Cumberland Gap

At this stop we enjoyed several historical sites. We stopped along the Wilderness Trail, which was followed by the Indians and early white settlers like Daniel Boone, who blazed a wagon road along the trail. It was at Wilderness Road State Park and visited Martins Station, a fort of sorts with five cabins. A replica of the old station is now a living outdoor museum, and Interpreters in colonial dress are there to tell visitors what life was like in the late 1700s. Joseph Martin, now largely forgotten, played a significant role in settling Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee. He was a trader, Indian agent, explorer, Army General, politician, and first settler of Lee County, VA.

We also visited the Fort McCook earthworks overlooking Cumberland Gap. This was a Union stronghold high on a mountain. General Grant said that with two brigades from the Army of the Cumberland, he could hold that pass against the Army Napoleon led to Moscow. Another general called it "America's Gibraltar." Regrettably, due to its pinnacle location, the fort could not be re-supplied easily and was eventually abandoned without seeing action.

One of our favorite tours was of the isolated Hensley Settlement in Bell County, Kentucky. Sherman and Nicey Hensley, who moved up to Brush Mountain on a plateau of the Cumberland Mountains in 1903, founded the settlement. Sherman was prolific in that he fathered 18 children by Nicey and made lots of distilled corn liquor. The settlement of 12 farmsteads was basically self-supporting and at one point was home to about 100 people. It lasted without electricity and indoor plumbing until the last man, Sherman, who left the mountain in 1951, stayed at his beloved retreat for the last two years all by himself after everyone else had left. Sherman and Nicey’s graves are located in the old cemetery. So is the body of an escaped convict from Oklahoma, an Indian who found his way to the settlement. When confronted by Sherman, who was out hunting wild turkeys, the Indian tried to wrestle Sherman’s shotgun away from him. The Indian chose to tangle with the wrong man—quite a man indeed. You didn’t mess with the good folks from the Hensley Settlement.

The Cumberland National Park Service purchased the land from its owners and has restored the original buildings, including some of the homes, to their 1940s condition. Especially quaint is the old one room school. We traveled via Park van up the mountain on a long, twisting, rocky road with many switchbacks and deep ravines. The Hensleys must have coveted their privacy. Life was simple on Brush Mountain, and we could still feel that old pioneer spirit as we walked along the rail fences and smelled the fresh fall air whistling through the colorful trees. Hensley family members still hold an annual reunion in the old settlement.

Another tour that was of special interest included Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum houses one of the most diverse Lincoln collections in the country. Exhibited are many rare items including the cane Lincoln carried that fateful night at Ford's Theatre and the tea set he and Mary Todd used in their home in Springfield. There are numerous other artifacts as well as 30,000 books, manuscripts, pamphlets, photographs, paintings and sculptures that depict the story of President Lincoln and the Civil War period. The curator and his assistant were most knowledgeable and helpful. They provided some wonderful, fresh insights into America's history. One thing we learned is that Lincoln was a renowned wordsmith, and he chose his words carefully before uttering or writing them.

Big Stone Gap II: Coal, Wine, & Books

The Triangle Area that links Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee proved interesting. We toured the Southwest Virginia Museum, which depicts many items from the mining days. One account showed photos of the Massengill family. A retired miner lost six sons in the terrible Yancey, KY mine disaster, which killed 23 men in December 1932. We also learned that low-grade iron ore was discovered in the area in the late 1800s, but by 1920 it had become too expensive to process. Big Stone Gap was home to several wealthy mine owners and executives, and a few of their splendid homes still exist.

We had lunch at a former elementary school in Benham and toured another museum. Lynch, Kentucky, a U.S. Steel company town that operated through WW II, was also on our tour. At Mine 31; we observed a memorial to lost miners and one honoring John L. Lewis, President of the United Mine Workers during WWII. He is a legend among miners, because he fought for mine safety. More than once, he shut down the mines with strikes until companies yielded. The former miners who provided presentations at the memorial spoke glowingly of Lynch, which in her glory days had every amenity that a town could offer. The homes were among the first to have running water and electricity. A company shower room had 71 showerheads for workers and foremen. Mine 31 shipped coal from 1917 until 1960. The old company buildings still stand like ghosts. Yet the deserted mine will soon be open again for tourists in order to preserve a proud heritage.

We visited a small family-owned winery. Sipping was encouraged. We also toured the home of John Fox, Jr., author of the famous book, Trail of the Lonesome Pine. He was a friend of Teddy Roosevelt and wrote many well-known short stories. He would die of pneumonia on the screened porch of his quaint, sprawling home at the age of 57. He was married briefly to a famous Austrian opera star, but they produced no children during their five years of marriage. She loved the city, and he loved Big Stone Gap. Dinners are now served at the home upon request, and our group was one of the fortunate to dine there in a rather formal, candlelight setting. The meal greatly exceeded our expectations. Before leaving, Beth, our immediate Past First Lady, presented one of Johnny’s fabulous wood carvings to our leaders, Della and Cecil, a gift from all of us in appreciation for all they had done to plan and execute a terrific caravan.

Near the end of our week at Johnny’s wonderful campground on the river, we had a huge rainfall that lasted most of the night and all day. At least one of our caravanners had to move his trailer to high ground from alongside the river for fear of flooding. Because several roads were closed we missed visiting Carter Fold and Natural Tunnel. Cecil and Della had planned for a year for this caravan, and we were sorry that these prize attractions had to be cancelled.

Before our Sunday morning departure, our friend Lloyd, with whom we had been traveling off and on since July 5, lead an excellent devotional. His subject was the “Characteristics of God.”

Big Stone Gap I: Music, Moonshine, & Model Trains

It was a rainy Sunday morning when we departed Bristol for Big Stone Gap, VA. We departed early with Cecil and Della to serve as parkers at Jessie Lea RV Campground. We found that the campground owner, Johnny, is a meticulous manager. He is also quite a wood carver, and his works of art bring a hefty price. The park has a lovely shelter that is decorated appropriately with objects from the area. It was the perfect place for our devotional service led by Jerry with music from Tennessee Ernie Ford. The message was entitled, “Biblical Solutions for Leading a Balanced, Productive and Stress-Free Life.” Johnny also sponsored mountain music on two nights. One of the musicians was a teenager named Tyler. He has his own CD and uses appearances to raise money for his future college education. He does a great job singing and plays several instruments, including the banjo. We are confident that Tyler has a great future as a musician.

We would also meet Stan, a tour agent from the Powell Valley. He had worked with Della and Cecil to develop many of our activities, and he provided an overview of things to come. We then drove to a theatre for a terrific musical performance, “Forever Plaid.” The focus was on a quartet of boys who had just gotten their first gig but were killed in a 1964 automobile-bus accident on their way to get their tuxes. They would suddenly come back to life and enjoy a second chance to do their thing. They delighted the audience by singing, in an animated manner, wonderful old numbers like “Three Coins in a Fountain,“ “Moments to Remember,” and many more.

Monday morning our leaders served a hearty steak and gravy breakfast, and we were met by Stan and a small school bus that would takes us to the Lonesome Pine Model Train exhibit in Appalachia. We met several volunteers who spend much of their time crafting small villages and lots of miniature rail systems. Their models are colorful, unique, and fully workable. The trains wind their way through coal mining towns, and the lovely mountain scenery is not neglected. It was wonderful to find these senior citizens having fun, experiencing fellowship, and creatively contributing something for others to enjoy. After playing with the trains, we drove on to the old coal mining town of Derby, where we were served lunch by the ladies of the Methodist Church. After our delectable meal, we sat in the sanctuary where members told us what it was like living in Derby during its heyday as a mining community. Mine labor was harsh, but they had much in the way of community amenities and neighborly love. The company homes, large and small and replete with flowers and pride, are still occupied.

We also visited Breaks Interstate Park in the Appalachian Range. The park is unique in that both Kentucky and Virginia share funding and administration. One can stand on an overlook and see both states and the largest canyon east of the Mississippi River. It is called the Grand Canyon of the South, but it pales in comparison to the real Grand Canyon. Our park tour also took us to an authentic log cabin, a gristmill, and a still. One of the old time park employees provided a comprehensive lesson on making moonshine and provided some tales of moonshiners vs. revenuers during the days of Prohibition.

Our Big Stone Gap experience included a tour of the Ralph Stanley Museum in Clintwood, VA. Ralph and his Clinch Mountain Boys, were some of the pioneers of Bluegrass Music. Ralph is still going strong at over 80 years of age. Some of our group also visited the local library to view the quilts on display.

Bristol VA-TN: Birthplace of Country Music

We moved on to Bristol and experienced a blowout on the trailer on I-81 near Marion, VA. Fortunately our Pressure Pro Alert System went off immediately. We were near an exit so Jerry eased our rig down the ramp to a deserted business parking area and pulled the wheel. We limped on to a tire center at the next exit while rolling on only five wheels, discarded the blown tire, and had them install the spare. Since they had no trailer tires in stock, we waited until we arrived at Bristol to purchase a new tire.

Bristol is unique, as State Street actually straddles the VA-TN line. Shop on one side and you pay TN taxes; shop on the other, and the governor of VA is happy. We stayed at the Beaver Creek Campground near the renowned Bristol Motor Speedway. Our leaders treated us to a delicious pancake breakfast near their trailer, and we quickly traveled in tandem to the Speedway for a tour. Our guide was a big man of good cheer, and to the delight of us all, he drove us at a top speed of 50 mph around the half-mile track in his large van, banking ever so slightly. We learned that racing fans are treated to watching professional drivers average as much as 128 mph over many laps. We also visited the drag-way called Thunder Valley, pathway of motorcycles and “souped up” cars with chutes. The gift shop and visitor center were big hits, but more impressive was the custom executive suite of Bruton Smith, wealthy owner of the track. For a big race, Mr. Smith invites as many a 160 guests to watch from an enclosed, premier vantage point, eat sumptuously on fine china, and taste preferred beverages served from an antique walnut bar. As if this were not enough opulence, Mr. Smith, age 82, owns other speedways.

In the afternoon, we visited the Chamber of Commerce and met an elderly lady, Anna, who provided a driving tour, with the highlight being the small home where Tennessee Ernie Ford was born. Who can ever forget his famous tune, “Sixteen Tons” that was once the most listened to song in America. We also visited his boyhood church, Anderson Street Methodist, which has been totally updated. Then we headed to downtown Bristol and were bedazzled by the restored old train station. State Street was a bustling place with vendors hurriedly getting ready for the annual Rhythm and Roots Festival that would begin the next day. Jerry hired on as a scooter patrolman (just kidding). We returned to an exciting day of music, fun, laughter, and festival food. That evening we had a group dinner at Macados and watched VA Tech come from behind in the last couple of minutes to win a big football game. While the evening was joyful, and the food was fantastic, a sports bar-restaurant is not exactly a place for quiet conversation. However, we were in a festive mood, and we returned to the street for more music. There were numerous bandstands along the streets, and in many businesses, smaller bands and singing groups excited their audiences. The grand finale on Saturday night featured Patty Loveless. There was hardly a place to stand at the end of State Street near the Bristol Arch, and office workers were literally hanging from second and third story windows. Patty was good, but we actually enjoyed some of the other, less famous groups more. A group of gastroentinolgists from Washington D.C. had fans jumping and clapping. There were wild, crazy, joyful, and multi-talented. They were the most unique group at the festival. We talked with some of the Blue Grass entertainers and were impressed with their overall demeanor. One was a songwriter who wrote one of the numbers on Reba’s newest CD (left photo).

Our son, Mark, lives in Kingsport, TN. and works in Bristol for Embarq Communications He (one on the left) and a couple of other employees manned a booth for a few hours, so we got to have lunch with him, wife Christy, and son, Ethan, age 6. The photo of Ethan depicts him straddling the line between Virginia and Tennessee, his home state.

An Airstream Tri-State Crooked Road Caravan

The Music and Story Telling Journey Along the Crooked Road to Tennessee’s Oldest Town, Jonesborough, Caravan began in Fairy Stone State Park in Southwest Virginia. Our leaders, Della and Cecil, made a great selection for our first caravan stop. The park is the only location where fairy stones can be found. They are staurolite crystals in the shape of Roman, Maltese or St Andrew’s crosses and are considered charmed. Many famous people such as Presidents, T. Roosevelt and Wilson as well as Thomas Edison and Charles Lindbergh carried them to ensure good fortune and/or as jewelry. Anyone can search for them on the ground but cannot dig up any of the fifty acres where they are found. We found them in the park gift shop, and Gloria converted them to earrings.

While camped at the park, we carpooled to the AAF Tank Museum in Danville. The museum collection is exhibited in a 330,000 square feet facility. It houses over 110 tanks along with hundreds of artillery items, uniforms, and over 50 small arm weapons. There is an exhibit of bicycles that were used to carry messages in both World Wars, women in the military, and 300 women’s uniforms dating from 1509 to present. Another room holds a collection of general officer uniforms from many countries. Bill, the curator and founder rode around the museum on his three wheel cycle wearing a sidearm. He answered many of our questions in addition to giving us information on how he acquired some the foreign tanks. After lunch at Mary’s Diner, we returned to the museum to complete our tour. The gift shop on the first floor and a flea market on the second floor also had many interesting items.


There was also an Elvis exhibit. He was our age during our military years in Germany and served as an officer's driver in a tank battalion, while Jerry was in an armored cavalry unit patrolling the East-West German Border in 1958-59. Elvis, a draftee, was greatly admired in those days for requesting duty in a line outfit rather than in Special Services. In 1959, at the age of 24, he began dating Priscilla, age 14, the daughter of an Air Force officer. After living together at Graceland, they would eventually marry eight years later, but the courtship lasted longer than the marriage. While many Army wives were twittering over Elvis in Germany, we were eagerly awaiting the birth of our oldest daughter born on July 14, 1958. Just before delivery, Gloria was driving to the 10th Army Field Hospital in Wurtzburg for her final checkup when she was sideswhiped by an Army truck similar to the one at left. Although there was significant damage to our 1957 Ford station wagon, Gloria and the unborn baby emerged unharmed. Gloria did have a lap full of broken glass. Robin is still as resiliant as when she was a fetus.

The next morning we drove to Ferrum College, a rural liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located about 35 miles from Roanoke. We first visited a colonial farm, authentic buildings that had been moved log by log to the campus. The farmhouse had been home to a family with German roots in the late 1700s. Our guide was most adept at handling a beautiful team of oxen, each ox weighing over one ton. The barn was most important to early settlers as it was their family financial center. A blacksmith shop was in operation—smoke and all.

Back at the college, after lunch, was a nostalgic display of the history of rockabilly music, popular in the mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia during the 1950s. Featured artists were Elvis, Carl Perkins, Janis Martin, Bill Haley and several others. The music was a fusion of country with rhythm and blues and a black music beat. The upbeat style waned during the 1960s and 1970s but resurfaced in the 1980s and is still popular in parts of the Southeast Mountain Area. We celebrated our two days at Fairy Stone that evening with a group camp meal prepared by Pat and Louise; Jerry grilled the hot dogs.