon limestone, slate and other rocks of the transi- tion kind, while stone coal and gyp- sum and sandstone are evidently all of a much later formaton, as they do not run under, but stop short, on reaching masses of primitive and transition rocks. The great upper body of the Clinch and Cumberland mountains, and their appending chains are chiefly formed of strata and irregular masses of sandstone, which is undergoing great changes, decomposing in some parts and in- creasing and hardening in others ; much of the limestone composing the basis of these mountains is a very coarse and impure carbonate. The multitude of sulphur and chalybeate, hot and cold springs, and their vari- ous medicinal qualities in Bath, Mon- roe, Buncomb and other places that deserve to have celebrity for their waters, exhibit astonishing chemical changes yet going on far below the earth's surface. After passing west- wardly, beyond the verge of these broken ranges, you perceive great uniformity and order in the confor- mations of rocks and soils. The rivers and creeks are based with good limestone, lammellated horizontally, and having fissures at unequal dis- tances, extending perpendicularly to great depths. Commencing at the surface, there will be found rich, loamy soils, and clays, often mixed with gravel or sandstone to the depth of six or ten feet, then limestone as described, next a white coarse lime- stone four to eight feet, in one, two, or three strata, next limestone of thicker layers, sometimes fifty feet ; which gold is found, about 60 to 100 then a layer of gray, blue, or black miles from Saltville, borders on the flint, three to six feet ; next blue brit- tled limestone all fissured and lam -. mellar, then slate of a dark brittle kind, horizontal and of considerable depth, containing brilliant yellow, primitive granite and basaltic walls that rise under the Blue Ridge, and are rarely exposed on its western face; and in Virginia, the copper mines of Grayson and Wythe are not joval lumps of sulphur and iron, be- remote from similar constructions. low which are layers of hard, flinty, 58

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dark rocks, with occasional layers ofjexhaustible, by any use made of it, slate. At places like these, and other salt was reduced from $5 to $1 50 cts. per bushel; and a more liberal rent was given General Preston of $9,000 per annum for : his well, which then ceased to be worked; and the parties continued on the most friend- ly terms towards each others' wel- fare. William King having in view to encourage every branch of indus-

formations of a standard kind, those who would. undertake to classify rocks into different ages, might form plausible theories which would 'van- ish into thin air' when tested by the mixed up productions of this moun- tainous country. Here rude shapes of simple organization are sometimes seen in the transition, or what little try, and calculating that thereby im- agrees with the secondary limestone mense wealth would. flow to himself, of the west. enlarged his mercantile . pursuits, dealt with great liberality, and be- coming very popular, his wealth so increased, that at his death, the 13th October, 1808, his personal estate was estimated at above one million dollars.

"Saltville was the property of General William Campbell, the hero of Kings' mountain, and after his decease his- only child Sarah, mar. ried General Francis Preston, who rented the well and salt marsh to Wm. King, an; enterprising young Irishman, who conducted the busi- ness profitably, returned to Ireland for his father and brothers and sisters, and in a few years in partnership with the late Josiah Nichol of Nash- ville, and other worthy mercantile partners, on whom fortune has al- ways smiled, had amassed very hand- some profits. Wm. King apprised General Preston and lady, that a tract of land adjoining theirs was for sale, and advised them to purchase, as salt-water could be procured upon it, and upon their declining, he pur- chased it for about $2,000.

"Preston's and King's works were then conducted by his widow, .. now Mrs. F. Smith, James King and Wm. Trigg, as devisees of a life estate; and since by Col. Jas. White; at present by Wm. King & Co .; Mr. King being the only son living of James King and devisee of the es- tate in remainder from his uncle Wm. King, who died without chil- dren. Gen. Preston's and King's works in the first lease to Gol. White were rented at $30,000 each per an- num, but have not been so productive of late years as is understood.

King and Nichol then dug a twelve ton not being satisfied with the good -. foot square well, cribbing it with timber, and paying the Rev. Mr. Col- l'ey about $2,000 for its expenses, un- til the opening was about two hun- dred feet in depth. King had mark. ed out the spot and. declared he would go on until water was found, and Nichol withdrawing from the con- cern, on digging twelve feet deeper, the well filled to within forty feet of the surface of the earth with salt water, of which thirty-two gallons would make, on drying the salt, a measured bushel of 50 lbs. weight. of Saltville has been expended above This was on the 6th of April, 1797, 840,000 in fruitless digging and bor- and the quantity of water being in-ling by the owners of land. Pres-

"During the year 1832, Gen. Pres- ness of his well, employed Mr. An- thony, an ingenious mechanic. and partner of Dubrough's in a patent" plan of boring, to sink cast iron tubes of five inch bore 218 feet or the depth necessary, where was found a supply of salt-water, sufficient for 400 bushels of salt daily, the water being stronger than any known, 22 to 24 gallons producing 50 lbs. salt. "The space in which good salt- water can be procured in large quan- tities is very small-in the vicinity

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ton's new tubed well is only 40 yards| Anthony the use of a syphon, half a from King's, and an experiment on mile in length to draw the water from King's land, within 40 feet of the the well, without a force pump; and old well made last month, produced the facility of conveying the water to wood or more convenient points of navigation, is now clearly tested by its transfer in tubes two miles. Salt at the works is now reduced to two cents per pound, which will, no doubt, cause more economy to be used in its manufacture and transpor- tation; so far, there appears, how- ever, to have been no advantage taken of the great evaporating improve- ments used at the salines in New York, or the sugar factories of the South. At Saltville, the furnaces no water at the depth of 270 feet, though the borings were for many feet through the salt rock, and partly through gypsum, blue and red clay and half formed sand. stone .- The formation below the depth of 200 feet, in which salt-water is found, seems to be on a slaty basis, at an in- clination of about 15 degrees facing the south east, and in King's old well, whence has been drawn water for 40,000 bushels of salt in the last 60 days, there are large irregular columns of plaster or gypsum, and a are trenches dug in the earth, the plaster roof supporting the ground above, the interior clay for 40 or more feet in some directions having been washed away. Into these open- ings near 100 cords of wood were thrown, but all disappeared. From all the borings and the most careful observation, it is evident, at this place, that both the sand-stone and plaster are above, and of more recent forma- tion than the muriate of soda.

kettles several inches thick-the fur- nace doors large and open, and placed under open sheds; and in some in- stances streams of fresh water sweep- ing from the hills issue out ofthe furnace flues; but doubtless the pre- sent proprietors will make the neces- sary improvements. The salt made is free from all impurity, its chrys- tals are large by slow, and fine by rapid evaporation; and white and brilliant, and when thrown from the basket, soon becomes as dry as corn meal; never deliquescing or giving off any water, even in the wettest weather. No settling or clarifying process is necessary, the water being a clear semi-transparent, somewhat

"The crater-like sides of the tran- sition rocks exposed around Saltville, at some points, into which the plaster never intrudes, has given rise to a conjecture, that at some ancient peri- od, the plane on which stands Salt- ville, was as high as the adjacent hills; and that by a dissolution of whitish fluid, which after being re- the saline substratum which the river leased from its great pressure in the' deep parts of the well, seems incapa- quantity of saline material. The (being lower) may have received, the upper earth gave way, throwing the ble of holding in solution, the former rocks into their present disjointed state, and the surface of all which has been levelled by the washings from the hills, and by the impercep-

slight excess of inuriatic acid over the soda is united in the boiling with some tree gypsum, and precipitated tible workings of time; and this con- to the bottom, where attaching itself jecture would seem to be supported to the mettle and becoming heated, by the numerous bones and teeth of additions of salt are constantly made, the Mastodon and other animals found till it endangers breaking the kettle, at any depth yet approached.

"The surface of the salt-water be- ing some thirty feet higher than the river water, has suggested to Mr. ing this water, no trace of iodine or

and is very difficult (once weekly) to separate from the iron by pick-axes. In the whole process of manufactur-

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bittern water is to be found-and no (face of the earth and of the very best species of settling or clarifying is quality. Hundreds of boats and wagons could be usefully employed in its transportation, as the whole necessary, the salt being deposited as soon as milk warm, is three or four times daily ladled out of kettles of lands of this interior country are ad- 96 gallons each. At present, mea- mirably adapted to its use.' dow lands, pasture and farming to the extent of 2,500 acres appears to be in use; a saw mill, two grist mills and about' 100 persons, and as

"There are few places in the world which can vie with Saltville in beau? ty and novelty of scenery. The ex .: tended meadows,-rich ridges-high many horses, compose the force of conical peaks,-mountain coves,- the place; but as the market is limit- ed, and not more than four cords of wood are necessary to make 100 bushels of salt, the apparatus of the place is unnecessarily large and wasteful. clear springs, and the remarkable verdure covering the soil-set off to great advantage the lofty Clinch mountain. The Chilhoway springs are in the vicinity, and often the summer visiters add new interest."

"The gypsum-beds on the Saltville lands are perhaps the most conven- ient and abundant in the world, be- from R. ing only five to ten feet from the sur-

SEVEN MILE FORD, P. O. 362 ms. S. W. by W. of W., and 287

Jagers.

TAZEWELL. Lis.

TAZEWELL was created by act of Assembly in 1799, and formed out of portions of Russell and Wythe counties. It is bounded N. by Tug Fork . of Sandy river, separating it from Logan,-N. E. by Giles,-E. and S. E. by Walker's mountain, separating it from Wythe,-S. by Clinch mountain, separating it from Smyth,-S. W. by Russell,-and W. by Floyd county, Kentucky. Its mean length is 663 miles, mean breadth 103; and area 1,305 square miles :- Extending in lat. from 36° 54' to 37º 32' N. and in long. from 4° to 5º 12' W. of W. C. It is situated immediately within the vicinity of the sources of Clinch and Great Sandy rivers. The Clinch takes its rise seven miles N. E. of Jeffersonsville, and pursues a course nearly W. From the eastern section of the county, the great Kanawha receives many tributary branches; the principal of which are the Blue Stone and Wolfe creeks. These have their sources within a few miles of Jeffersonsville, and after some inconsiderable meanderings assume a N. E. direction. This county is traversed by several ranges of mountains, some of which rise to an immense height; the chief of which are the Clinch, Rich, East River, and Paintlick. Their general course is a little S. of W. Between some of these mountains are interspersed beautiful valleys, of a black, deep and rich soil, surprisingly fertile, and perhaps inferior to no county in the state for grass, which thickly covers every cultivated portion to the very tops of the mountains. Ten miles N. E. is Abb's valley a delightful vale .- Situ- ated at its entrance is the Stonefort, a large circular wall of stone, bearing on its image the stamp of great antiquity, from the ages of the trees on it, and various other data. The modern savages that were first found in pos- session of this county appear totally ignorant, not only of this ancient cas- tle, but of other relics of antiquity in different parts of this valley. Here

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A new and comprehensive gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia, Part 61

Author: Martin, Joseph. ed. cn; Brockenbrough, William Henry Publication date: 1835 Publisher: Charlottesville, J. Martin Number of Pages: 1278

Author: Martin, Joseph. ed. cn; Brockenbrough, William Henry
Publication date: 1835
Publisher: Charlottesville, J. Martin
Number of Pages: 1278