US-23 is a busy highway, running 61 miles across western Virginia from the Tennessee state line…read morenear Weber City north to the Kentucky state line near Pound. This section is a four lane highway and so there is plenty of room to stop and read this marker that points out you are crossing from Wise County into Lee County. The Lee County side reads, "Lee County, the western-most county in Virginia, was formed from Russell County in 1792; a part of Scott County was added later. The county is named for Henry 'Light- Horse Harry' Lee, governor of Virginia from 1791 to 1794 and former American Revolutionary War officer. Cumberland Gap National Historic Park lies partly in Lee County and in the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. The Cumberland Gap was the principal route through the mountains that Native Americans and early European settlers used to travel to the west and the south. The county seat is Jonesville." The Wise County side reads, "Wise County was formed in 1856 from Lee, Scott, and Russell counties. It was named for Henry Alexander Wise who was governor of Virginia from 1856 to 1860. The county seat is the town of Wise. After the Civil War the town of Wise grew and the county's industry expanded because of the growth of the railroads and the increased mining of coal in the region. Noted novelist John Fox Jr. lived in the town of Big Stone Gap here for a portion of his life and wrote the best-selling novels 'The Trail of the Lonesome Pine' and 'The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come.'" It is marker number Z-189 and it was erected in 2003 by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. [Review 78 of 2026 - 1524 in Virginia - 25268 overall]

Located along US 23 (Business), the marker points out some of the history of the town in which it…read moreis located. It is near the Wise Town Hall. There is some room to stop and read the marker, just be aware of the traffic. It's a neat spot and I recommend visiting Wise. It reads, "The town of Wise was known as Big Glades when a post office was established here in 1850, Before being incorporated as Wise in 1926 it was also called Gladeville and Wise Court House. Since the creation in 1856 of Wise County, named for Henry Alexander Wise, governor of Virginia (1856-1860), the town has served as the county seat. During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought here between Union and Confederate troops on 7 July 1863. After the Civil War the town grew because of the expansion of the railroads and the increased mining of coal in the region. The current county courthouse was completed in 1896." In the late 1800s the town developed a small but lively commercial district around Main Street, where hotels, law offices, and general stores served travelers moving between the Kentucky line and the Clinch Valley. When the University of Virginia's College at Wise opened in 1954, it transformed the town into an educational center and anchored a new cultural life that reached far beyond the coalfields. Mid‑twentieth‑century Wise also became a regional medical hub, with clinics and small hospitals drawing patients from scattered mountain communities that lacked reliable care. Today the town's elevated setting gives it a cooler climate and a quieter pace than many nearby coal towns, a reminder of its older identity as a highland crossroads rather than an industrial camp. [Review 77 of 2026 - 1523 in Virginia - 25267 overall]

Scott County was formed in 1814 from parts of Washington, Lee and Russell counties. It was named to…read morehonor General Winfield Scott, a hero of the War of 1812. The county was a key passageway along the Wilderness Road with Fort Blackmore and Carter's Ford offering protection to pioneers heading west. Gate City has been the county seat the entire time. The courthouse was completed in 1829, replacing an earlier 1817 structure. It features Colonial Revival architecture, with a two-story red brick façade, a large portico supported by four white columns, and a hipped roof topped by an octagonal cupola with a black dome. A number of additions have been included, the most recent were the north and south wings in 1968. It is in a busy part of town so there is plenty of street parking nearby. [Review 636 of 2025 - 1484 in Virginia - 24197 overall]

A short distance from the center of Gate City, this marker stands along the business route of…read moreUS‑421, tucked close enough to the roadway that pulling over takes a bit of care. Even so, it rewards the effort. In just a few lines it sketches out how this small town took shape, how its identity shifted, and how geography and transportation shaped its name and purpose long before modern traffic filled the gap The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "The town was laid off in 1815 as the county seat of Scott County. The original name of Winfield, for General Winfield Scott, was changed to Estillville for Judge Benjamin Estill. In 1886, the name was changed to Gate City because of its situation in Moccasin Gap, through which the Old Wilderness Road to the west passed. It was incorporated in 1892." This is marker number K-11 and it was erected in 1941 by Virginia Conservation Commission. The shoulder may be narrow, but a brief stop offers a compact lesson in how names, landscapes, and migration routes shaped the community that still occupies this gap today. [Review 83 of 2026 - 1529 in Virginia - 25273 overall]

This marker stands on Main Street to the side of a tall brick building that used to be the local…read morehigh school. The marker is on two sides and reads, "his brick facility was built in 1923 by the United States Coal and Coke Co., then leased to Lynch Colored Common Graded School District. Students from Benham and Lynch enrolled in the high school. The first four graduates received their diplomas in 1928." "W.L. Shobe was principal, 1939-56, and was an outstanding and progressive administrator. After Professor Shobe's retirement, Coach John V. Coleman promoted to principal; school name changed to West Main High. School had many notable students and athletes." Online, there is more information... When the coal boom hit eastern Kentucky in the early-twentieth century, mining companies primarily recruited their workers from three population segments. First were local residents, who were traditionally farmers. Second were immigrants, including natives of Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Italy. Third were African Americans from the Southern states. Like the native mountaineers, they were typically farmers or had worked in the iron foundries of cities such as Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama. Many African Americans who tired of a sharecropping existence welcomed a new change of scenery and opportunity for wage labor. [Review 13459 overall, 778 of 2020.]

Lynch is worth the drive off the beaten path!! So much history! There are several plaques giving…read morehistory and its like stepping back in time.

This marker sits within the small cluster at Gateway Park, where several signs trace the layers of…read moreScott County history from early settlement to the Civil War to the region's musical legacy. This particular marker shifts the focus to the county's earliest civic life and the improvised beginnings of its judiciary. It reads, "Scott County, named for Gen. Winfield Scott, was formed in 1814 from portions of Lee, Russell, and Washington Counties. The first court met on 14 Feb. 1815 at the house of Benjamin T. Hollins, about half a mile southeast of here. Hollins's house also served as one of the county's two polling places during its first election, held in April. A monument erected in 1915 marks the site. At an early meeting of the court, the county established a new seat now known as Gate City. The brick courthouse there, built by James Toncray, opened in 1829." Standing here, it is easy to connect that story to the present, since the current Scott County Courthouse is only a short distance away, a handsome Colonial Revival building that is well worth a visit for anyone interested in how the county's civic architecture evolved from a frontier living room to a fully realized courthouse square. [Review 88 of 2026 - 1534 in Virginia - 25278 overall]

Was it carved by Cherokee Indians to honor their chief, or by wind and rain....I suspect the…read morelatter, but you can be the judge yourself. Just north of the rock, is an old abandoned store where you can pull over, and take a look, and snap a photo.

Not far from the other markers that cluster along this stretch of road, this one stands out for its…read morefocus on cultural history rather than conflict or early settlement. The setting is modest but pleasant, with a small roadside park and a gazebo offering a brief place to pause, though the traffic can move quickly here and a bit of caution goes a long way. Even so, it is worth stepping out for a moment, because this marker honors a family whose influence reached far beyond Scott County and helped shape an entire genre of American music. The marker reads, "The Carter Family of Scott County, the 'First Family of Country Music,' consisted of Alvin Pleasant 'A. P.' Carter (1891-1960) who sang and composed; Sara E. Dougherty Carter (1898-1979), who sang lead and played the guitar and autoharp; and Maybelle Addington Carter (1909-1978) who sang and played the guitar and autoharp. After their first recording session in Bristol for the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1927, the trio enjoyed tremendous popularity, appearing on the radio, and recording more than 250 songs until 1943. The Carter Family incorporated unique harmony vocals into traditional tunes and original material. A. P. and Sara Carter are buried in Maces Springs, Va., near Hiltons. Maybelle Carter is buried in Hendersonville, Tenn." The Carter family's harmonies, arrangements, and musical sensibilities helped define what country music would become. And so the marker serves as a quiet reminder of how a small mountain community contributed something enduring to American culture. It is marker number KA-18 and it was erected in 2003 by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. [Review 85 of 2026 - 1531 in Virginia - 25275 overall]