Very nice and helpful! My son walked in to get some info on TN/VA I don't know if you have ever…read moreseen the Geico commercial well the geico character kept jumping from TN to VA and it was hilarious so ofcourse we found the spot in the middle of downtown yes my son did it too!!! It was funny. You can view the video I added. This was very cool one side of the street you are in TN and the other side of the street you are in VA!!! Yes very cool!!!

"We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident" feels like the right line to have in mind when you walk…read moreip to the Charters of Freedom installation at the current Ashe County Courthouse in Jefferson. There are a number of these around the US and this set was installed here in 2014. It sits on the hilltop approach in front of the courthouse. The replicas of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights are arranged so that you can take your time with them before you even reach the front steps. I stopped by on a quiet Friday afternoon and with the building locked up, it made for easy parking and uninterrupted photos. The installation is clean, well maintained, and fits naturally with the Honor Roll memorial nearby. It's a thoughtful addition to the courthouse grounds and a nice reminder of the documents that shape the work happening inside. [Review 874 of 2026 - 4765 in North Carolina - 26055 overall]

This marker stands at a three-way intersection with plenty of room to stop and read. It points out…read morethe home of a powerful twentieth-century legislator. It has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Congressman, 1911-1953. Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee, 1933-1947, 1949-1953. Home 2/10 miles southeast." I'm not sure why they chose 2/10 and not 1/4 but hey, whatever. As is customary with North Carolina markers, there is more information online. Robert Lee Doughton was born in 1863 in Laurel Springs and grew up in Alleghany County before beginning public service as a farmer‑turned‑state official in the early 1900s. He entered Congress in 1911, ultimately serving twenty‑one consecutive terms and becoming the longest‑tenured chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Doughton played major roles in passing the Social Security Act of 1935 and in securing the creation of the Blue Ridge Parkway. He married twice, raised three children, and died in 1954 at his home in Laurel Springs, where he is buried in the Laurel Springs Baptist Church Cemetery. It is marker M-34 and it was erected in 1987 by the Division of Archives and History. [Review 881 of 2026 - 4772 in North Carolina - 26062 overall]

I spotted this marker in Jefferson and stopped to photograph it. As I was doing so, I'm thinking…read morethat the subject seems very familiar and as I'm doing my research for the review, I see that I reviewed an Asa Gray marker in Bakersville in 2025. That's about 60 miles from here! This marker has the same text as the other and it also has the same on both sides. It reads, "American botanist and Harvard professor. In July 1841, investigated the region's flora. Headquarters was in house that stood 50 yds. N." Born in 1810 in New York, Gray initially trained in medicine but shifted his focus to botany, eventually becoming a leading figure in the field. His journey through Ashe and Mitchell counties involved collecting plant specimens and retracing paths once taken by French botanist André Michaux. Gray's findings contributed to his 1842 Botanical Textbook, which became a foundational science resource and helped secure his position at Harvard. Over the next 45 years, he published extensively, helped found the National Academy of Sciences, and served as a Smithsonian regent. Gray also corresponded with Charles Darwin, becoming a key American supporter of evolutionary theory until his death in 1888. [Review 877 of 2026 - 4768 in North Carolina - 26058 overall]

This marker is located at the corner of Highway 88 and Little Peak Creek Road which makes for an…read moreeasy enough stop to read the marker. I did not venture to see if there was anything at the mines but the sign and the research was enough. Marker M-28 has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Copper mine operated intermittently, 1850s to 1962. Site of Ore Knob, boom mining town, inc. 1875. Shafts 1 mile N." Ore Knob began in 1855 after a rich copper vein was found near the New River, though the first operation collapsed quickly because hauling ore more than sixty miles to rail made the venture unprofitable. The mine roared back to life in 1873 under Clayton & Company, growing so fast that the surrounding settlement became Ashe County's largest community and was briefly incorporated. Employment peaked above 700 men in the late 1870s, supported by a deep vertical shaft that eventually reached more than 1800 feet and made Ore Knob one of the most significant copper mines in the eastern United States. Falling copper prices shut the operation down in 1883, with only sporadic activity until its final closer in 1962. The site still shows tailings, structural remnants and mineral deposits, and in 1972 a group of Ashe County businessmen purchased the property for about $240,000. [Review 880 of 2026 - 4771 in North Carolina - 26061 overall]

The Abingdon Sculpture We stopped in a park in this little city while we were on our road trip…read morethrough NC. This park had all kinds of public art and statues and things. This is one of the cooler looking designs and landmarks for the town. We love seeing things like this and adding it so others can see.

Food was okay, atmosphere was really iffy, the wait staff was really rude and the other patrons…read morewere mean. I've eaten a variety of meals here and I must say, though the food is nutritious, the presentation is bad and the flavor is a tad lacking. Probably wouldn't go back but who knows

Love the history. Knowledge is power. Showed off the area to West Coast visitors. ThEIR…read morecomments: Lovely small town. Great weather when we (Group 1) were there in the late Spring! (Group 2) All Leaf views extraordinary (last) Fall. (Both Groups) People unbelievably friendly! Smiles everywhere! Safe place, no lunacy! Quite inexpensive compared to other places around the country.

Installed in 2014, this historical marker was placed by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. It is not…read morean official Commonwealth of Virginia marker. It is located on the Bristol border of Tennessee and Virginia next to where the rail line crosses State Street. The marker is in excellent condition. It reads, "On this site was formerly located the Bristol general Confederate Hospital. it was housed in the former Exchange Hotel erected in 1858 (later known as the Nickels House). The building was demolished in about 1898. Sick and wounded soldiers were brought here by train for medical and surgical treatment. Bristol was approximately halfway between the battlefields of Virginia and the south. Over 100 men who died in this hospital are buried in East Hill Cemetery six blocks east. This marker placed by James Keeling Camp 52. Sons of Confederate Veterans." From to a news article https://heraldcourier.com/news/local/bristol-civil-war-hospital-finally-gets-honored/article_fda0d902-ce72-11e3-b891-001a4bcf6878.html, "Confederate injured were thus transported from battle via the era's "interstate highway" and to Bristol's Confederate Hospital. They were then quickly taken to a ramp of entry at the hospital... Exact numbers of patients served and soldiers who died within the hotel, which operated from 1862 until the end of the Civil War in 1865, are not known." "As the guys died," Hawthorne said, "they were put on the back porch (of the hospital), loaded into a wagon that went up the dirt trail -- about straight up the steep bank, to East Hill Cemetery." East Hill Cemetery is nearby: https://www.yelp.com/biz/east-hill-cemetery-bristol?hrid=SpdF3SgglzNChTsdrCXqxA [Review 15002 overall, 504 of 2021, number 1281 in Virginia.]