The more northern of the two tunnels on I-77 between Charlotte and Cleveland (yeah, the highway…read morestarts in Columbia and it has several other cities along the way but I'm uncaring about those facts), the East River Mountain Tunnel goes under the border of West Virginia and Virginia. At 5,412 feel long, it joins the cities of Bluefield WV and Rocky Gap VA. It took five years to build and was completed in 1974. It has saved travelers the difficult journey of going up and down the mountain on US-52. If you're headed northbound, exit one is immediately after the end of the tunnel. If your eyes take more than a moment to adjust from darkness to light, you may have some trouble. There is no toll to use the tunnel. [Review 20387 overall - 1446 in Virginia - 1365 of 2023.]

A tunnel that runs literally through East River Mountain, instead of a road and us literally…read moredriving up the mountain. Since the elevation for the mountain is more than 3,000 feet, the logical solution was a tunnel through both mountains, so they built this tunnel for us to drive through the mountain. There are actually two of these similar tunnels along I77, but this particular tunnel starts in Virginia and ends in West Virginia, or vice versa. The state line falls almost exactly across the midpoint of the tunnel, with 51% of the tunnel residing in West Virginia and the remaining 49% on the Virginia side. Because of that, both states antied up the 40 million for the project, that started in 1969 and completed in 1974.

Monday at noontime I swung around the traffic circle in Princeton to get a look at the Mercer…read moreCounty Courthouse, a 1931 Classical Revival building designed by Alex B Mahood, the Bluefield architect responsible for a number of prominent southern West Virginia civic structures. Mercer County is named for Hugh Mercer, the Revolutionary War general, and Princeton has been the county seat since its founding, rebuilt after being burned twice during the Civil War. The courthouse was busy with busy with people coming and going, so I stayed outside and took in the building from the circle, getting honked at only twice while I tried to make sense of the traffic pattern. Driving slowly helps. The grounds were active, the building is clearly well kept, and even without going inside, it's easy to appreciate how this courthouse anchors the center of Princeton and remains one of the town's most recognizable landmarks. [Review 904 of 2026 - 216 in West Virginia - 26085 overall]

The parking here is extremely limited. There are a few spots on the street, but are limited to a…read moretwo hour maximum. If you have business to conduct at the courthouse be prepared to park off site and walk a short distance. The staff at the assessors office are professional and very helpful.

Located in Courthouse Square in the center of Union, this marker points out the history of a local…read morewho is laid to rest nearby. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "In Green Hill Cemetery is the grave of William Porcher Miles, who was a Congressman from SC, a signer of the SC Ordinance of Secession and a member of the Confederate Congress. During the Civil War he served on the staff of General PGT Beauregard where he helped to negotiate surrender of Fort Sumter and was designer of the Confederate Battle Flag." Miles was mathematics professor at the College of Charleston, later elected mayor of Charleston, where he modernized the police force, and then a U.S. Congressman known for defending Southern rights. As a member of the Confederate Congress, he chaired the Military Affairs Committee and designed the battle flag that became the most enduring symbol of the Confederacy. After the war, Miles married into a wealthy Virginia family, managed plantations in Virginia and Louisiana, and briefly served as president of the University of South Carolina. He remained committed to the principles of secession throughout his life, dying in 1899 in Louisiana, with his legacy tied to both civic reform and Confederate identity. [Review 1457 of 2025 - 191 in West Virginia - 25010 overall]

This marker briefly points out the biography of a local clergyperson who did great things. It is…read morelocated near the center of Union in a prominent location. It reads, "Born at Union, 1865. Converted at 15 at Simpson M. E. Church, Charleston. Licensed to preach; his first parish was Harpers Ferry 1889. His most distinguished pastoral work was the rebuilding of Asbury Church Washington, with a seating capacity of 1800. He was one of the two first Negroes in Methodism to achieve the office of bishop. He died in Covington, Ky., in 1943, and was buried in Washington, D.C." The marker was erected in 1979 by the West Virginia Department of Archives and History. Bishop Clair was a pioneering African American leader in the Methodist Episcopal Church. In addition to the above, he served eight years in Monrovia, Liberia before later overseeing conferences in Kentucky and the Midwest. [Review 1486 of 2025 - 192 in West Virginia - 25039 overall]

Located inside the Ironto rest area, this historical marker points out one of the local features…read moreand after reading, I was on my way swiftly. It reads, "Near here stood Montgomery White Sulphur Springs, popular resort area of 19th century America. During the Civil War the resort was converted into a military hospital staffed by Catholic nuns. Several hundred victims of smallpox including nurses and soldiers are buried nearby. The Southern Historical Society was reorganized here in August, 1873, when Jefferson Davis delivered the principal address." Online, there is more information. "The Virginia-Tennessee Railroad brought guests from Lynchburg to the small station at Big Tunnel (Montgomery). From there, passengers rode cars propelled by gravity down to the resort. The idyllic vacation spot was transformed by the Civil War. From 1862 to 1865, Montgomery White Sulphur Springs operated as a Confederate general hospital under Dr. J. Lewis Woodville, Chief Surgeon. At its peak, Montgomery White accommodated up to 700 sick, wounded, and recovering Confederate soldiers." The resort closed its doors and was reverted to farmland. That area is not open to the public. [Review 13764 overall, 1085 of 2020, number 1199 in Virginia.]

This marker at the intersection of Rock Road and Tyler Avenue points out some of the early history…read moreof Radford and reminds me of how wonderful it is to zip over a bridge at 70 mph instead of having to take a dangerous ferry ride across a river. US-81 crosses the New River about four miles from here The marker reads, "Ingles Ferry Road. As the population in the New River valley increased in the 18th century, the western branch of the Great Wagon Road from Philadelphia to the backcountry of the Carolinas and Georgia crossed the region. The branch became known as the Wilderness Road. After Daniel Boone and others improved it about 1775, it was the main route of migration to Kentucky and the West through Cumberland Gap. This segment of the Wilderness Road ascended the Allegheny Mountains at Christiansburg, crossed the New River at Ingles Ferry, then continued west. In the 19th century, the Ingles Ferry Road was incorporated into the South Western Turnpike." [Review 15539 overall, 1043 of 2021, number 1348 in Virginia.]

This marker is on the roadside of US-29 and points out one of the geological features that explains…read morethe main industry of the region. It has the same text on both sides. It reads, "The Greenbrier Limestone, which outcrops along U.S. Route 219 between here and Renick, is the "Big Lime" of the driller. Fish-egg like oölitic zones in the "Big Lime" yield oil and natural gas in West Virginia." Onlne, there is more information. Between 345 and 326 million years ago, during the Middle Mississippian Epoch, the geologic formation was deposited. This thick, frequently 400-foot-deep carbonate layer, which stretches throughout West Virginia and portions of Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland, was created in a shallow marine environment. Because of its porous structure, it is a valuable natural gas and oil reservoir. The Big Lime also contains a large number of karst characteristics, such as sinkholes and caverns. This formation, which gets its name from the Greenbrier River, not only supports industry but also shapes the Appalachian landscape. There is no number on the marker which was erected in 1973 by the West Virginia Historic Commission, sponsored by the West Virginia Centennial Committee of the Oil and Natural Gas Industry. [Review 606 of 2025 - 181 in West Virginia - 24167 overall]

Opposite the Montgomery County Sheriff's office, this memorial is dedicated to those who are…read morecurrently serving, those who have served and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The monument indicates the same and includes a list of names from Montgomery County who served and died during World War I (1917-1918) and World War II (1941-1946). It is located in a small grassy space with some parking nearby. It is granite and in very good condition, considering that it was erected by the Montgomery County American Legion Post Number 59 on May 31, 1953 (Memorial Day). [Review 13822 overall, 1143 of 2020, number 1256 in Virginia.]