Located at the center of town at the main intersection, this historical marker recalls the first…read moreduel to use rifles. It's been 200 years and it was recently re-enacted here, https://roanoke.com/news/historic-duel-to-be-re-enacted-in-christiansburg/article_e69bc076-63bc-5c4f-ba35-837678223df3.html. Though no one seems to know why the two men felt compelled to duel. It reads, "In this town occurred the duel between Thomas Lewis and John McHenry in May, 1808. This was the first duel with rifles known to have taken place in Virginia. It resulted in the death of both men. Dr. John Floyd, later Governor of Virginia and member of Congress, was the attending surgeon. This affair contributed to the passage in January, 1810, of the Barbour Bill outlawing dueling in Virginia." Kentucky, which until 1795, was part of Virginia until it was split to become the 15th State, still contains a phrase in the oath of office that all elected officials must swear that they have not fought in a duel or acted as a second in one. [Review 13821 overall, 1142 of 2020, number 1255 in Virginia.]

While my wife was looking thru Black Dog Salvage, I walked across Memorial Bridge. I read the large…read moreplaques on each end of the bridge, and admired the beautiful view of the Roanoke river. This bridge was opened in 1926. Cool piece of Roanoke history.

This marker is located on the south bank of the Roanoke River at Franklin Road. It recalls the…read moreearly Colonial days before the American Revolution. It reads, "The Great Wagon Road from Philadelphia to the backcountry of the Carolinas crossed the Roanoke River here at Tosh's Ford, named for Thomas Tosh, in the eighteenth century. Nearby stood Daniel Evans's mill, another landmark on the road. A group of Moravians, among the many thousands of settlers who passed this way, crossed the ford at dawn on 2 Nov. 1783 en route from Bethlehem, Pa., to Bethabara, N.C. One wrote in his diary of the ford's "slippery stones" and reported that "a quarter of a mile beyond we came to Even's mill." Mill Mountain is named for Evans's mill." Looking at the journey on Google Maps, it's 511 miles. I-81 largely follows the former Great Wagon Road from Allentown through Harrisburg, Hagerstown and Roanoke. On the interstate at 60+ mph, that's an eight hour drive. On a dirt road on a wagon? These folks *really* wanted a new life! The marker was placed in 1997 and is in good condition. [Review 13790 overall, 1111 of 2020, number 1224 in Virginia.]

Where the Little River is crossed by State Road 8 is the border between these two Virginia counties…read moreand this two sided historical marker. On the side facing Floyd County, it reads, "Montgomery County was named for Brig. Gen. Richard Montgomery, who was killed in the American assault on Quebec on 31 Dec. 1775. The county was formed from Fincastle County in 1776, and parts of Botetourt and Pulaski Counties were added later. The county seat is Christiansburg. William Preston, a Revolutionary officer, Indian fighter, and member of the House of Burgesses completed Smithfield, one of the county's outstanding historic houses, in 1774. His son James Patton Preston and a grandson John Buchanan Floyd, born at Smithfield, both served as governors of Virginia." And on the side facing Montgomery County, it reads, "Floyd County was named for John Floyd, governor of Virginia from 1830 to 1834. The county was formed from Montgomery County in 1831, with a portion of Franklin County added later. The county seat is Floyd, formerly Jacksonville. Admiral Robbey Evans, hero of the Spanish-American War, was born here in 1846. Congressman William Ballard Preston and Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early, C.S.A., served the county as commonwealth's attorneys. Henry Dillon, a noted area builder, using architect Asher Benjamin's pattern book, The Practical House Carpenter, constructed the old Floyd Presbyterian Church in 1850." The marker is on the other side of a metal barrier and there is little room to stop. [Review 13761 overall, 1082 of 2020, number 1196 in Virginia.]