This marker sits just outside Gate City along US‑23, part of the small roadside cluster that traces…read morethe deep history of the valley long before the town existed. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Cherokee Indians lived in this area before European settlement. In the Treaty of Lochaber (1770), the Cherokee agreed to shift westward the boundary between their land and territory open to settlers. This new line was to run from the vicinity of present-day Kingsport, Tennessee, to the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, now in West Virginia. John Donelson represented Virginia in the party that surveyed the line in 1771. With the consent of Cherokee representative Attakullakulla, Donelson blazed a line that extended to the mouth of the Kentucky River, well to the west of the boundary delineated in the treaty. Donelson's line crossed the road near here." This is marker number K-16 and it was erected in 2016 by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. With the small park and gazebo beside the markers, it makes an easy and surprisingly reflective stop for anyone traveling through the mountains, a place where the long story of shifting borders and cultural change becomes part of the drive. [Review 89 of 2026 - 1535 in Virginia - 25279 overall]

Located adjacent to the Coal Museum, this marker recalls a local music hero who made it…read more It reads, "Carl Martin was born in Big Stone Gap in April 1906. He grew up in Southwest Virginia and moved to Knoxville, Tenn., in 1918. He performed regionally on the guitar, mandolin, bass, and violin at coal camps, dances, and in traveling shows. In 1930, Martin's string band recorded two instrumentals for Vocalion, released under the band name "Tennessee Chocolate Drops" for a black audience and the "Tennessee Trio" in the white old-time music series. Martin moved to Chicago in the 1930s, recording blues and performing with such artists as Big Bill Broonzy and Tampa Red until serving in World War II. The 1960s folk revival brought Martin before new audiences. He died in Detroit on 10 May 1979." Country music, if you're a fan: https://youtu.be/r508dnuveuU [Review 13455 overall, 774 of 2020.]

Went to the Kingsport Chamber for their 75th anniversary event and was able to meet a lot of great…read morepeople working there! The event included a myriad of food options including desserts. They came paired with drink options of beer, seltzers, and wine. They had a band playing music outside which created a great atmosphere!

The city of Kingsport is like a step back in time. It's very nice place to visit people are…read moreextremely friendly and people aren't in a big rush. The downtown business are quite friendly to with many thrift store and antique stores. All but 2 restaurants were outstanding and most quite unique in their menu's. Everything moves at just a step slower which is great. And most people will help without being ask. Visit Kingsport you have time of your life

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]

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!!!

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]

This marker is located on the Tennessee side of State Street and recalls an important military…read moreleader. It reads, "Evan Shelby. Born in Wales, 1719, he came here about 1771. A veteran of Braddock's Campaign and Lord Dunmore's War, he commanded a successful expedition against Chickmauga towns, 1779. Member of the North Carolina State Senate, 1781, and brigadier general of militia, 1786, he declined governership of the State of Franklin, 1787. He died December 4, 1794, and is buried in East Hill Cemetery." Online, there is more information. "Evan Shelby was born in Tregaron, Cardiganshire, Wales, in 1720 (some sources give 1719). His father was also Evan Shelby; his mother was Catherine Davies Morgan. The family moved to the American colonies in about 1734, settling first in Pennsylvania, but later moving to Maryland. The younger Evan worked on a farm near Frederick, Maryland, named "Mountain of Wales"." "Shelby served as a captain, scout, and surveyor in the French and Indian War, and was present at the fall of Fort Duquesne. In the 1770s, he built a fort, store, and trading station near the Virginia/North Carolina border, near present-day Bristol, Tennessee, which included perhaps the first distillery in the region. He led a militia group to the Kanawha River site of the Battle of Point Pleasant during Lord Dunmore's War." "Shelby signed the Fincastle Resolutions and actively supported the war for American independence, serving on a boycott committee and eventually taking the lead in defending Virginia's western frontier. He rose to the rank of colonel in 1777, in raids against the Chickamauga. In 1787, he became a brigadier general in western North Carolina, and was even elected governor of the State of Franklin, a post which he declined." [Review 14992 overall, 494 of 2021, number 271 in Tennessee.]

This marker is near the bridge over the Powell River and calls out the city of Big Stone Gap…read more It reads, "Big Stone Gap, originally known as Three Forks, received its charter, February 23, 1888. A postoffice was established April 12, 1856. In the early nineties it became the center of iron and coal development. It was the home and workshop of John Fox, Jr., novelist, and author of "Trail of the Lonesome Pine."" The town of Big Stone Gap is economically centered around the coal industry. Formerly known as "Mineral City" and "Three Forks" before the official name change in 1888. The "Big Stone Gap" refers to the valley created on the Appalachia Straight, located between the town and Appalachia. The town served as an important center for coal and iron development in the 1880s and 1890s and residents hoped its coal and iron ore deposits would make it "the Pittsburgh of the South." [Review 13456 overall, 775 of 2020.]