USA > Virginia > Washington County > Washington County > History of southwest Virginia, 1746-1786, Washington County, 1777-1870 > Part 60
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In the month of April the authorities of the Presbyterian and Methodist churches of Bristol tendered the use of their churches to the authorities of the Confederate States for the care of the sick and wounded soldiers.
In 1862 a young ladies' boarding school was conducted in Bristol by Mrs. M. M. Bailey and was continued for several years there- after. At the same time two schools for boys were conducted in the town the Bristol-Goodson Academy, of which Thos. D. Wal- thall was principal, and the Bristol High School, of which Prof.
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Washington County, 1777-1870.
HI. C. Neal was principal. From the files of the Southern Advocate we ascertain that W. M. Pettyjohn was conducting a general land agency, L. M. Hall practising dentistry, and A. P. Johnston, J. F. Parrot, M. D. Richmond & Co., Johnston & Pile and Wilbar Bros., merchants, were doing business in the town.
In February, 1863, small-pox appeared in the town, causing a great deal of uneasiness, and Philip Rohr, the Mayor of Goodson, applied to the County Court of Washington county and was al- lowed the sum of five hundred dollars to fight the small-pox in the town.
In the spring of this year the Southern Advocate ceased to exist, and the first issue of the State Line Gazette was published on the 6th of March, 1863. Martin L. Comann and Wm. L. Rice owned and edited this paper, and afterwards W. W. Langhorne, a young lawyer who had settled in the town, was associate editor. This paper lived about five years, and ceased to exist.
By this time Goodson contained a considerable population, and on the 25th of May, 1863, Wm. F. Moon* petitioned the County Court of Washington county for the establishment of a voting pre- cinct in the town, which precinct was established at the storehouse of A. M. Apling, and Wm. L. Rice was appointed conductor and Wm. F. Moon, Malon S. Susong. Valentine Keebler, Elijah Seneker and Hugh M. Milliard commissioners to hold all elections in said town. In the fall of the year 1863 the Federal forces reached Bristol and destroyed the freight depot, the brick store- house occupied by L. F. Johnston, and the Masonic Lodge. And while the town was visited several times thereafter by the Federal forces during the war, no other property was destroyed by fire.
In this year A. K. Moore was killed by Captain Lucas, of Ken- tucky, at the Thomas House, in Bristol, Tenn.
Upon the close of the war, and in 1865, the Bristol News was resurrected by John Slack, and the first issue of this paper appeared on the 9th of August, 1865.
From the files of this paper we find that Chas. R. Vance, J. R. Deadrick and J. B. Palmer, practising attorneys, then lived in Bristol-Goodson.
Previous to the incorporation of Goodson by the General Assem- bly in the year 1856, and probably as late as the year 1860, the
*Father of John A. Moon, M. C., from the Third Tennessee District.
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Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
postoffice was "Sapling Grove," and was at first kept in the resi- dence of James King on now Solar Hill, and afterwards in a small frame house on the lot now occupied by the St. Lawrence Hotel. The postoffice was removed to the Tennessee side of the town in 1865, by order of President Johnson.
Early in the year 1866, the Rev. James King donated property situated in South Bristol, and valued at $16,000, for the purpose of establishing a school for young men, and to be under the manage- ment of the Holston Presbytery. The Presbytery which met at Leesburg, Tenn., shortly thereafter, accepted the proposition of Mr. King and appointed a board of curators, consisting of fifteen gen- tlemen, and this board was directed by the Presbytery to assemble in Bristol on the 4th of July, 1866, for the purpose of organizing the school and electing officers for the same. This school was or- ganized, and has for many years been known as King College, one of the best-equipped schools to be found in all this section of the Holston country.
The Virginia and Kentucky railroad was undertaken, and con- siderable work was accomplished on said road previously to 1861, but the outbreak of the war caused a cessation of all work for the time ; but interest in the building of this road was again manifested in the year 1866, and the attention of the citizens of Goodson-Bristol to this matter was urged by Robert W. Hughes, president of the com- pany, and a mass-meeting of the citizens was held in the Metho- dist church in Goodson in this year.
Governor Francis H. Pierpoint and the Board of Public Works attended this meeting, and a great deal of interest was manifested. The meeting was called to order by the Rev. Philip Rohr, then Mayor of Goodson, Robert W. Hughes was elected chairman and Chas. R. Vance secretary, and strong resolutions, prepared by a committee composed of James King, John Slack and Wm. L. Rice, were adopted, and Jos. R. Anderson, Philip Rohr and L. F. Johnston were appointed a committee to solicit subscriptions to the enterprise. The building of this railroad was begun, and, in addi- tion to the subscriptions of private individuals, the town of Good- son, on the 12th of May, 187", subscribed five thousand dollars to the Bristol Coal and Iron Narrow-Guage Railroad Company, the successor of the Virginia and Kentucky railroad, and to-day this
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Washington County, 1777-1870.
road, now called the Virginia and Southwestern, is one of the most profitable enterprises that Bristol can boast of.
In March, 1866, the following lawyers were practising in the town of Goodson: W. W. Langhorne, J. B. Maclin, N. M. Taylor and York & Fulkerson.
In the fall of this year the Bristol News was leased by John Slack to David F. Bailey, and the first issue of the News published by Bailey was on the 9th of August, 1867. From an inspection of this paper we find that M. L. Blackley and W. N. Clarkson were prac- tising law in the town, and that the Bristol High School, under the management of J. D. Tadlock, and a male and female school, under the management of B. G. Maynard, were doing a thriving business.
The Bristol News was edited by D. F. Bailey, and then by Bailey and Ramey, and on August 7th, 1868, was sold and transferred to I. C. and Elbert Fowler.
In the year 1870 John Slack began the publication of the Bristol Courier, and the two papers, the News and the Courier, are still pub- lished in Bristol.
At the time of the total eclipse of the sun in the month of Au- gust, 1869, Goodson being in the centre of the path of totality, the United States Coast Survey directed Colonel R. D. Cutts, of the United States Navy, to proceed to Bristol and to prepare for making observation during the eclipse. Colonel Cutts visited Goodson and erected an observatory on Lancaster Hill, now called Solar Hill. The observations were taken, and the latitude of Goodson ascer- tained to be 36° 35' 50.2", the longitude to be 5° 08' Washington time, 20-32 fast. Afterwards, in the year 1870, the street now known as Solar street was opened, and the observatory used by Colonel Cutts was found to be in the centre of the proposed street, and from that circumstance, and at the suggestion of the Mayor. the street was called Solar street, and the hill has since been called Solar Hill.
By the year 1870 Goodson had grown rapidly and the future of the town was exceedingly bright, and in this year the General As- sembly of Virginia amended the charter of the town and extended the corporate limits, the provisions of said charter as to the limits of said town being as follows: Beginning at the intersection of the Virginia and Tennessee States' line and the western boundary line of the town cemetery, and running west with said State line twenty-
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two hundred yards; thence north nine hundred and fifty yards ; thence east twenty-two hundred yards on a line parallel with the States' line; thence south nine hundred and fifty yards to the point of beginning. This Act provided for a mayor, five councilmen, a recorder and sergeant, all to be elected by the vote of the people, and directed that the election should be held for that purpose on the 2d of July, 1870, at King Block, on Front street, and John N. Bosang, John Keys and Jesse H. Pepper were directed to superintend said election.
The first election held under this Act resulted in the election of the following officers :
Mayor-I. C. Fowler.
Recorder-J. T. Millard.
Sergeant-J. L. Ligon.
Councilmen-John H. Winston, President ; S. L. Saul, Chas. T. Pepper, Geo. H. De Vault and Jos. W. Owens.
At a meeting of the Mayor and Council on the 27th of July, 1870, rules and regulations were adopted by the Council for the government of the body in their proceedings, and the foundations were laid for an era of prosperity and growth that has met the ex- pectations of the most ardent friends of the town.
By the amended charter the Council of the town was authorized to provide a building for the safekeeping of all persons sentenced to imprisonment under the ordinances of the town, and, pursuant to this authority, the Council appointed a committee to select a place and to ascertain the cost of such a building. This committee selected a place on Washington street, now Wagoner's planing mill, and employed Archer & Carmack to crect the necessary buildings thereon.
At a meeting of the Mayor and Council of the town on the 23d of January, 1871, the Council requested the General Assembly of Virginia to amend the charter of the town so as to increase the Council from five to seven members, and to authorize the Council of the town to open and extend the streets of the town, and to sub- scribe a sum of money, not exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars, to be used in purchasing suitable grounds within the limits of the town for a public square, for building a town hall, and also for the purpose of purchasing a tract of land then within the corporate limits of the said town, the property of Joseph Johnston, and giving
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Washington County, 1777-1870.
to the Council the authority to lay off said land, when purchased, into lots, and dispose of the same to the best interest of the corpora- tion, and pursuant to this petition the General Assembly of Vir- ginia, on the 14th of March, 1821, amended the charter of Goodson as petitioned for, except that it was provided that no subscription should be made until the expediency thereof should be submitted to the qualified voters in the corporation and should receive three- fifths of the votes actually polled at said election; and it was fur- ther provided that said property, when purchased, should be sold by the Council, and for the purpose of improvement only.
The Council of Bristol ordered this election to be held, and the proposition to purchase the Johnston lands received more than three-fifths of all the votes polled, and these lands, containing about sixty acres, were purchased by the Mayor and Council of Goodson for the sum of eighteen thousand dollars.
On the 8th of May, 1871, I. C. Fowler, John H. Winston and Jos. W. Owens were appointed a committee to superintend the lay- ing off of said lands into streets and lots, and Thos. D. Walthall was designated to survey said land. The lands when laid off into lots were ordered to be sold, and Dr. David Sullins was the auc- tioneer.
After the sale of these lots, and in the fall of the same year, the lots owned by the town and the money and notes received from the purchasers of lots previously sold amounted to $41,218, or $16,000 profit on the investment.
On the 13th of June, 1820, the General Assembly of Virginia incorporated the Bank of Goodson, with Z. L. Burson, W. W. James, I. C. Fowler, U. L. York and I. B. Dunn as directors. This bank was organized and transacted business in Goodson for several years, and was known as James' Bank.
In August of the year 1871, while great improvements were being projected and the Council of Goodson was transacting the most extensive real estate business that the town has known in its history, the Council of the city were presented with a melon by the "Marble Players" of the town, and the present was so much appre- ciated that the Council at its meeting on the 29th of August adopted the following resolution :
"Resolved, That the thanks of the Council be tendered the 'Mar-
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ble Players' of this corporation for the present of a magnificent melon."
In the same year a chain-gang was organized, and in the year 1873 goats, swine and cows were prohibited from running at large in the town.
In 1874 it was provided that wooden buildings should not be erected in the town except upon the petition of two-thirds of the land-owners in the square where the building was proposed to be erected, and from the year 1871 to 1880 most of the streets of the town were macadamized, and in many cases extended so as to meet the requirements of a rapidly increasing population.
In the year 1881 it was thought necessary by the Council of Goodson to have a public building erected for the use of the officers of the town, and the question was submitted to the vote of the peo- ple, and having received the necessary vote, the Council appointed John H. Winston, Z. L. Burson and W. W. James a committee to report a plan and the cost of a public building. This committee re- ported, and a very commodious hall, built of brick, was erected some time thereafter on the corner of Cumberland and Lee streets, at a cost of about $7,000 to the corporation.
By the year 1890 the town of Goodson had grown to be a city, and the inconvenience attending the transaction of the legal busi- ness of the town at Abingdon created a public demand for the es- tablishment of a corporation court for the city, and in answer to this demand the General Assembly of Virginia, on the 12th of Feb- ruary, 1890, changed the name of the town of Goodson to that of the city of Bristol, and adopted a new charter for said city. The officers provided for by the new charter were a mayor, treasurer, nine councilmen, a clerk of the corporation court, an attorney for the Commonwealth, a sergeant, one justice of the peace for each ward in said city, and one constable. Pursuant to this Act of the Assembly, the first Corporation Court of the city of Bristol assem- bled in the City Hall on the 3d of March, 1890, Judge Wm. F. Rhea presiding. The following officers were appointed by the court for said city : Clerk, J. H. Winston, Jr .; Commonwealth's Attor- ney, W. S. Hamilton; Treasurer, C. C. Minor; Sergeant, Chas. Worley; Commissioner of the Revenue, J. W. Mort.
The court thus organized has continued until the present time and is at this time presided over by Judge Wm. S. Stuart. The
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city of Bristol has grown rapidly and to-day it is a very thrifty city. with beautiful streets and many large and handsome business houses.
In the city of Bristol are to be found two female colleges-to- wit: Sullins College and the Southwest Virginia Institute-that cannot be excelled anywhere in the South.
In the year 1902 the Norfolk and Western Railway Company tore down the old depot, erected in 1865, and on the same site erected as handsome a depot as is to be found in Southwest Virginia.
CENSUS OF BRISTOL, VIRGINIA.
1880. 1,56%
1890 2,902
1900 4,579
CENSUS OF BRISTOL, TENNESSEE.
1880
1,647
1890 3,324
1900 5,271
OFFICERS OF BRISTOL-GOODSON.
Mayors.
1871-1875-I. C. Fowler.
1875-1886-John F. Terry.
1886-1889-A. F. Miles.
1889-1894-W. A. Rader.
1894-1898-J. H. Winston, Jr.
1898-1902-Chas. F. Gauthier.
1902 -William L. Rice.
Sergeants.
1871-1872-J. L. Ligon.
1872-1874-D. A. Wheeler.
1874-1875-W. H. Trammell.
1875-1877-R. T. Hamlet.
1877-1881-John B. Keller.
1881-1884-D. A. Wheeler. 1884-1887-Chas. Worley.
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Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
1887-1888-W. P. Hughes.
1888-1890-Chas. Worley.
1890-1892-W. J. Cox. 1892-1894-Justin King. 1894-1898-John H. Gose.
1900 -Luther Rush, resigned. 1902 -Jerry Bunting, appointed.
Recorder and Treasurer.
1870-1876-T. J. Millard.
1876-1878-M. T. Devault.
1878-1884-G. G. Hickman.
1884-1885-James Byrne.
1885-1886-A. F. Miles. 1886-1887-G. G. Hickman.
1887-1888-John D. Witt.
1888-1890-J. W. Mort, Clerk.
1890-1894-J. H. Winston, Jr., Clerk.
1894-1896-J. A. Stone, 1896-1897-G. H. Reed, 66
1897-1900-H. Doriot, 66
1900-1902-W. H. Price, Jr., 66
1902 -J. H. Gose, 66
1902 -P. C. Marsh. 66
Judges of Corporation Court.
1890-1896-Wm. F. Rhea. 1896-1904-Wm. S. Stuart.
Commonwealth's Attorneys.
1890-1894-William S. Hamilton. 1894-1896-Preston Lewis Gray. 1896-1904-John S. Ashworth.
Clerks of Corporation Court. 1890-1894-J. H. Winston, Jr. 1894-1896-Isaac Sharett. 1896-1898-James A. Stone. 1898-1902-W. H. Price, Jr. 1902 -John H. Gose.
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Washington County, 1777-1870.
Treasurers.
1890 -C. C. Minor.
1890-1896-J. L. C. Smith.
1896-1904-J. W. Owens.
Commissioners of the Revenue.
1890-1896-J. W. Mort.
1896-1900-J. W. Frizzell.
1900-1902-S. D. Keller.
1902-1904-Geo. W. Hammit.
Chief of Police.
1896-1898-Geo. W. Wolf. *1898-1904-W. B. Kilgore.
VILLAGES OF WASHINGTON COUNTY.
GLADE SPRING.
Glade Spring is situated in the best section of Washington county, and previous to the spring of the year 1856 but five houses were to be found in that vicinity, viz., the residence of David Beattie, which occupied the location of the present residence of Mrs. W. B. Cobb ; the house of Beattie Allison, now occupied by Mrs. Brewer ; a log house occupied by David (Proctor) Edmondson, on the lot where Dr. W. L. Dunn's residence stands; the residence of W. Mc. Ryburn and the residence of James O. Ryburn, now occupied by his widow.
The Virginia and Tennessee railroad was completed to this place in the spring of the year 1856. A depot was built, and for a short time was called Passawatamie, but it was changed within a short time to Glade Spring by the request of all the citizens of that community.
The name Glade Spring was derived from Glade Spring Presby- terian church, located some distance south of the town.
In the year 1856, about the time the depot was erected. W. B. Dickenson and J. S. Buchanan employed Francis Smith. of Abingdon, to erect the frame building. now painted red, stand- ing a short distance southwest of the depot and on the main road.
*Lists furnished by Captain Frank T. Barr.
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Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
and Dickenson & Buchanan occupied the same as a storehouse for five years thereafter. This was the first business house established in Glade Spring.
By the year 1861, a considerable village had grown up around the depot at Glade Spring and considerable business was trans- acted there.
This is one town in Southwestern Virginia that escaped the ravages of the Federal forces in 1864-1865, the depot being saved at the request of David (Proctor) Edmondson.
Since the close of the war Glade Spring has been incorporated by the General Assembly of Virginia and now has a full quota of town officials, namely :
Mayor-J. T. Morris.
Councilmen-W. K. Brooks, M. V. Edmondson, J. D. Kent, Samuel Keys and E. M. Atkins.
Three attorneys at law, to-wit: Selden Longley, S. D. Jones and A. M. Dickenson, have had their homes in the town at different times since 1870, and for a number of years a newspaper and a bank have thrived in the town.
The citizens living in and around Glade Spring cannot be ex- celled for virtue, wealth, intelligence and enterprise anywhere in our country.
Postmasters-Glade Spring.
Office established December 30, 1833. 1833-1839-David R. Smyth. 1839-1845-Nickerson Snead. 1845 -John K. Cunningham. 1845-1847-Benjamin F. Aker. 1847-1852-D. M. Stewart.
1852-1853-Samuel Vance.
1853-1856-Abram S. Orr.
1856 -James Robinson. 1856-1858-Robert H. Henderson.
1858-1869-James S. Buchanan.
1869-1870-Lavinia M. Ryburn.
1870-1872-Ann S. Cook. 1872-1873-Roger Sullivan.
1873-1874-Hiram V. Thompson. 1874-1885-John C. O'Rear.
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Washington County. 1777-1870.
1885-1889 -- Robert S. Cunningham. 1889-1894-John Faris. 1894-1898-Joseph D. Williams. 1898-1900-John R. Hendricks.
MEADOW VIEW.
This is a thriving village about seven miles east of Abingdon, on the Norfolk and Western railway, and is experiencing a rapid growth at the present time, having several large and thriving stores, several beautiful churches and a number of very thrifty people for citizens.
The name of this village was suggested by the location (for- merly "Edmondson's Meadows").
WYNDALE.
For many years this village was known as Montgomery's Switch, the depot having been located on the lands of S. W. Montgomery, but several years ago the name of the railroad station, but not the postoffice, was changed to Wyndale by the authorities of the Norfolk and Western railway.
This village has experienced some growth within recent years.
WALLACE'S SWITCH.
When the railroad reached this point in the year 1856, Major Goforth was the owner of the mill at that point, and at his in- stance the citizens of the community petitioned the railroad for a station, and the station was established and called Goforth's, but the name was shortly changed to Wallace's Switch in honor of the Rev. W. P. Wallace, a Presbyterian minister who lived in that community. The growth and prosperity of this town has been greatly retarded in recent years by the rapid growth and de- velopment of Bristol, which is in close proximity thereto.
This town has several good business houses and churches and an excellent flouring mill, owned by Dr. W. M. Phillips.
MENDOTA.
Mendota is situated on the North Fork of Holston river op- posite the noted Kinderhook farm and immediately on the Vir- ginia and Southwestern railroad.
The excellent river-bottom lands opposite Mendota were pat- ented by the Commonwealth to Thomas Kendrick, William Todd
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Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
Livingston and others, and the home of Peter Livingston was but a short distance below Mendota at the time the noted half-breed Benge made his raid thereon in the year 1794.
The river-bottom land opposite Mendota, some time previous to 1860, became the property of Adam Hickmen, a native of Kinder- hook, N. Y. Upon his acquisition of this property, he gave it the name of Kinderhook, and from this farm Kinderhook magisterial district derived its name.
The postoffice at this point was for many years Kinderhook, but some years ago the name was changed to Mendota by Henry C. Holly, who for many years merchandised at that place.
A number of thriving business houses and pretty residences are to be found at this place, and several physicians and one law- yer reside in the town.
Hamilton Institute was established at Mendota in the year 1874, and has continued from that time to be the resort of the ambitious youth, both male and female, of that section of this county. At present its prosperity is fairly good.
Several efforts have been made in recent years to organize a new county out of parts of the counties of Scott, Washington and Russell, and Mendota has been the only place suggested as the county seat of the proposed new county.
DAMASCUS.
When the Abingdon Coal and Iron Railroad Company was first suggested, and for some years thereafter, the location of this town and the postoffice at this place were known as Mock's Mills and remained so until about the year 1892; when the postoffice was changed to Damascus at the instance of General J. D. Imboden, who at that time was very much interested in the welfare of the community.
It has been suggested that the name of Damascus was given to this locality because of a fancied resemblance to Damascus in Pales- tine, near the scene of the conversion of St. Paul.
The location of this town was laid off into streets by the year 1892, and the plans of a magnificent hotel and numerous business enterprises were projected; but the crisis came soon thereafter, and all growth and progress ceased until about the year 1897.
In the meantime business had revived, and the property of the Abingdon Coal and Iron Railroad Company became the property
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Washington County, 1777-1870.
of the Virginia and Carolina Railway Company, of which W. E. Mingea, of Roanoke, was president, and the railroad had been completed to Damascus.
The first train carrying passengers reached Damascus on the 7th day of February, 1900, and at that time the building of the Beaver Dam railroad from Damascus to Crandull, Tennessee, was being rapidly pushed to completion, and every preparation was being made for a rapid development of the magnificient water- power, mineral deposits and immense forests of splendid timber found in the immediate vicinity of Damascus.
Since that time the Beaver Dam railroad has been completed, and the Virginia and Carolina Railway Company has been ex- tended some distance up Laurel Fork of Holston river in the di- rection of North Carolina. A large tannery, extract plant, an extensive sash, door and blind factory and numerous saw mills carried on by hundreds of hands are at work in and around Da- mascus at the present time. The town itself has experienced a very rapid growth, and to-day boasts of several churches, a splen- did public school building, a number of prosperous mercantile establishments, one physician, Dr. Fortune, one real estate agent, R. F. Fortune, a bank and many thrifty citizens.
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