Historic Sites

Brunswick County Museum

The Brunswick County Museum is located in the historic Courthouse Square in Lawrenceville. Come and see a variety of exhibits documenting the county�s history. The County of Brunswick was created in 1720 and stretched from the fall lines in the rivers east of Emporia to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The county was bounded on the south by a surveyor�s line Read more...

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Franklin County Courthouse

One of the most important buildings in Franklin County is the white-painted Beaux-arts Roman Revival Courthouse dominating “Uptown” Rocky Mount facing the southern end of Main Street (U.S. 220 South Business). The massive two-story Franklin County Courthouse with its wide three-bay portico was constructed in 1909 from plans of the well-known Roanoke architect H.H. Huggins. The current courthouse replaced the Read more...

Historic Downtown State Street – An Official Main Street Community

History and tradition abound in Bristol, VA/TN, a truly unique twin-city. In 1881, both sides of Bristol designated the center of the city’s main thoroughfare, State Street, as the Tennessee/Virginia state line. Today, Bristol’s Historic Downtown District, also known as State Street, features specialty gift shops, art galleries, cafes, restaurants and antique shops, and a variety of theatre, street festivals, and live Read more...

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The Historic Masonic Theatre

Circa 1905, originally an opera house and Masonic Lodge in the downtown historic district of Clifton Forge, VA, the Historic Masonic Theatre is Virginia’s oldest continuously operating Theatre. On July 1, 2016, the Historic Masonic Theatre opened its doors to the public once again after a 6.5 million dollar renovation. A movie theatre and a performing arts venue, the four Read more...

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Mary Draper Ingles Monument

In the more than 250 years since Mary Draper Ingles was captured by Shawnee warriors, escaped and made her historic return journey to the New River Valley of Virginia, much has been written and produced about the preeminent colonial heroine. Mary represents hundreds of women who survived capture and returned to their log cabin homes during the early settlement of Read more...

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Hargrave Military Academy Historic Marker

One of the few private military academies in Virginia, Hargrave Military Academy was founded in 1909 by John Hunt Hargrave and the Rev. T. Ryland Sanford as Chatham Training School. It was chartered in 1911 and became affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia in 1913. Chatham Training School provided a general education for boys. During World War One, Read more...

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Martinsville Dam on Smith River

Visitors coming into/leaving the City of Martinsville on U.S. Route 220 South just outside the city limits can’t help but notice a dam when crossing the Smith River. This landmark is a hydroelectric dam which provides energy needs for the City of Martinsville. The dam was constructed in the 1920s and was in operation by 1924. Prior to this dam, Read more...

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Max B. Crowder Park at Whittle’s Mill

The beautiful old mill site on the Meherrin River has been Southside Virginia’s unofficial park for generations – and long South Hill’s best-kept secret. Recent restoration of the site and the publication of the Whittle’s Mill book have greatly heightened interest in the Meherrin River, the legacy of the Whittle family and the secrets of the old mill. The ruins Read more...

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The Lincoln Theatre

A member of the League of Historic American Theatres, The Lincoln Theatre in Marion, Virginia, is one of three existing Art Deco Mayan Revival-style theaters in America. The Lincoln is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally built in 1929 as a vaudeville and movie house, The Lincoln Theatre hosted stars such as Read more...

Newbern Historic District

The community, founded in 1810, was the Pulaski County seat through much of the 1800s. The district, a national historic landmark, encircles the entire community and contains 26 of the original log or wooden buildings including an inn which served as a stagecoach stop, a jail, hanging house, store, churches and several private residences. The Wilderness Road Regional Museum includes rooms furnished Read more...

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The Reynolds Homestead

The Reynolds Homestead is an outreach facility of Virginia Tech located in Critz. It features the fully-restored Rock Spring Plantation House, the birthplace and boyhood home of tobacco manufacturer R.J. Reynolds. Built in 1843, the two-story brick home has been restored to its nineteenth century state and includes many of the original family furnishings. The grounds include the original brick Read more...

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Dynasties of Danville

Visit the home of a tobacco baron, Virginia gentry, and the textile empire of Danville. Tobacco and railroad baron Major William Sutherlin’s home served as the “Last Confederate Capital”. His mansion now serves as the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History. Within a short walk to 117 Broad Street is Langhorne House, the home of Lady Astor (Nancy Langhorne) Read more...

Bailey Log Cabin

Records show that that the Bailey family settled in what later became Tazewell County more than 230 years ago. Richard Peyton Bailey, Sr. received a warrant for land along the Bluestone River on October 15, 1770. Bailey was a scout and spay for the American army who gathered intelligence about the British and Indians in that part of Virginia. Since Read more...

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Abingdon Muster Grounds

In the summer of 1780, the Southern American colonies – and hopes of independence – seemed at the mercy of an invading British army. A militia was formed on the western frontier, known as the Overmountain Men. This brave group of some 400 volunteers came to the Abingdon Muster Grounds to begin their journey. Joined by other militia, 1,000 Overmountain Read more...

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Boyd Tavern Foundation

The original Boyd Tavern was constructed in 1790.It consisted of a small one-story dwelling & tavern. Around 1816 the building was altered and expanded reflecting the nucleus of the present structure. By the 1820s, the building had evolved into a federal style.Following the civil war, the owners sought to give the tavern a different appearance. These changes are attributed to Read more...

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Sanders House Center

The Sanders House Center includes a late 19th century home which was once the centerpiece of a 3,000 acre farm. Built in 1896, it has gorgeous solid oak woodwork, original wood floors, hand-painted imported mural and many of the original furnishings. There are nine fireplaces, three floors and a total of 19 rooms. The grounds include a granary which now Read more...

Birthplace of Tennessee Ernie Ford

Birthplace of country music legend Tennessee Ernie Ford is now the Bristol Historical Association and is open for tours by appointment. A room contains furnishings from the early 1900s, Ford family photos and an upright piano. Read more...

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Historic Stone Wall

Central to Downtown Historic Hillsville is a feature that is old – yet is also quite new, in a sense. In front of the Historic Carroll County Courthouse is a dry laid rock wall. This was constructed when the courthouse was built between 1872-1874. The wall is new in that it had been covered over by a six inch thick Read more...

Giles County Courthouse

This courthouse was built by Thomas Mercer in 1836. Two U. S. presidents visited Giles County–Major William McKinley and Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes., when their headquarters was temporarily located at Pearisburg. Read more...

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Bluemont Presbyterian Rock Church

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Plateau of Southwestern Virginia in south central Carroll County, Bluemont Presbyterian Church is one of six rock churches built by Rev. Bob Childress. Subject of the book, The Man Who Moved a Mountain by Richard C. Davids (1970). Largest of the six rock churches. The forerunner to the present church was opened in 1920 as Read more...

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Covington Downtown Historic District

The City of Covington is in western Virginia along the Allegheny Mountains at the southern tip of the Shenandoah Valley and west of the Blueridge Parkway. Joining with the City of Clifton Forge, Alleghany County, Bath County and Highland County, the area is promoted as Virginia’s Western Highlands. Covington is accessible via Interstate 64 and U. S. Route 220. The Read more...

Historic Sites

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