try around abounds in iron ore of the
best quality
grass
No country can boast more
of its healthy situation than this : in
short nothing seems to be wanting
to render it among the most desira-
ble sections of country in the State,
but a facility of access to market,
The North fork of the Shenan-'and whenever that is given, it may
452
WESTERN VIRGINIA— SMYTH.
be confidently predicted, that no part
of the United States will present
greater rewards to enteprise and in-
dustry.
Stony Cheek, or Siiryock, P.
O. 162 ms. from R. and J 05 S. W.
of W., situated on Stony creek, near
the North. Fork of Shenandoah.
The creek empties into the river one
mile E. of this place, It is distant
8 ms. S. S. W. of Woodstock, and
35 in a similar direction irom Win-
chester. This village contains 17
dwelling houses, 2 mercantile stores,
1 house of public entertainment, 1
rifle manufactory, and 1 blacksmith
shop. Population 130 persons; of
whom 1 is a physician. The land
is fertile, producing well all the ordi-
nary staples, and the county is thick-
ly settled. Stoney creek is a bold
stream, affording some excellent sites
for manufactories. There are locat-
ed on it, and within 2 miles of the
village, at various distances, a consi-
derable number of dwelling houses,
2 extensive manufacturing flour mills,
2 grist mills, 7 saw mills, 1 well es-
tablished fulling mill, and 2 wool
carding machines, 1 still-house, 1
tannery, and 1 forge in active opera-
tion, manufacturing pig metal into
bar iron, and 1 furnace called Co-
lumbia, with about 200 persons de-
pendant on it for support.
WOODSTOCK, P. V. and seat
of justice, 156 ms. from R. and 100
S. W. of W. in lat. 38° 51' N. and
long. 1° 34' W. of W. C, situated on
the main valley road 32 ms. S. S.
W. of Winchester and about 1 mile
W. of the North Fork of the She-
nandoah river. It contains besides
the usual county buildings, 1 18 dwel-
ling houses, 3 houses of public wor-
ship, (1 Lutheran, 1 Methodist and 1
German Reformed,) 1 Masonic Hall,
1 handsome brick academy, 3 other
schools, and 2 sabbath schools, 1
printing office from which a weekly
paper is issued, 5 mercantile stores,
2 taverns, 3 tan yards, 4 saddlers, 2
hatters, 5 boot and shoe factories, 5
house joiners and carpenters, 3
wheelwrights and chair makers, 4
tailors, 2 smith shops, 1 earthen and
1 stone ware manufactory, 1 watch
maker and silver smith, 1 wafron
maker, 1 tin plate worker, 2 saddle-
tree makers, 2 saddle-tree platers, 2
bricklayers and masons, and 2 plas-
terers. Population 950 persons; of
whom 3 are resident attorneys, and
4 are ministers and 3 regular physi-
cians.
County Courts are held on the
Monday before the 2d Tuesday in
every month; — Quarterly in March,
May, August and November.
Judge Smith holds his Circuit
Superior Court of Law and Chance-
ry on the 9th of April and Septem-
ber.
SMYTH,
Smyth was created by act of Assembly in 1831, and formed from a
portion of Washington and Wythe. It is bounded W. by Clinch moun-
tain separating it from Russell,~=N. W. and N. by the same mountain,
separating it from Tazewell,— N, E. and E. by Wythe,— and by the Iron
mountain separating it from Crayson S. E. and S. It is located on the
head waters of Holston river. The eastern line dividing Smyth and
Wythe crosses within fifty yards of the head spring. The county is divi-
ded into three valleys,— the North, South and Middle Forks of the Hol-
ston running parallel with the different valleys. The North Fork rises
oetween Clinch and Walker's mountains, pursues a northerly course some
WESTERN VIRGINIA— SMYTH. 453
distance, and then winds to the west. The mountains are lofty* — the bot-
tom lands are rich and productive. On this fork is found gypsum of the
best quality, and sufficient in quantity to suppjy the whole western coun-
try. In that neighborhood is situated the salt works belonging to Gen'l
Preston. These works, and King's in Washington county, are denomi-
nated Saltville, — they are within 40 feet of each other. The place has
risen up in consequence of the salt works. The county line separating
Smyth and Washington counties runs between them. (For further
particulars see Saltville in this county.) An experiment lately made on
the water of Preston's works was attended with complete success, — twenty
bushels full produced a deposite of five bushels of salt, which weighed one
hundred and fifty-one pounds, shewing it to be in proportion of one-fourth
to the water which contains it. It is supposed that no other water ap-
proaches this strength, and it is quite free from the slightest quantity of
bittern or other foreign matter. From this supply five hundred bushels ot
salt may be manufactured in twenty-four hours.
On the middle fork of the Holston are situated the Ckilhowee Sulphur
Springs, within one mile of the great road. They stand as high for the
medicinal qualities of their waters as any spring in Virginia. There are
also in the same vicinity several chalybeate springs. The productions
are wheat, rye. Indian corn, buckwheat, Irish potatoes, hemp, flax,
and every species of the vine; being one of the best grape counties in Vir-
ginia. This county is well timbered with the best of white and black
oak, buckeye, poplar, hickory, black walnut, lynn, pine, sassafras, dog
wood, birch, beech, and the spice wood tree. Along the branches are elder
of different qualities, spruce pine, and the hemlock tree. It also abounds
with the maple or sugar tree. This tree is more valuable than all others ;
if it is notched in the month of March, and bored with a small auger or
gimblet some distance below the notch and a tube placed in, one tree will
afford in a season from 30 to 60 gallons of sweet water, which w T hen boiled
will always produce from 3 to 4 pounds of good sugar, besides the molasses,
which is superior to any other. The tops of these trees are large, taper-
ing something like a sugar loaf, the bark is rough and body straight, some
of them are of a light color, others black. The latter always produce the
sweetest w r ater. Some of these maple trees grow to an enormous size.
The w r ood is precious, and when cut and corded, one tree will make from
6 to 7 cords. The next in size is the yellow poplar, which exceeds in
growth any timber in the United States. It is no uncommon thing to find
this timber from 3 to 4 feet and upwards in diameter, and the trunks 44
feet in height before a limb shoots. The white oak and other timber is in
proportion.
There are in this county one cotton manufactory, (at the court house,) 3
iron works, 14 tan yards, 16 grist mills, 14 houses of public worship, (5
Methodist, 2 Presbyterian, 3 Baptists, 3 free for all denominations, and 1
Lutheran,) and 8 taverns or houses of public entertainment. The eleva-
tion of Davis's town, situated 2 miles from the east line of the county, and
on Pleasant Hill, is 200 feet above James River at Lynchburg. Popula-
tion not taken at the last census, the county having been since created, but
supposed to be between 6 and 7000, of which there are 100 free per-
sons of color, and 1400 slaves. It belongs to the fourteenth judicial cir-
cuit and eigth district. Tax paid in 1833, $941 57 — in 1834 on land
$570 04— 470 slaves, 8117 50—2675 horses, $160 50— 20 studs, $123 50
454
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,
was located two years since. The im-
provements have rapidly progressed.
A handsome court house, clerk's of-
fice, and jail, have been erected, 10
or 12 neat dwelling houses have been
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-
lar physicians.
County Courts are held on the
Thursday after the third Monday in
every month; Quarterly in Febru-
ary, May, July and October.
Judge Estill holds his Circuit
Superior Court of Law and Chance-
ry on the Monday after the fourth
Monday in April and September.
Pleasant Hill, P. O. 269 ms.
from R. and 344 S. W. by W. of W.
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 place called Saltville, is situ-
ated in a narrow plain of about 700
acres of land, between the Rich Val-
ley and the North Fork of the Hol-
ston, having its greatest length from
the northeast to the southwest, bound-
ed on the eastern side by conical
peaks and ridges which are appen-
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.
"The present point of manufactur-
ing salt is on the bank of the river,
to which for convenience of timber
md fuel the water is conveyed, about
two miles, in a northwardly course,
in wooden tubes. On the opposite
bank of the river lies Little moun-
tain, an appendage of Clinch moun-
tain, which is parallel and continuous
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. To 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,
Power's and Cumberland, and their
waters, interspersing, beautifying and
enriching, these inviting, but for the
present, neglected regions. Beyond
Log mountains and the adjacent
ridges in Kentucky, lie streams
WESTERN VIRGINIA— SMYTH.
455
emptying into the Ohio; on one of
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
ihe broad and beautiful Tennessee
river; whilst those running from the
same quarter eastwardly, compose
the bold and restless waters of
the Great Kanawha, — all adding
utility and beauty ; either to the
valleys bordering on the large rivers,
or the irregular but level depressions
called coves, hemmed in all around
except a single passway; which
sometimes exhibits a cataract in its
little stream.
H East of the New River waters,
the Alleghany mountain directs the
streams to the Atlantic, and at some
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-
lar mountains, the rivers should all
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 thy
extremities. With amazement still
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
both discomfitted, glanced: each tak-
ing its own path southwardly, leaving
their cast away remnants piled fear-
fully "Ossa upon Pelion, and Pelion
upon Ossa," rolling confusedly into
thousands of rude shapes. But in
this field of old warring elements are
every where, as you would also per-
ceive, evidences presented, that the
principle of order has been passing
and nestling, has changed and given
new capacities ; striking the waste
"rocks with the rod," millions of
springs of purest water gushed forth;
the uptorn hills became verdant, and
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
shaie — a large share of health, hap-
piness, independence and freedom
will be enjoyed? Why do the in-
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
456
WESTERN VIRGINIA— SMYTH.
Tell; for deeds of arms when neces-
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
"beaming; the stranger's eye will be
arrested with what he supposes is a
broad and lengthened lake below.
The deception is perfect, the very
waves are seen rolling and tempest
tossed, nor will the appearance of
islands and of trees breaking through
ihe mist as it evaporates, nor the
sounds of ploughmen, the screaking
pf 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
knowledge of things, to be convinced,
that in internal resources; no part of
the union can vie with this, especially
m minerals. Preston's salt-works
are in Smyth county, and King's in
Washington, and the same counties
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
in some places solid masses of ore,
containing seventy-five per cent of
metal, are exposed thirty or forty feet!
high, like cliffs of rock. The coun-
ties of Green, Washington, Sullivan,
Campbell, Claiborne, Anderson,
Knox, Rbea, 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
stone coal and innumerable seats for
water power.
"In Grayson and Wythe are large
bodies of rich copper ore, not yet
fully tested, and in the latter county,
lead ore of the best quality, worked
by Col. James White and Alexander
Pierce, — what amount of lead could
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.
"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 viciniti^,
and in Russell county are quarries of
various marbles. In the valleys,
buried in the soil, are innumerable
rounded sandstone rocks, some of
which are flinty, others of marly in-
gredients, and many such loose-
stones occupy the shoaly beds of the
streams; but the channels of all
streams are chiefiy bedded by lime-
stone, mica, sandstone, and slaty for-
mations, whose lamella or divisions
are seldom horizontal, until you ar-
rive at the level of the great western
rivers. You may here find ledges
of rocks extending hundreds of miles
WESTERN VIRGINIA— SMYTH.
457
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
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
df the rocks in all the mountains! coarse and impure carbonate. The
west of the Alleghany to the verge I multitude of sulphur and chalybeate,
of those mountains east of the Mis-jhot and cold springs, and their vari-
sissippi, chemical nature has not the ous medicinal qualities in Bath, Mon-
same variety of surface to work upon, 'roe, Buncomb and other places that
that it has where the upward direc-| deserve to have celebrity for their
tion of the rocks expose their edge::
on the northwardly side of the ridges;
and as might be expected, the south-
waters, exhibit astonishing chemical
changes yet going on far below the
earth's surface. After passing west-
ern faces are comparatively barren, j wardly, beyond the verge of these
whilst the opposite side is rich andj broken ranges, you perceive great
productive; and such differences are | uniformity and order in the confor-
observable even on the south side, mations of rocks and soils. The
where deep ravines expose the broken rivers and creeks are based with good
ends of rocks one side, and their limestone, lammellated horizontally,
rather plane surface on the other. 'and having fissures at unequal dis-
This conformation holds immense tances, extending perpendicularly to
quantities of water and pours it forth
even on the pinnacles of the highest
hills, decomposing the ground by
winter freezes and summer drought, j with gravel or sandstone to the depth
and adding fertility even to the rocks; of six or ten feet, then limestone as
the timber growing to enormous described, next a white coarse lime-
sizes, by passing its roots into the in- stone four to right feet; in one, \
tersticcs of rocks. The region of or three strata, next limestone of
great depths. Commencing at the
surface, there will be found rich,
loamy soils, and clays, often mixed
North Carolina and Tennessee, in
which gold is found, about 60 to 100
miles from Saltville, borders on the
primitive granite and basaltic walls
that rise under the Blue Ridge, and
are rarely exposed on its western kind, horizontal and of considerable
face; and in Virginia, the copperj depth, containing brilliant yellow,
mines of Grayson and Wythe are not} oval lumps of sulphur and iron, be-
remote from similar constructions low which are layers of hard, flinty,
58
thicker layers, sometimes fifty feet ;
then a layer of gray, blue, or black
flint, three to six feet ; next blue brit-
tled limestone all fissured and 1am-
niellar, then slate of a dark brittle
458
WESTERN VIRGINIA— SMYTH.
dark rocks, with occasional layers of
slate. At places like these, and other
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
agrees with the secondary limestone
of the west.
"Saltville was the property of
General William Campbell, the hero|
of Kings' mountain, and after hisi
decease his only child Sarah, marj
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.
King and Nichol then dug a twelve
foot square well, cribbing it with
timber, and paying the Rev. Mr. Col-
ley 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
Niehol 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.
This was on the 6th of April, 1797,
and the quantity of water bei'np- in-
exhaustible, by any use made of it,
salt was reduced from $5 to $1 50
cts. per bushel ; and a more liberal
rent was given General Preston of
S9,u00 per annum for his well, which
then ceased to be worked ; and the
parties continued on the most friend-
ly terms towards each others 1 wel-
fare. William King having in view
to encourage every branch of indus-
try, and calculating that thereby im-
mense wealth would flow to himself,