Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield is located in southern West Virginia along the foothills of one of the most beautiful mountain valley settings to be found anywhere. The city stands at 2,612 feet above sea level in the East River Mountain, making it “West Virginia’s loftiest incorporated community.” (Greater Bluefield Area Community Profile) With the average temperature in January at 35o F and July at only 71o F, Bluefield is nicknamed “Nature’s Air Conditioned City.” In fact, a tradition of the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce is to serve free lemonade to the residents and visitors when the temperature reaches an official 90o F. “It’s so seldom when the 90o [F] reading occurs that when the magic number is reached, the promotion often receives national publicity, particularly in the sweltering cities of the south.” (Bluefield, West Virginia and Virginia, 2)
Bluefield belongs to Mercer County, named in honor of General Hugh Mercer of the Revolution and is considered to be the “Gateway to Southern Hospitality and Black Gold.” Bluefield’s neighboring towns include Bluefield, VA, “Virginia’s Tallest Town;” Princeton, the county seat; and Bramwell, “The Millionaires Town”. According to the 1995 census, its population reaches almost 12,600, making it West Virginia’s seventh largest city. (Southern West Virginia’s Visitor’s Guide)
The city’s early history dates back to 1780 when two Revolutionary soldiers, Andrew Davidson and Richard Bailey, built the Davidson-Bailey Fort to protect their families from “hostile Indians.” It is said that soon afterwards, however, a band of Indians captured Mrs. Davidson and her two daughters. Along the way, she gave birth to a child, which the Indians drowned, and her daughters we...
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...Rhonda. Personal Interview. 22 Apr. 1999.
Historic Bramwell. West Virginia: Mercer County Convention and Visitors Bureau, n.d.
East River Mountain Overlook Park. West Virginia: Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce, n.d.
Greater Bluefield Area Community Profile. West Virginia: n.p., n.d.
Law, Ollie. Personal Interview. 20 Feb. 1999.
Nelson, James. Personal Interview. 21 Feb. 1999.
Rankin, John R. The Early History and Development of Bluefield, West Virginia. Virginia: Commonwealth Press, Inc., 1976.
Southern West Virginia’s Visitor’s Guide. West Virginia: Southern West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau, n.d.
West Virginia’s Historic Downtown Bluefield. West Virginia: Bluestone Convention and Visitors Bureau, n.d.
West Virginia’s Southern Gateway. West Virginia: Mercer County Convention and Visitors Bureau, n.d.
Mary Eugenia Surratt, née Jenkins, was born to Samuel Isaac Jenkins and his wife near Waterloo, Maryland. After her father died when she was young, her mother and older siblings kept the family and the farm together. After attending a Catholic girls’ school for a few years, she met and married John Surratt at age fifteen. They had three children: Isaac, John, and Anna. After a fire at their first farm, John Surratt Sr. began jumping from occupation to occupation. Surratt worked briefly in Virginia as a railroad contractor before he was able to purchase land in Maryland and eventually establish a store and tavern that became known as Surrattsville. However, the family’s fina...
I am from a small town called Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania. It is along the Delaware River, about 25 miles northeast of Philadelphia. Bristol Borough was founded in 1681. This is the states third oldest borough, that was once a busy river port with important shipbuilding activities (Cohen 438). It is predominately residential, with the exception of Mill Street, the community's traditional commercial street. It includes fine examples of many major styles and idioms, reflecting the community's long history and its importance as a transportation and commercial center (Owen 133). The 28-acre Bristol Industrial Historic District includes the original town of Bristol and the residential area that extends northeast along the bank of the Delaware River (Owen 132). The Bristol Industrial Historic District is a significant collection of the factory and mill complexes containing elements dating from 1875-1937 (Owen 133). Among the mills is the Grundy Mill Complex. It is a visual representation of industrial growth of Bristol Borough. This mill was run by Joseph R. Grundy. The dramatic scale of later buildings stand as the source and monument to the wealth and power of Joseph Grundy (Owen 145). Joseph Grundy was the proprietor of the Bristol Worsted Mills, and one of the most prominent manufacturers and businessmen of Bucks County (Green 252). The Bristol Worsted Mills no longer run but the building is still standing. Bristol owes a lot to Joseph R. Grundy for his contributions to the people and the town itself.
The Shenandoah Valley is located in the western part of Virginia. The valley lies between the Allegheny Mountains, Shenandoah Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains with the Potomac River being the northern boundary to the valley. The Valley offered two tactical advantages to the Confederates with the Union having knowledge of this. The first is a Northern Army invading Virginia would be vulnerable to a Confederate flanking attacks pouring through the many winding gaps across the Blue Ridge Mountains. The other is that the Valley offers a sheltered avenue that would allow any Confederate army to head north into Pennsylvania uncontested. The Shenandoah Valley also contains twelve bridges that are of significance to any maneuvering army of the day and the valley is only 25 miles wide. The valley represented to the Army of the Potomac (Union) a direct approach to the CSA capital of Richmond, Virginia during the Civil War (Keeg...
While analyzing through T.H Breen 's “Horses and Gentlemen: The Cultural Significance of Gambling among the Gentry of Virginia”, multiple aspects are established about the background of the particular gentry and also the significance of the leisure activities they participated in. When describing the colony, the people were made up of higher class individuals and mostly shared the same beliefs. The main cause of these actions fascinated Breen, and his article goes to answer why they found pleasure in such activities. Therefore, he then came to the concept that the gentry idolized two forms of living, materialism and individualism, both which possibly lead into the gambling behavior. I too agree with his observations of the colony and the idea that the leisure activities do portray a deeper sense of who they were.
The small community of Hallowell, Maine was no different than any other community in any part of the new nation – the goals were the same – to survive and prosper. Life in the frontier was hard, and the settlement near the Kennebec Valley was no different than what the pioneers in the west faced. We hear many stories about the forefathers of our country and the roles they played in the early days but we don’t hear much about the accomplishments of the women behind those men and how they contributed to the success of the communities they settled in. Thanks to Martha Ballard and the diary that she kept for 27 years from 1785-1812, we get a glimpse into...
*Murray, Judith Sargent. Bonnie Hurd Smith, ed.From Gloucester to Philadelphia in 1790: Observations, Anecdotes, and Thoughts from the 18th-Century Letters of Judith Sargent Murray. Cambridge, Mass.: Judith Sargent Murray Society and Curious Traveller Press, 1998.
Placerville California is located near Sacramento. This gold rush town was named after deposits of placer gold that was found in the river beds in the 1840’s. Being so close to where gold was first discovered in 1849 many people came flocking to this city in hopes of finding their fortune. It is located only 10 miles from the city that gold was first found in. The placer gold deposits the town got its name from were found in the river between Spanish Ravine and the town plaza. With all the miners rushing to the area Placerville soon became a much needed supply hub during the gold rush.
An unmistakable crisp smell of fall hangs in the air. The old, iron fence gives a safe feeling, as the sound of gravel sounds under visitors’ shoes. Surprisingly, this is the typical setting of the Blue Springs Cemetery. The cemetery not only serves to house deceased loved ones, but also serves as a symbol of pride to the Blue Springs and surrounding community. The Blue Springs Cemetery, a Gage County Landmark, has a rich history and is an important part of community pride and service.
Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War. Virginia Center for Digital History, University of Virginia, 1993-2005.
Lefler, Hugh T., and William S. Powell. Colonial North America. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973.
One half of the story was of a man named Daniel Burnham, who was a famous architect of his time. It’s in this half of the story that can you see the good part of the city. Pride can be seen mainly throughout his story. His life in these pages was based on the construction of the World Columbian Exposition which was a fair held in Chicago in 1893. This magnificent fair was in honor of one of America’s most well known discoverers, Christopher C. Columbus. This was the 400th anniversary of his discovery of the new world. Through Burnham’s pride and his determination, he was able to complete the fair in almost a year. However, it was not truly ready for opening day due to a few construction issues, such as the world’s f...
6 vols. of a book. Salem Press, 2008. Salem History Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
In “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,” Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan mother from Lancaster, Massachusetts, recounts the invasion of her town by Indians in 1676 during “King Philip’s War,” when the Indians attempted to regain their tribal lands. She describes the period of time where she is held under captivity by the Indians, and the dire circumstances under which she lives. During these terrible weeks, Mary Rowlandson deals with the death of her youngest child, the absence of her Christian family and friends, the terrible conditions that she must survive, and her struggle to maintain her faith in God. She also learns how to cope with the Indians amongst whom she lives, which causes her attitude towards them to undergo several changes. At first, she is utterly appalled by their lifestyle and actions, but as time passes she grows dependent upon them, and by the end of her captivity, she almost admires their ability to survive the harshest times with a very minimal amount of possessions and resources. Despite her growing awe of the Indian lifestyle, her attitude towards them always maintains a view that they are the “enemy.”
Tate, Thad & Ammerman, David; The Chesapeake in the Seventeenth Century; U.N.C. Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; 1979.
The Fugate family is better known as the Blue People of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky are unusual [12, 6]. As their name suggests, their skin is indeed a blue color. The Fugate family is quite large and keeps to themselves near the Appalachian Mountains in eastern Kentucky. Their story started with Martin Fugate, who may or may not have been blue. In the 1820’s, Martin married a pale and red haired woman named Eli...